Hi Chin, actually, the only change I've made is not using the custom profile I had. I went back to Standard, other than that, everything's the same on my workflow. Hope you're feeling better!

Zichar wrote:
Laura: Another vote for Bokeh Very steady hands! Have you changed your workflow recently? I must say your photos are incredibly sharp and the subjects pop

Ray: Beautiful work with Nikki. The second is fantastic, bold lines, colours and the shadow on the crucifix really brings it to prominence. I love how you corrected verticals for the tower

Took the day off because I'm not feeling well. Gonna drag myself back to the bed, ugh...

Now that's a mighty big bag!

raboof wrote:
Nice shot, Chin. The 35mm f2 wide open seems very nice.

As usual, kid stuff for me. 50mm f1.2 @2.8

Mishu01 wrote:
NightOwl Cat wrote:
Hi Mihai, not sure if that will work for her, since she's now found In a week, she'll be at the vet's to be spayed, like all my other cats have had done, she'll be far happier that way.


Laura, I see you are very much opposing at our efforts to give a name to your cat

What about NIKKI?

leighton w wrote:
MDoc9523 wrote:
The Downtown area of Plant City has been revitalized with beautiful parks. The same area that once was thriving with every sort of freight from all over the country is now a meeting place for the retired, middle aged and the young at heart.



I really like this one!

Mishu01 wrote:
Laura, here you go: three votes for the name Nikki! I tell you a secret: cats are my enemies since my early age when I used to raise racing pigeons... Some of my best birds were murdered by cats... and at one time it was a real massacre in the loft I was close to a heart attack then... But time is healing old pain and since "Little Miss No Name" is on the other side of the Ocean I'd agree to be her godfather

mp356 wrote:
Mihai, what a great name idea.

Glad you like it, Scott!

georgms wrote:
Laura, beautiful portraits of "Little Miss No Name"! I like Mihai's idea to call her "Nikki". The pictures of your friends are great as well.


Good!!!!

georgms wrote:
For Laura:
Posted before, but it's an example of the cats-eye-bokeh of the old Nikkor 85/1.8 alias NIKKI:

Cats-eye-shaped highlights caught with NIKKI's sister

If you're unsure as to what George is talking about, then take a shot of the lens and post it here.

johnvanr wrote:
I hope someone here can help me, as I'm new to manual focus Nikon lenses.

I have a Nikkor 55mm f1.2 serial number 351668 that came out of an estate. It's obviously an old lens. I put it on a D800e that I got today, but even though it fits, it's really hard if not impossible to turn the aperture ring on the lens.

Does that mean this lens is too old to be used with a modern DSLR? Is there a solution, some kind of adapter?

Thanks.

LarryM wrote:
You guys have infected me and now I'm scooping up MF Nikkors. I finally had the opportunity to test the 20mm f/3.5 I got from Alan and two more new/old lenses I picked up recently, a 28mm f/3.5 and a 100mm f/2.8 E.

Most folks seem to treat the f/3.5 versions with less regard than the faster versions and maybe that's true wide open but these slower (and cheaper) cousins fit my shooting style perfectly.

Love the shot with the 100mm Series E. Most of the Series E line get a bad rap (especially the 28mm) but in my experience, I think you just need to learn how and where they shine. I have the 28 and the 50, love them both. The 28 is indeed tough to use (especially wide open) but can make some very nice images in the right conditions. Can't wait to see more from your 100mm...

LarryM wrote:
Couple more with the 28mm f/3.5.

Larry


Welcome aboard Larry. I like your last image here.

kwoodard wrote:
LarryM wrote:
You guys have infected me and now I'm scooping up MF Nikkors. I finally had the opportunity to test the 20mm f/3.5 I got from Alan and two more new/old lenses I picked up recently, a 28mm f/3.5 and a 100mm f/2.8 E.

Most folks seem to treat the f/3.5 versions with less regard than the faster versions and maybe that's true wide open but these slower (and cheaper) cousins fit my shooting style perfectly.

Love the shot with the 100mm Series E. Most of the Series E line get a bad rap (especially the 28mm) but in my experience, I think you just need to learn how and where they shine. I have the 28 and the 50, love them both. The 28 is indeed tough to use (especially wide open) but can make some very nice images in the right conditions. Can't wait to see more from your 100mm...


My 100/2.8 Series E is surprisingly good on my D800 - it surely delivers far less than 36MP, but it's sharpness pretty even across the frame. On 12MP it's likely very good even wide open.

I just ordered another 135/3.5 AIS today from KEH (previous 135/3.5 from ebay was decentered so it went back). Should get it Friday and we'll give it a spin.

John

Laura - Yes, it's a big bag.

55mm f1.2

wapsijims wrote:
using a PN-11 extension tube

Hello folks. I am just getting into using a couple of MF lenses and have a question about using the PN-11 extension tube. I hope this is the right place to ask....let me know if it's not.

In your experience what are the shortest, longest and most used manual focus lenses with this extension tube?

thanks Jim S aka "wapsijims"


Hi Jim, welcome.

This tube is a perfect match to the 105mm f/2.8 AIS micro to result in a ~ 1:1 magnification.
Otherwise it is usable with excellent results in virtually all Nikkors, except perhaps with wide angles because the working distance would be ridiculously small.

I do recommend you research what is the native magnification of your lenses here:
http://www.photosynthesis.co.nz/nikon/specs.html

and then calculate both magnification and focusing distance in this excellent calculator (middle of the page):
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/macro-extension-tubes-closeup.htm

For example, the Nikkor 50mm f/2 AI have a native magnification of 1:6.7 = 0.1493x and a MFD of 45cm.
Applying the native magnification of this lens and the PN-11 (52.5mm of extension) to the calculator we get
the new 1.2x of magnification and a 21.17cm of MFD.

Some sample shots and applications:


Slide dupe with 55/2.8 ais micro:


Juvenile South American coati by labecoaves, on Flickr

Dupe: D3 + PN-11 ext. tube + 55mm f/2.8 micro @f/8 +ES-1 slide copying adapter, flash bounced on a white wall behind slide.
Original image: old slide (November 2000) of a juvenile South American coati or ring-tailed coati (Nasua nasua) taken with Nikon F90x+Nikkor 180mm f/2.8 ai-s ED+ SB28 flash, hand held. Fujichrome RDPIII ISO 100.



Some macros:


Bokeh playing with Nikkor 85mm f/1.8 K ai'd by labecoaves, on Flickr

Bokeh playing with Nikkor 85mm f/1.8 K ai'd
D7000 + PN-11 tube + 85mm f/1.8 K ai'd; wide open at 1/250s, ISO 200.
No crop, slight pass of smart sharpen (amount 50, 0.5px).



Jumping spider with "210mm f/5.6 micro" + tubes by labecoaves, on Flickr

Jumping spider with "210mm f/5.6 micro" + tubes
The jumping spider has a length of just 9mm.
D7000 + PN-11 tube + TC201 + 105mm f/2.8 micro AIS (=210mm f/5.6).
ISO 400, f/11(5.6) at 1/100s.



and an application with a longer tele:


Great Kiskadee portrait with Nikkor 400mm f/5.6K ED by labecoaves, on Flickr

Great Kiskadee portrait with Nikkor 400mm f/5.6K ED
A casual "portrait" taken with D3 + PN-11 tube + Nikkor 400mm f/5.6 K ED ai'd.
As the MFD of this old non IF lens is 5m, and the bird was at 3.5m, I had to use the PN-11 tube to get focus; ~10% cropped.
ISO 800, hand held, f/8 at 1/400s, late afternoon light.

Jim, just an additional post to show that the PN-11 can be used in combination with other tubes, as in this crazy setup:


Macro setup 55mm + 120.5mm tube by labecoaves, on Flickr

Experimental setup for extreme macros (Macro setup 55mm f/2.8 + 120.5mm tube):
From left to right: The subject( Nikkor 50mm f/2 AI), the setup - 55mm f/2.8 micro, 36mm Vivitar extension tube, PN-11 52.5mm ext. tube, 20 and 12 mm Vivitar ext. tubes, D7000.
Image taken with D3 + 50mm f/1.2 at f/2.8 & 1/80s, ISO 1000.
This setup delivers, at minimum focus distance, around 4x of magnification.

and the image captured of my 50/2 AI f/16 & f/11 engravings:


Extreme macro with the 55mm f/2.8 + 120.5mm tube by labecoaves, on Flickr

Chuong, this is a precious and funny image at the same time!

ten pages since last post ... will hit the quick highlights for me, though there's too much good stuff to be commenting on all of them.

Barbara has become a lamb mother! - very nice capture, I presume made in a hurry as well.

The slot cars bring back very pleasant memories.

Jose, the tower at 12km away is incredibly sharp and clear! Whatever technique you are using for these ultra long shots is terrific.

Georg, the MDB10 closeup had me guessing wrong tillI read your answer. What a creative way to shoot something we're all probably familiar with.

Ray, I'm very much enjoying the Nikki tour, esp of Plant City.

georgms wrote:
johnvanr wrote:
I hope someone here can help me, as I'm new to manual focus Nikon lenses.

I have a Nikkor 55mm f1.2 serial number 351668 that came out of an estate. It's obviously an old lens. I put it on a D800e that I got today, but even though it fits, it's really hard if not impossible to turn the aperture ring on the lens.

Does that mean this lens is too old to be used with a modern DSLR? Is there a solution, some kind of adapter?

Thanks.

Hi John, welcome to FM and to this thread!
Please take this lens carefully off your D800e and don't mount it again. It's most likely not Ai-modified and can harm your camera. I have a later Ai-version of this lens and like it a lot.
You can check if your 55/1.2 is already Ai'd by looking at the aperture-ring. If there's a smaller printed second aperture-scale next to the mount it's been already AI-modified and ready to use on modern cameras.
If the second scale is missing you need to modify the lens. That's no big deal - some guys do it on the rough tour with Dremel-tool, more common is swapping the aperture-ring.
Based on the serial-number you need an Ai-modification kit #8 (look here for more informations: http://www.photosynthesis.co.nz/nikon/lenses.html#50fast).
Hope this helps, Georg!

Thanks. I check that out. And, yes, I did figure from the tension that I should not try to mount that lens again.

kwoodard wrote:
LarryM wrote:
You guys have infected me and now I'm scooping up MF Nikkors. I finally had the opportunity to test the 20mm f/3.5 I got from Alan and two more new/old lenses I picked up recently, a 28mm f/3.5 and a 100mm f/2.8 E.

Most folks seem to treat the f/3.5 versions with less regard than the faster versions and maybe that's true wide open but these slower (and cheaper) cousins fit my shooting style perfectly.

Love the shot with the 100mm Series E. Most of the Series E line get a bad rap (especially the 28mm) but in my experience, I think you just need to learn how and where they shine. I have the 28 and the 50, love them both. The 28 is indeed tough to use (especially wide open) but can make some very nice images in the right conditions. Can't wait to see more from your 100mm...


Thank you. The pictures are really much sharper than what is shown. I reduced them to better quality jpg's but ran over the forum upload limit. Reducing the quality more resulted in soft images.
I guess the key is to limit the number of uploads per post.

All three of these lenses are quite sharp when stopped down a notch or two.

LarryM wrote:
kwoodard wrote:
LarryM wrote:
You guys have infected me and now I'm scooping up MF Nikkors. I finally had the opportunity to test the 20mm f/3.5 I got from Alan and two more new/old lenses I picked up recently, a 28mm f/3.5 and a 100mm f/2.8 E.

Most folks seem to treat the f/3.5 versions with less regard than the faster versions and maybe that's true wide open but these slower (and cheaper) cousins fit my shooting style perfectly.

Love the shot with the 100mm Series E. Most of the Series E line get a bad rap (especially the 28mm) but in my experience, I think you just need to learn how and where they shine. I have the 28 and the 50, love them both. The 28 is indeed tough to use (especially wide open) but can make some very nice images in the right conditions. Can't wait to see more from your 100mm...


Thank you. The pictures are really much sharper than what is shown. I reduced them to better quality jpg's but ran over the forum upload limit. Reducing the quality more resulted in soft images.
I guess the key is to limit the number of uploads per post.

All three of these lenses are quite sharp when stopped down a notch or two.
Nice to see pictures from the 100mm. Glad you like the lens. It just sat in my bag, so I am happy that someone is putting it to use.

Tony

I have a question for the B&W artists here. It seems that many of you use Silver Effects Pro with your images. What other ways do you use? Simply desaturating images is Ok, but they tend to look flat and boring. I want my images to look alive and have the potential to illicit an emotional responce. Anyone willing to share some of their tips/tricks? I have PS5.1 and get to play with PS6 sometimes. I hope to get Lightroom, but don't know if I need it with PS and Bridge.

Thoughts? If you all think its too far from the scope of this thread, I would love a PM on the subject. I bring this up as I am thinking of doing a 365 day project, strictly in B&W.

Ray - more great Nikki images.

raboof wrote:
Thanks Scott, Monty, and Georg.

It's pretty cold today but I am inspired

135mm f2

kwoodard wrote:
Georg, love that tripod...

I do too - nice job

LarryM wrote:
Couple more with the 28mm f/3.5.

Larry

Nice images Larry - don't worry about the NMFAS - at least it's cheaper than a drug habit - but not much since it leads to the acquisition of lens accessories like D800's and D600's

raboof wrote:
Laura - Yes, it's a big bag.

55mm f1.2



Priceless!

kwoodard wrote:
I have a question for the B&W artists here. It seems that many of you use Silver Effects Pro with your images. What other ways do you use? Simply desaturating images is Ok, but they tend to look flat and boring. I want my images to look alive and have the potential to illicit an emotional responce. Anyone willing to share some of their tips/tricks? I have PS5.1 and get to play with PS6 sometimes. I hope to get Lightroom, but don't know if I need it with PS and Bridge.

Thoughts? If you all think its too far from the scope of this thread, I would love a PM on the subject. I bring this up as I am thinking of doing a 365 day project, strictly in B&W.


I’m on CS5 too and don’t have Silver Efex. What I do use is Color Efex (I have the older version) for conversion, which has sliders for coloured filters, contrast and brightness. Have previously bought Topaz Lab’s b&w conversion plug-in but that was a wee bit more powerful than I needed it to. Am trying to cut down on my time spent on the comp, because I do way too much of that at work now, eyestrain ouch eyestrain

I’ve had great luck with the channel mixer and also the b&w tool so I guess there are many ways to end up at the same result. Dodge and burn should be your friend.
Personally, I like duotones – warm uppers and bluish darks, done in PS under Image > Mode iirc. Play around with the curves, mix and match to taste.