Nikon Photo Secretary (v1.0)

Finally, I got my hands on my Nikon secretary, the first night was so great!! ;-)

Uhem, I mean, umm..., the long-awaited Nikon's Photo Secretary, the PC software for N90s/N90 (or F90X/F90).

Photo Secretary (v1.0) was released in two versions: a 16 bit version for Win 3.1 and a 32 bit version for Win95 and WinNT 3.51. Both are shipped, in separate 3.5" diskettes, along with MC-31 cable. I paid $190 from B&H. (Adorama quoted $195.)

Computer's system requirements are nothing fancy: 386 or higher, 1.5M hard disk, 4M memory, and an open serial port. Probably anything running those versions of Windows should do. Camera: N90s or N90, and the MC-31 cable. The computer connector on the MC-31 is 25-pin one. With an appropriate adapter, can use a 9-pin serial port.

First Impressions

• The instruction manual is very impressive. In a similar style as other camera manuals. But a serious omission is the specification of the amount of camera's storage capability. These data are hidden somewhere in the on-line help. I dug it out, found that it is the same (what to expect?!) as those for the DataView 2.0 software.
• The installation on my (lab's) ancient 486 running Win95 (don't laugh) was without any hassle. The user interface is fine, or, bearable since I am always a MS Windows hater. Would be better if some keyboard shortcuts are provided.
• Hyper-linked on-line help is very convenient, and is more detailed than the instruction manual.

Features At a Glance

• Downloading shooting data from the camera
• Custom setting of the camera
• Some MF-26 supported camera operations without the MF-26
• Using all MF-26 features without fiddling the MF-26 buttons
• Camera setting confirmation and basic camera operations
• Some other "reference" materials, such as photography glossary, simplified manual for N90s/N90, SB-26 and MF-26, etc., to make Nikon feel a little easy about charging you almost $200.

Features Explained

• Storing and Downloading Shooting Data
  To do this, the camera needs to be set up first. In setting up, there are 4 levels of data amount to choose: none, minimum, intermediate and all. After shooting, these data can be downloaded to a computer. These features, including the storage capacity, are the same as DataView 2.0 software.
  • When setting up the camera to memorize shooting data, the frame counter should be displaying "E", i.e., no film in the camera.
  • When the storage is full, two choices: continue shooting without storing new data, or lockup the camera until the data are downloaded. BUT, the choice must be made at set-up time!
  • Downloading is only possible for completed film rolls. Data for unfinished roll of film in the camera cannot be downloaded.
  • After downloading, all shooting data in the camera are automatically erased. And, there appear to be no way of selective downloading.
  • After downloading, data for each roll are put in a separate file. Data include the camera type, film speed, starting frame number, and downloading time.
  • After downloading, file can be saved in either "Photo Secretary Format", or delimited text format (for exporting). Within Photo Secretary, some of the fields (like title, caption, starting frame number) can be edited, some cannot (like exposure data).

  Some undocumented behaviors:

  • When "Err" appears in the middle of a roll, and the shutter is fired to clear the error, the camera advances a frame, but this frame is not recorded, and the frame numbers stored there on do not match the actual frame numbers.
  • When using multiple-exposure feature, only the first exposure of the frame is recorded.
  • When exposure compensation is used and a flash is fired without flash compensation, the data show the same amount of flash compensation as the exposure compensation.
  • Photo Secretary cannot read the "delimited text" format file it produces. So, the date downloaded from the camera must be saved at least once in "Photo Secretary Format" if you wish to use Photo Secretary to manage the data later.

  I haven't played with Photo Secretary's data viewing and editing features, and don't have the desire to do this any soon. (As I said, I hate MS Windows's interface.) My plan is to write a code to print out those data nicely on a sticker and put onto the slide mounts.

• Custom Settings
  The following settings can be custom set for the camera:
  • Continuous beep on exposure alert: a.k.a. picture blur alert for low shutter speeds. For N90s only, additional beep alerts for the infamous "fEE" and various camera-lockups (My N90s emits repeated long, but not continuous, beeps.)
  • Double beep on in-focus
  • Beep on film-operation error
  • Beep on self-timer --- two beeps per second, I measured! :-)
  • Absolute DX-coding --- DX-coding overrides manual setting!!
  • Simultaneous AE-L and AF-L (an MF-26 feature. This AE-L and AF-L mean the buttons on the camera, not the half-way-pressed shutter.)
  • Focus-priority in AF-C mode
  • Release-priority in AF-S mode
  • AF in continuous shooting --- allows autofocus for every frame when in CH or CL film advance modes.
  • Data imprinting on Frame 0 --- needs MF-26, see below for more details.
  • EV difference indicator, N90s only --- show the difference of the matrix metering from the center-weighted metering, trade for the frame counter display in the viewfinder
  • Easy compensation mode, N90s only --- enable simply rotating the command dial to set exposure compensation, trade for the frame counter display in the viewfinder
  • Show Vari-Program name in the viewfinder display --- trade for the frame counter display in the viewfinder
  • Auto meter-off time --- choose from: 2, 4, 8, 16, 30 and 60 seconds.
  • Long time exposure --- traditional "bulb", or, two-shutter-press operation: first press - open, second press - close
  • Shutter release timing for second camera --- choose simultaneous, alternate, independent and disconnect if 2 (N90s/N90)'s are connected together
  • Lowest normal sync speed --- choose from 1/30, 1/60, 1/125 and 1/250 second
  • Direction of command-dial
  Surprise: Simultaneous AE-L and AF-L can be set via either MF-26 or Photo Secretary, or both. But, if MF-26 is removed later, this setting is gone. But, it can set again via PhotoSecretary. But ... I didn't try other combinations of set/unset with/without MF-26.

• Fuss About "Data Imprinting On Frame 0"
  It seemed that many people are interested in this feature, and Nikon has never been clear about what it really does. Here are what I've found, theoretically (I haven't had a chance to shoot film yet).
  • First of all, MF-26 is only capable of imprinting a few (4-8) characters in the picture area. If you are thinking of imprinting the shooting data on Frame 0, probably you are mistaken with Contax G2.
  • This feature can be set during setting up for memorizing shooting data, or via one of the custom settings. Either one suffices.
  • Loading of the film becomes a two-stage process: it advances the film to Frame 0 and pauses, the user selects the data to be imprinted then presses the shutter to finish loading: imprinting data and advancing the film to Frame 1.
  • Before firing the shutter for the second stage loading, the data displayed on MF- 26's LCD panel is imprinted. Note the special situation: if the films roll number is specified during "setting up for memorizing shooting data", during the pause of film loading, the MF-26 displays the roll number if (and only if) "FRM" display is selected on MF-26. This is the fuss (I don't think it is an appropriate reason) that this feature is called "imprinting film roll number at Frame 0".

• MF-26 Features without MF-26
  • Auto-sequence shooting --- in CH or CL film advance mode, stop shooting after the specified number of frames
  • All-mode exposure bracketing --- include manual mode
  • Flash bracketing --- only applicable for TTL-auto flash metering
  • Multiple-exposure --- up to 19 exposures per frame
  • Focus priority in AF-C mode
  • Flash output compensation --- between +1 and -3 EV in 1/3 steps
  (Note: Simultaneous AE-L and AF-L is also an MF-26 feature that can be set without MF-26. But see also the Surprise in "Custom Setting" section.)

• Miscellaneous
  • Custom Program setting --- draw your own program curve
  • With MF-26, almost all MF-26 features can be performed from the computer without fiddling those tiny buttons on MF-26
  • Basic camera operation (but cannot fire the shutter if there is no film)
  • Check current camera status
  • Define custom reset (an MF-26 feature)
  • Data exchange with Sharp Wizard (need MC-27 cable)

My Picks

My main purpose of buying the N90s is for its software. So, obviously, shooting data storing and downloading is my top pick, and I go all the way for it: I choose to store all the data, and, "please don't lock my camera!" in the event that the storage is full.

I don't like the idea of storing the data in the computer, while putting slides/negative elsewhere. So, I am planning to do my own processing of these data: format them nicely and print them on stickers to put on the slides.

Of course, some of the custom settings are nice to have. Here are what I choose to set on my N90s:

• Beep on film-operation errors
• Beep on self-timer
• Simultaneous AF-lock and AE-lock (I've already used MF-26 to do so)
• Data imprinting on Frame 0
• Easy compensation for Aperture Priority mode
• Auto-meter off time: 16 seconds. Hey, the AA batteries are cheap! Longer time allows more time to fiddle the shiftable program
• Slowest normal-sync speed: 1/30 sec. For indoors, usually the focal length is not very long, I want some background, and yet "auto-everything". I think 1/30-second shutter is hand-holdable with care.

I'd like to hear beeps on various camera lockups. But can't stand the continuous beeping for low shutter speeds since I shot low-light situations most of the time. Nikon should have separated those two categories.

Wish list? I'd like to see the metering mode in the viewfinder!