How many mid-range zooms do I have on hand? Ha-ha! Let's see. . .
In Nikon (my least favored brand), I have their cheap 24-85G (soon going on the block), the Sigma 24-105 Art (excellent lens -- perhaps sending to Sigma for mount change to Canon EF), and now the 24-120G.
In Canon, (my longest brand association), I have the old fossil FD 28-85/4, the similarly old EOS 28-70/3.5-4-5, 24-105/4L IS, and my favorite -- the newest 24-70/2.8L II.
In Sony, I only have the one native zoom, but it rivals the quality and versatility of the top Canon (and even my experience with Sony 24-70/2.8GM) -- the 24-105/4G. Love it's versatility. Wish it was an f/2.8 lens, though.
See -- it doesn't looks so insane when it is all laid out like that -- right? (or is the insane man ignoring the strange compulsion to collect gears, too far gone to recognize how far down the rabbit hole he's plunged? ).
I might have one or two others buried somewhere. And then there are several I've sold in the last year or two. . .
And of course, all the above non-Sony lenses have adapters to be used on Sony. Apparently, all roads lead to Sony, not Rome.
The new Nikon lens is sort of my last ditch attempt to find decent lens/adapter to be able use Nikon mount lenses on the Sony. My poor Commlite Pro adapter is still not the right dimensions front-to-back, introducing terrible field curvature and distortion to all Nikon-mount lenses. Sometimes the weird "spotlight" focus is interesting, mostly though it is just annoying to have only the central area sharp at f/8. The lens is also victim to strong veiling flare (and sun-dogs) makes it hard to use successfully in bright sun or sun shining into the lens -- forget nice sun-stars! But, it seems to perform well in soft light as a basis for satisfying PP. The example of Snape, laying on the concrete is a an example of its best combination of lighting and low contrast (bumped up in PP).
I keep searching for that reasonably priced universal lens. I know it is out there somewhere! ...Show more →
Thanks, Jim.
So that's six minus the lens that's on the block ?
No worries, as somebody who also suffers from G.A.S. attacks every now and then, I hear you about finding that universal lens. My search for that "do it all" lens in the 35mm FL was quite a costly affair. Would have been far easier to just accept the limitations of the Loxia 35 early on, and settle on that, instead of cycling through those all other lenses. At least I'm in good company in these quarters .
Chris_88 wrote:
Congrats on your newest toy, Joshua. I'm looking forward to you putting the 24 GM to go work. That second (flower) shot shows of that a lens doesn't necessarily need a blue label to provide plenty of pop.
Thank you very much, Chris! I always appreciate your kind words. The second image was done at MFD, the front lens was a few inches away from the flower stalks. Indeed, I was going for the minimum DOF using that wide angle lens.
I love that waterfall image; it must be very serene in that garden.
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A male Western Grebe on the right just caught a fish and he offered it to his mate; she took it and swallowed the fish. At the same time, the male flicked the tip of his beak sideways in the water, apparently showing his approval. I noticed this behavior a few times. This is one of the courting rituals these grebes display. Another well documented mating ritual is their "tango" dance; I have been trying to capture that for a few weeks now. I saw it in real life but simply too far away to photograph... . I will give it another try soon...
Hadn't used my Lensbaby Edge 50 in a while, but here are some from recent walks. The days are already short and most are taken mid-day. (Flaring is intentional.)
). 
. I will give it another try soon...
