JWilsonphoto wrote:
That's quite a collection in the background Donald!
The collection was owned by a very good friend, Ted, in New Zealand and was valued at a 7 figure sum. It was probably the largest private collection of rare firearms in the southern hemisphere. The photo only depicts a small corner of the gun room. It was a very large room with every square inch of walls and ceiling covered with firearms. The floor was covered with light machine guns - one section of a wall was dedicated to sub-machine guns of all types..
To give an idea of some of the rarity in his collection. He showed me a copy of the NRA Rifleman magazine where it described a Smith & Wesson .38 semi-auto handgun (I forget the model) that only 3 had been specially created for submission to trials of a eastern European army with a view to them producing thousands if accepted. S&W did not win the contract. The three were ultra rare due to the engraving of that army's crest. The article stated that one was now in the hands of the Smithsonian Institute, one was in the hands of a private owner in Texas and the other was lost to the world. After I had read the article, Ted handed me the 'lost to the world' pistol and promptly went to his range a fired a few rounds through it!
I left New Zealand over 30 years ago but return from time to time. Ted unfortunately passed away about 10 years ago and the collection was then split up...
The following images are from an old analogue 8mm video - it will give you just a small insight to Ted's collection.
Haven't posted in a while, trying to play catch up with closing down 2017 and now working on ramping up my assignments for 2018.
Was supposed to fly down to Houston Hobby for three G-IV jets on Tuesday, but Mother Nature had other plans, so I flew down on Wednesday morning, instead.
Houston was hit with an ice and sleet storm and pretty much shut everything down.
Here is one shot of one of the three Gulfstream jets. Totally different for me this time, I was actually COLD on board the jets, instead of being inside a sauna.
So thankful for God's blessings. Off to Florida this afternoon. I hope everyone is having a great weekend!
I am seeking a wee bit of advice please
My 28 - 300 L just sold on ebay for a reasonable price. That gives this poor old pensioner a few notes in the pocket to buy a general purpose Canon 'L' lens.
I have looked around and got my eye on two possibilities:
a) EF 24 - 105 f/4 L (105mm but f/4)
or
b) EF 24 - 70 f/2.8 L (2.8 but only 70mm)
I will only be doing general holiday & walk-about photos - nothing too serious. But I am looking for a sharp lens.
Here's my two cents, go with the 24-70. I have owned several copies of the 24-105, none were sharp and that seems to be the consensus re: that lens. While you do sacrifice on the long side with the 24-70/2.8, you will never be displeased with the quality and speed of focus. I've owned three copies of that lens and have never had a bad one (dropping them seems to adversely affect overall quality
Have a wonderful week! So glad that you are back with us!
I've never used the 24-70, but I always enjoyed my 24-105. It has a very useful range. Seems sharp enough to me, but maybe I lucked out and got a good one.
About a year ago I bought Canon's 24-105 non L series lens for my 6D to use exclusively as a general use travel lens. I have been very happy happy with it and use it often for general photography. For demanding work I still go to the 24-70mm f2.8 which I also have, but much less than I use to. Good luck and I am sure you will be happy with your choice, all are good.
About a year ago I bought Canon's 24-105 non L series lens for my 6D to use exclusively as a general use travel lens. I have been very happy happy with it and use it often for general photography. For demanding work I still go to the 24-70mm f2.8 which I also have, but much less than I use to. Good luck and I am sure you will be happy with your choice, all are good.
It’s nice to hear from you again (no need to shout I have hearing aids now). Please pass on my best wishes to Lady G. Bless her - it’s nice to see that the child care business is doing so well.
The lens thing. I had a 24-105 L IS mkI for about eight years. Used on my 5D mkI. IMHO it was a good lens, but not a great lens. That said, a lot of it’s shortcomings can be mitigated with lens correction profiles – as found in Lightroom or DXO (my choice). The current production mkII is easy to eliminate IMHO. Apparently there has been no great improvement in IQ. Strangely, weigh and cost have increased dramatically – why? Dan’s shout for the non L 24-105 IS is a good call. I understand that optically, it is up there with the L version and it’s a lot lighter and less expensive. Do you need the robust build of an L? If so another alternative is the 24-70 f4 L IS. I’m out of the full frame game now – I went to a crop body about 18 months ago.
All the best,
Nick
(Slow Nick butler services – small enough to not care – big enough to fall over)
My take on the lens suggestion. I had a Canon 24-105 L IS MkI for many years. It's a very convenient range, image quality was overall okay but never great. Back then I tend to reach for the primes whenever I wanted the ultimate quality.
Later on I had a great deal on an almost new 24-70 L Mk II and I traded the 24-105. Well, the 24-70 is so much better that nowadays I often leave the primes in the bag unless I want the extra aperture.
If you go for the convenient range Sigma 24-105 may be worth considering too alongside other alternatives already mentioned.
Thank you all for your input. I have grown to have huge respect for the inhabitants of MA2A over the years (Struth! It is 'years') and value your opinions perhaps a little more so.
Yes, I would love to be able to afford different primes. I recognise that I am no longer a professional and only want to carry a convenient size camera with one lens. Age has crept up on me to the point of carrying the 5D2 with a heavy 28-300 L as a walkabout is somewhat overpowering! Lady G hates it when I grab 'that monstrosity' as she calls it... I recently came across the Nikon P900 bridge camera that has a phenomenal equiv 24-2000mm optical zoom. It is sharp and it I like it to a point,but no raw/nef, but as a 'snaps' camera it is OKish. BUT definitely a toy compared to the real deals you lot use.
From what I have read is to keep well away from the Mkii versions of the lenses (many say they are too soft and a couple have complained of error faults showing up.
Thank you all for your input - I guess I am afraid if being lumbered with a soft/poor copy of which ever I decide apon.
Now that my 5D2 is in its naked form, bereft of any bits of glass up front, a less obtrusive projection may make her happier.
I was doing some reading over the weekend about all the new errorless cameras, like the one Jo is using and I thing Steve Zimmerman invested in one a while back. They seem amazingly capable and are much less obtrusive when compared to the 50 caliber rigs that a lot of us normally use. You're probably not interested in throwing cash at a whole new system at this point. I'm thinking a 5D with a body cap on it isn't going to satisfy you for very long though.......
Sheila and I took in "12 Strong" last night, outstanding portrayal of what our heroic men and women do on our behalf day in and day out. While they all are courageous, these twelve had cajones of epic proportion. God bless our troops! #Merica!
