Shutter Release: Nikon sells 53 Nikon D5s to NASA and the health of 35mm films…how many are there?

It's been an exciting week in the photography world with Nikon's grand unveiling of the Nikon D850. We will kick off this Friday edition of our Shutter Release roundup article with more Nikon news, this time related to a Nikon and NASA collaboration, which is far from the first interaction between the two. We will then look at an interesting court ruling in Massachusetts, a guide to using a small softbox with your flash and finish with an editorial about 35mm film. Quite a variety of content to share with you heading into the weekend.

NASA orders 53 Nikon D5 cameras - Nikon Rumors

Nikon has announced that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has placed an order for 53 Nikon D5 cameras. The 20.8-megapixel full-frame DSLRs will be sold to NASA unmodified, which has not always been the case when Nikon has sold equipment to NASA in the past. For example, back in 1971, Nikon sold modified cameras to NASA for the Apollo 15 mission. Since then, Nikon has continued selling equipment to NASA, including F5 cameras in 1999, D2XS cameras in 2008, 38 Nikon D4 cameras and 64 Nikkor lenses in 2013 and 10 more D4 cameras last year.

Of the latest NASA order, Nikon says, "…these D5 cameras will be the same models available to consumers, confirming the incredible reliability of Nikon products, as well as their ability to withstand even the harshest of environments." Nikon goes on to recommend that interested Nikon fans watch the time lapse below, which the company released in conjunction with SmugMug earlier this month.

Massachusetts Supreme Court rules that the Riley decision applies to cameras - DIY Photography

The full extent of a recent ruling in Massachusetts goes well beyond the scope of Shutter Release, but the gist of it is that the Riley decision applies not only to cell phones, but also to cameras. To boil the decision down to its bare essentials, basically law enforcement cannot search your camera without a warrant because a camera does not pose an immediate threat. However, the federal Supreme Court ruling did not specifically discuss the search of a digital camera, but a Massachusetts judge ruled that the federal ruling plus a specific Massachusetts statute provides protection against a warrantless search of your digital camera by law enforcement. How this affects individuals in other states is unclear, but it is nonetheless an interesting result. You can read more about it here.

Using a small softbox with your flash for portraits - Digital Photography School

The less gear you have to carry, the better, right? But a small light source, such as a flash, usually produces unflattering light. How can you fix that without getting bigger lights? You can use a small softbox to produce very nice results. Read how here.

Why is 35mm film on the rise again? Japan Camera Hunter answers

Stephen Dowling of Kosmofoto has recently written an article for Japan Camera Hunter about the current 35mm film market and how it has changed over the last few years. It's well worth a read to get a perspective on both the rapid decline of the film market and its recent resurgence.

For film photographers, Dowling has recently completed a project in which he has determined which 35mm films are still on the market. That has been broken into three parts, which you can find here: Parts One, Two and Three.