Nikon UK Press Release

Wednesday April 26, 2006 - Nikon has scooped three awards at the prestigious Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) awards 2006 with three top products earning best-in-class accolades. The D200 was named “Best D-SLR Expert in Europe 2006”, the D50 won the “Best D-SLR Entry Level in Europe 2006” award and the AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED has been dubbed the “Best professional Lens in Europe 2006”. Martina Beckmann, Manager Marketing Communications at Nikon Europe BV, said: “We are delighted to receive the three TIPA awards, especially after the success we had last year with the Nikon F6, Nikon COOLPIX 7900 and the Nikon AF-S VR 200 f/2 lens all winning awards.”

The TIPA jury praised the D200 for its performance, superb image quality and handling speed which “really impresses as it’s up and running in just 0.15 seconds and has a shutter lag of a mere 50 milliseconds.”

The Nikon D50 won the Best D-SLR Entry Level camera in Europe 2006 on the basis that it gives amateurs the chance to shoot high resolution images at a very low cost. The jury commented: “The ergonomics are well thought out and no major feature or function is missing. In the field, the Nikon D50 gives a performance beyond that expected at this price point.”

The jury was equally enthusiastic about the Nikon AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED lens, noting that the lens is the first-ever macro model with an integrated optical stabilizer.

“With internal focusing and a gyroscope for the optical stabilization, this Micro Nikkor lens shows nearly a 4-stop gain in speed, if compared to the same lens without the Vibration Reduction feature. The lens is large and robust, but its filter thread is a mere 62mm.”

The jury concluded that the Nikon AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED “will be the lens of choice for discerning macro photographers”.

The Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) was founded in 1991 as an independent, non-profit Association of European photo and imaging magazines. With 31 member magazines from 12 countries, TIPA is the largest and most influential association of its kind in Europe.

For more information about these and other Nikon award winning products please visit: www.europe-nikon.com