CGrindahl wrote:
I'm curious about when each of you arrived at this thread and what about it tickled your fancy enough that you kept coming back. The thread has been here 14 years and there definitely have been people who dropped in and then moved on. A few stayed until their lives came to an end. That will perhaps be something a few of us old timers will do...
There also have been times when this thread was faster than a speeding bullet. Those were the days Nikki was being sent around the world. We had on average for a few months of 120 posts per day. Imagine trying to keep up with that. Now it is a much more leisurely place. As I've said often, the thread really belongs to those who show up, so obviously it will be whatever those folks want it to be. I'm glad I started it but I'm also relieved that I haven't needed to be responsible for things.
So what brought you and what is working for you now? I'm curious....Show more →
Although I don’t remember for certain, I came in around the 2010 or early 2011 timeframe. I had been divorced for a little while and I had picked up a Nikon D7000 when new. I had had a Nikon FE with a Series E 50/1.8 in the past and after getting the D7000, I was reunited with it. My aunt had found it in my grandmothers things…I thought I had lost it (along with my Canon Canonette G3, my first 35mm) long ago. She was no longer shooting with it, so she gave it back. It sat on my shelf for a while. I was cruising Google for info on the old Nikon and wanted to see if I could revive the camera. The camera was pretty much a write-off as the battery had been left in the camera for a very long time and the corrosion found its way inside. I cleaned it all up, but I would maybe get 2 rolls of film through it before the battery would die. I found that there was terrible parasitic power draw, even when the camera was off. I want to say it was 5x the draw that the meter used. At the time, I couldn’t find anyone that would repair it for a reasonable cost. I then started looking into using the lens on my new D7000. I had just got it back from Nikon service after the camera shop damaged the sensor and shutter during a cleaning. I think this thread was the second or third listing for these old lenses. It took me two weeks to go through all the pages and photos posted here. I had posted about the possibility of using the Series E 50/1.8 on my D7000 and got a PM from Ray Steele and he walked me through getting it going.
Needless to say, I was hooked. I amassed a rather large collection of vintage glass, not only Nikon, but many other brands. At my peak, I had over 470 lenses. Most I went through and did a basic CLA on and would shoot what I could…Nikon and their F-mount flange distance didn’t help here. Around 2013, I picked up the Fuji XE1 and shot everything on that camera, but was mostly Nikon on Nikon for stuff I posted here. I am very glad we relaxed the rules to allow the lenses to be used on other bodies. I think that really helped bring more into the fold.
Although there have been times where I have had a hiatus from the group here, I always do make it back to see how everyone is and what the lens of choice is this month. I got to meet Curtis and his friend Sue and we had a nice lunch together. I wish we would have had more time to shoot some more than the quick takes we did. I had remembered that Curtis didn’t have a tripod at the time, I had a spare, so I gifted it to him. Not sure if he has ever used it, but he does have one!
I just picked up a second Nikon Z5 as I found that many of my issues I had with my first one were poor setup on my part and the fact that I didn’t have vibration reduction turned on. I’m getting a lot more shaky than I used to be (advancing nerve damage really sucks) so I need the VR now. My Fuji’s have it in the lenses, but neither bodies I have do. I got the first (and now second) Z5 do have in body VR, and now that I know how to use it with my manual glass, I think I will be OK for a while yet. I hope to contribute more in the near future. I have volunteered to be basically a second shooter for my daughter’s school production of “Finding Nemo” and this will give me an excuse to shoot more. Most of the shots will be using AF glass, but I hope to do a portrait session for the actors and will use MF glass for that.
Ken, very happy to hear the VR on the Z5 is working out for you! To be mindful of setting that correctly as it can make a big difference, especially as the setting in the lens focal length diverge more and more. If you find that working for you, maybe consider upgrading to a Z6 as well. These days the cost is not significantly more and you probably get an extra stop or so of ISO range allowing you to raise the shutter speed a bit further.
Finally starting to cool off here, I had a few minutes this morning, so pulled the 180 ED out and took it to the beach. Always a great start to the day regardless of how the pictures turned out.
CGrindahl wrote:
I'm curious about when each of you arrived at this thread and what about it tickled your fancy enough that you kept coming back. The thread has been here 14 years and there definitely have been people who dropped in and then moved on. A few stayed until their lives came to an end. That will perhaps be something a few of us old timers will do...
There also have been times when this thread was faster than a speeding bullet. Those were the days Nikki was being sent around the world. We had on average for a few months of 120 posts per day. Imagine trying to keep up with that. Now it is a much more leisurely place. As I've said often, the thread really belongs to those who show up, so obviously it will be whatever those folks want it to be. I'm glad I started it but I'm also relieved that I haven't needed to be responsible for things.
So what brought you and what is working for you now? I'm curious....Show more →
Curtis,
I joined this thread in August of 2013 after looking at and reading the entire thread. I was pleased to see then, as now the civility of the posts and the excellence of the photography. I was privileged to know and shoot with Ray Steele (MDOC) and REAGAN Lamb both now deceased.
I haven’t posted in a while but review the daily posts and respond when I get the urge. I shoot occasionally and add to my TVs screensaver. I still communicate with other forum members which is always fun.
Your civility did a lot to lead the way. Much appreciated.
As I sit here the (eye) of Hurricane Milton is 5 hours away. We should be fine!
AdaptedLenses wrote:
Ken, very happy to hear the VR on the Z5 is working out for you! To be mindful of setting that correctly as it can make a big difference, especially as the setting in the lens focal length diverge more and more. If you find that working for you, maybe consider upgrading to a Z6 as well. These days the cost is not significantly more and you probably get an extra stop or so of ISO range allowing you to raise the shutter speed a bit further.
Finally starting to cool off here, I had a few minutes this morning, so pulled the 180 ED out and took it to the beach. Always a great start to the day regardless of how the pictures turned out....Show more →
Love the perspective of the first image. Sort of a fish's eye view.
kwoodard wrote:
I just picked up a second Nikon Z5 as I found that many of my issues I had with my first one were poor setup on my part and the fact that I didn’t have vibration reduction turned on. I’m getting a lot more shaky than I used to be (advancing nerve damage really sucks) so I need the VR now. My Fuji’s have it in the lenses, but neither bodies I have do. I got the first (and now second) Z5 do have in body VR, and now that I know how to use it with my manual glass, I think I will be OK for a while yet. I hope to contribute more in the near future. I have volunteered to be basically a second shooter for my daughter’s school production of “Finding Nemo” and this will give me an excuse to shoot more. Most of the shots will be using AF glass, but I hope to do a portrait session for the actors and will use MF glass for that. ...Show more →
Kevin, it would be great if your second Z5 satisfied your photography needs. It can't be fun being forced by circumstances beyond your control to stop using kit you like using.
I was prescribed glasses early last year because I was finding that I was starting to struggle to read small print at distance. Fortunately, anything up close I can see as good as any other time and as far as I can tell my photography, near and far has not been impacted yet. However, I'm anxious of the time where I will need to wear glasses to shoot. I don't know how those that do manage.
To close what's turning into a ramble, when you first mentioned that you had not set in body VR in your Z5. I went into my one and lo and behold, it wasn't set. I've had the camera since June 2021 and taken 4000+ pictures. You're not alone.
SiMuMe wrote:
Kevin, it would be great if your second Z5 satisfied your photography needs. It can't be fun being forced by circumstances beyond your control to stop using kit you like using.
I was prescribed glasses early last year because I was finding that I was starting to struggle to read small print at distance. Fortunately, anything up close I can see as good as any other time and as far as I can tell my photography, near and far has not been impacted yet. However, I'm anxious of the time where I will need to wear glasses to shoot. I don't know how those that do manage.
To close what's turning into a ramble, when you first mentioned that you had not set in body VR in your Z5. I went into my one and lo and behold, it wasn't set. I've had the camera since June 2021 and taken 4000+ pictures. You're not alone....Show more →
Siphiwe - turning on your un-used IBIS feature will be like having a camera upgrade for free.
DeltaSigma wrote:
Siphiwe - turning on your un-used IBIS feature will be like having a camera upgrade for free.
I'm looking forward to it, Colin. I still want to do a random sample of historical photos to confirm if this is a recent thing or I really didn't turn it on, ever. I just use stuff, and start tinkering when I'm unhappy. Even with that history though, this was quite an embarrassing discovery.
This is a little outside the purpose of this thread, but for the Z users who are just starting to use IBIS, IF you use any lens that has a physical VR on/off switch, this button setting completely overrides whatever you've set on the camera body. For example, if you turn IBIS "off" on the camera, but the lens VR button is in the "on" position, VR will be on. I've had instances of this resulting in VR messing up image definition when shooting off a tripod.
grantgoodes wrote:
Sounds like we have similar policies, and a similar journey. I remember looking at Nikon brochures (which were "free" as long as you didn't end up buying something!) and drooling over the 85/1.4 and 105/1.8 in particular, but they were out of my budget for a new purchase, and never showed up used in my then home of Copenhagen. I stuck with "lesser" lenses like a used AiS 105/2.5 and an AI'd 24/2.8, and honestly was very happy. When DSLRs and the discontinuation of MF Nikkors started the freefall in used lens prices, I was finally able to grab some of those icons of my youth. Like you, I began with the AiS 85/1.4, which though I also own the AF-D version, is still one of my favourite chunks of glass. I really didn't want to buy the 105/1.8 as I already had the f/2.5 lens, but broke down recently, and am not at all disappointed (again, just a lovely jewel of a lens). The only siren-call I have resisted is for a Fisheye-Nikkor, but otherwise am so happy with my small stable of classic MF Nikkors....Show more →
Honestly, once you start shooting with their beautifully crafted lenses it is difficult to shoot with anything else. And, the big, fast lenses are especially enjoyable. When I sold my Canon gear and bought a few more expensive lenses I took this photo to share on the board. What beauties they all are!
kwoodard wrote:
Although I don’t remember for certain, I came in around the 2010 or early 2011 timeframe. I had been divorced for a little while and I had picked up a Nikon D7000 when new. I had had a Nikon FE with a Series E 50/1.8 in the past and after getting the D7000, I was reunited with it. My aunt had found it in my grandmothers things…I thought I had lost it (along with my Canon Canonette G3, my first 35mm) long ago. She was no longer shooting with it, so she gave it back. It sat on my shelf for a while. I was cruising Google for info on the old Nikon and wanted to see if I could revive the camera. The camera was pretty much a write-off as the battery had been left in the camera for a very long time and the corrosion found its way inside. I cleaned it all up, but I would maybe get 2 rolls of film through it before the battery would die. I found that there was terrible parasitic power draw, even when the camera was off. I want to say it was 5x the draw that the meter used. At the time, I couldn’t find anyone that would repair it for a reasonable cost. I then started looking into using the lens on my new D7000. I had just got it back from Nikon service after the camera shop damaged the sensor and shutter during a cleaning. I think this thread was the second or third listing for these old lenses. It took me two weeks to go through all the pages and photos posted here. I had posted about the possibility of using the Series E 50/1.8 on my D7000 and got a PM from Ray Steele and he walked me through getting it going.
Needless to say, I was hooked. I amassed a rather large collection of vintage glass, not only Nikon, but many other brands. At my peak, I had over 470 lenses. Most I went through and did a basic CLA on and would shoot what I could…Nikon and their F-mount flange distance didn’t help here. Around 2013, I picked up the Fuji XE1 and shot everything on that camera, but was mostly Nikon on Nikon for stuff I posted here. I am very glad we relaxed the rules to allow the lenses to be used on other bodies. I think that really helped bring more into the fold.
Although there have been times where I have had a hiatus from the group here, I always do make it back to see how everyone is and what the lens of choice is this month. I got to meet Curtis and his friend Sue and we had a nice lunch together. I wish we would have had more time to shoot some more than the quick takes we did. I had remembered that Curtis didn’t have a tripod at the time, I had a spare, so I gifted it to him. Not sure if he has ever used it, but he does have one!
I just picked up a second Nikon Z5 as I found that many of my issues I had with my first one were poor setup on my part and the fact that I didn’t have vibration reduction turned on. I’m getting a lot more shaky than I used to be (advancing nerve damage really sucks) so I need the VR now. My Fuji’s have it in the lenses, but neither bodies I have do. I got the first (and now second) Z5 do have in body VR, and now that I know how to use it with my manual glass, I think I will be OK for a while yet. I hope to contribute more in the near future. I have volunteered to be basically a second shooter for my daughter’s school production of “Finding Nemo” and this will give me an excuse to shoot more. Most of the shots will be using AF glass, but I hope to do a portrait session for the actors and will use MF glass for that. ...Show more →
I have to smile remembering our lunch AND the tripod you gave me. That was very considerate... but alas, having that really didn't change my shooting style. I know it doesn't work for optimal image sharpness but I'm really most comfortable floating through space and grabbing a shot when it calls to me. I kept the tripod for a long time, then donated it to a local camera store together with some software I wasn't using any longer. Eventually I did pick up a monopod simply because I'd bought a 400 f/5.6 AI-s and needed the support. It also gave me support to use the 500 f/8 C I'd bought from Harry years ago. Alas, shooting long has never really been my thing.
I'm glad you found us and that we had a chance to meet. Yes, it would have been nice to hang out and do some shooting but we were with our significant others and we could hardly abandon them... Happy about your new camera. Hope you share some of your work with us. We've finally had a break in the weather. I actually have my camera gear in the trunk of my car. I hope to get to Sausalito later today to do some shooting along the water. It has been awhile...
CGrindahl wrote:
Honestly, once you start shooting with their beautifully crafted lenses it is difficult to shoot with anything else. And, the big, fast lenses are especially enjoyable. When I sold my Canon gear and bought a few more expensive lenses I took this photo to share on the board. What beauties they all are!
Curtis, excellent shot of Nikon's "Big-Throated Trio" of AiS short telephotos! Luckily (for my wallet and dry-cabinet space), I'm not that much into the 135mm focal-length and thus feel no lingering desire to pick one up, but the 135/2 sure looks good in that lineup! I guess you could safely include the 180/2.8 ED in there as well with its similar look and light-gathering capabilities.
Indeed, there is some magic in the big&fast Nikkors: Mechanically just about perfect, and that wonderful 70's Nikkor design cues and colourful engraving.
My friend called yesterday and suggested we drive up to the Napa Valley for lunch at a restaurant with a patio overlooking a vineyard... a restaurant we'd been frequenting for over twenty years. The heat wave had finally broken and it seemed a wonderful idea. We'd thought about visiting to celebrate my birthday recently, but I wasn't impressed by the menu and chose a nearby restaurant that features Middle Eastern food I love. But yesterday was simply to play and spend some time in the Napa Valley.
The meal was wonderful though it cost almost a hundred dollars... two people, no alcohol. My friend picked up the tab which was very generous. We walked out into the adjacent vineyard owned by the operator of the restaurant. There were still grapes on the vine. They tasted wonderful. A great dessert. But I told my friend about what I'd learned recently. Last year, an estimate 400,000 TONS of grapes were left on the vines... to eventually be picked and discarded. Diminishing sales of wine coupled with a great expansion in land devoted to vineyards has created the problem which is leading to vineyard owners walking away from the land which goes to banks who offered financing. California is having a hard time competing with lower priced wines from Chile and Australia. It was still a beautiful day. Here is a shot I grabbed, taken with the 105 f/2.5 P AI.
All this chat about fast glass made me mount my 135/2 on a Z6ii today.
It is one lens that feels and looks ok with the FTZii adapter bolted onto it.
Colin
CGrindahl wrote:
Honestly, once you start shooting with their beautifully crafted lenses it is difficult to shoot with anything else. And, the big, fast lenses are especially enjoyable. When I sold my Canon gear and bought a few more expensive lenses I took this photo to share on the board. What beauties they all are!
grantgoodes wrote:
Curtis, excellent shot of Nikon's "Big-Throated Trio" of AiS short telephotos! Luckily (for my wallet and dry-cabinet space), I'm not that much into the 135mm focal-length and thus feel no lingering desire to pick one up, but the 135/2 sure looks good in that lineup! I guess you could safely include the 180/2.8 ED in there as well with its similar look and light-gathering capabilities.
Indeed, there is some magic in the big&fast Nikkors: Mechanically just about perfect, and that wonderful 70's Nikkor design cues and colourful engraving.
Ahh, the 180 f/2.8 AI-s... a desert island lens for sure.
With the windfall from sale of Canon gear I was shopping for other lenses. I owned a 180 f/2.8 AI-s but it was not in pristine condition so I decided to upgrade. I went shopping both on E-Bay and my local craigslist. I came across a listing from a professional who was selling his collection of manual focus lenses. I was interested in a few lenses and was apprehensive about carrying a large amount of cash to meet a stranger. I suggested we meet in his home town, about thirty miles from where I live, but that we meet at a branch of my bank. That way I could withdraw money to cover the cost of whatever I chose to purchase. I arrived early and sat in a waiting area. The bank manager came over to ask whether I needed someone and I told him I was waiting for a friend. He showed up shortly thereafter and began showing his collection of PRISTINE lenses. I bought these three... which included a 28 f/2 AI-s, a 35 f/14 AI-s and a 180 f/2.8 AI-s, two with their boxes. Here's a photo I took at the time.
The 180 remains a favorite. I've gotten plenty of use out of the 28 f/2, especially during a subsequent trip to Turkey. The 35 f/1.8 is a beautiful lens but I'm more inclined to mount the 35 f/2 O AI. It's all good.
All this chat about fast glass made me mount my 135/2 on a Z6ii today.
It is one lens that feels and looks ok with the FTZii adapter bolted onto it.
Colin
Great fun Colin. That lens is a monster, made more so with addition of an adaptor. But when I saw THIS photo I fell in love and absolutely could not resist...
Nikon gives us so many options at 135mm that it often is easier to use a smaller, lighter lens than to lug the f/2 around. But when playing with bokeh, these FAST lenses are always a delight. Have fun and lets us see what you find.
All in Columbia Gorge. The first 2 are Coyote Wall.
These were a test of the 135/3.5 Q that Curtis sent me. Camera was Z6. I was curious if image quality of the old lens would hold up. It’s definitely sharp. The contrast is a bit lower than modern multicoated optics, but easily corrected in post.
According to the serial number list on the photosynthesis website, http://www.photosynthesis.co.nz/nikon/serialno.html, the lens should be about 52 years old. So I guess both lens and photographer are certifiably old codgers. I turned 75 two weeks ago today, and I think the lens is doing better than I am. I know it will certainly outlast me....Show more →
I joined this thread in August of 2013 after looking at and reading the entire thread. I was pleased to see then, as now the civility of the posts and the excellence of the photography. I was privileged to know and shoot with Ray Steele (MDOC) and REAGAN Lamb both now deceased.
I haven’t posted in a while but review the daily posts and respond when I get the urge. I shoot occasionally and add to my TVs screensaver. I still communicate with other forum members which is always fun.
Your civility did a lot to lead the way. Much appreciated.
As I sit here the (eye) of Hurricane Milton is 5 hours away. We should be fine!
You've been much on my mind the last two days Ken as I followed forecasts that showed Milton heading in your direction. Please let us know how you are.
Yes, we've spent some time together on the thread. I recall the health challenges and the pure pleasure of enjoying a Chevrolet Corvette. Alas, you're getting to be an old man too so keeping life simple is important. Saying goodbye to friends seems to be part of the process. I've taken a few falls and broken things too. I'm recalling your broken ankles and the painful recovery process. I took a tumble on a trail and broke off my two front teeth. I was alone about a quarter of a mile from my car. Thirteen months later I had two artificial teeth mounted on the titanium posts that had been implanted after I had a bone graft. You get the idea. Being in a human body is both a delight and a challenge. But we're still ticking my friend. Hope you've survived this most recent hurricane without too much damage. Let us know.
