CGrindahl wrote:
Time to head out with the 35-200 f/3.5-4.5 AI-s. I'm really curious given the comments on offer. Ken, I can't imagine shooting landscapes wide open, so I won't try to assess your experience. I'll definitely do some flowers wide open though so I can assess performance there. It should be fun.
bobbelbob wrote:
Choung, thanks for sharing your story. Looks like some magnificent wood work. Talking about sunsets in the Mekong Delta, I was there in 2002, I traveled there for 6 days or so. One of the things I remember the most from that trip was the sunsets we had from a Hotel in Chao Doc facing the rice field's towards the cambodian border. Man, that was vivid. I wish I had some shots to share from there but most of it are packed down in a box somewhere and not shot with Nikon gear. I had a small compact Samsung film camera. Now I gotta find those old pics....
Chau Doc...that's pretty close to Kien Giang province, where I lived. Then you know exactly how I feel, Kristian. I don't wish to go back to live there but there are moments that you'll never forget.
Big weekend coming to my household this weekend. Of course the celebration will be a little different and the college graduation ceremony will be via a Zoom video conference, but you make the best of what you are dealt, right?
Got my son to get his cap and gown and since he is now a Wildlife Biologist, it seemed fitting to take some pictures in the wilderness. Complete social distancing
That was the fastest 4 years of my life.
Shot with the Noct and used a 4x ND filter so I could shoot wide open of course. And no, I still have not sold the Z6, will put it back on the market once things settle down. Maybe...
Curtis. The Z6 does not have EXIF. WHEN YOU SEE 3.5 its Non CPU I put. Stops could be anywhere along the range. Landscape and something’s other than closeups would usually be at 5.6-8-11. Rarely 16-22!
gbohannon wrote:
Big weekend coming to my household this weekend. Of course the celebration will be a little different and the college graduation ceremony will be via a Zoom video conference, but you make the best of what you are dealt, right?
Got my son to get his cap and gown and since he is now a Wildlife Biologist, it seemed fitting to take some pictures in the wilderness. Complete social distancing
That was the fastest 4 years of my life.
Shot with the Noct and used a 4x ND filter so I could shoot wide open of course. And no, I still have not sold the Z6, will put it back on the market once things settle down. Maybe...
DeltaSigma wrote:
Congratulations to your son.
Are you giving him your Leica Monochrom as a present for doing so well?
Thanks! He has taken a liking to the 850 though. Came in the other day and he had it with the 200-500 shooting birds in the backyard. So maybe the real camera bug has bitten. Would be glad to pass it along to him.
Re: the Leica, he may have to fight Leighton for that
gbohannon wrote:
Thanks! He has taken a liking to the 850 though. Came in the other day and he had it with the 200-500 shooting birds in the backyard. So maybe the real camera bug has bitten. Would be glad to pass it along to him.
Re: the Leica, he may have to fight Leighton for that
G
Public holiday here today so I was shooting with the 200-500 as well.
A pair of blue tits have taken up residence in one of the nesting boxes.
Still trying to figure out their flight patterns but they got used to me hanging around.
gbohannon wrote:
Thanks! He has taken a liking to the 850 though. Came in the other day and he had it with the 200-500 shooting birds in the backyard. So maybe the real camera bug has bitten. Would be glad to pass it along to him.
Re: the Leica, he may have to fight Leighton for that
The topic has been discussed here before... who to pass our prized lenses to upon our death. Not everyone's child is interested in shooting anything bigger than their iPhone so before these lenses become prized there will need to be some appreciation of a real camera. That your boy is appreciating the D850 suggests there may be a chance.
Regards on his graduation. What a great looking young man.
I was walking through my neighborhood last Sunday and came upon a mother taking a photo of her daughter dressed in cap and gown, holding her diploma. She was graduating from high school rather than college but the challenge is the same... acknowledging a significant milestone in an unconventional way. Of course, as Sue and I walked away I mused about the fact this girl may not find a college in the autumn prepared to have students on campus. What a wild world this is at the moment.
CGrindahl wrote:
Spoken like a true father George!
The topic has been discussed here before... who to pass our prized lenses to upon our death. Not everyone's child is interested in shooting anything bigger than their iPhone so before these lenses become prized there will need to be some appreciation of a real camera. That your boy is appreciating the D850 suggests there may be a chance.
Regards on his graduation. What a great looking young man.
I was walking through my neighborhood last Sunday and came upon a mother taking a photo of her daughter dressed in cap and gown, holding her diploma. She was graduating from high school rather than college but the challenge is the same... acknowledging a significant milestone in an unconventional way. Of course, as Sue and I walked away I mused about the fact this girl may not find a college in the autumn prepared to have students on campus. What a wild world this is at the moment....Show more →
Curtis we went swimming in the pool today. We were all alone because it was cold. Talked to the lifeguard who starts law school in August, at Campbell, near George in NC. His girlfriend got accepted to UNC. His father is a professor in Oklahoma. All are going to school in the fall. Have faith schools will be open.
So please indulge me as I share a few photos from my ramble today with George's mint condition 35-200 f/3.5-4.5 AI-s with an equally pristine lens hood attached, the HK-15. This was not an appealing day for taking photos... 1:00 p.m. with temperatures a bit over 90 degrees and wearing a surgical mask. I promise to take the lens out earlier in the day, perhaps Sunday morning. Fortunately, temperatures are supposed to drop by then. I hope so since I'm not a hot weather person. I leave that to my friends in Florida...
So I stopped downtown San Rafael where there is a construction project underway. I thought I'd have a chance to shoot both wide and close. This was shot across the street at 35mm and at f/8. This is not a pretty shot but it gave me some good information.
I'm very happy with the sharpness at f/8, but then that probably isn't surprising to anyone. It is a rare lens that is sharp wide open but as the aperture is stopped down it sharpens.
This particular location is where a kitchen operates for homeless folks. It is remarkable in Marin which is one of the wealthier counties in California how many folks there are living on the edge. As I walked away from the construction site I saw this fellow.
This was shot wide open. I don't believe I was fully extended but I may have been. Then a block away I caught this photo. I was standing comfortably in the crosswalk with cars behind me waiting for the light to change... it is a long light... This was shot at f/5.6.
I saw some flowers tucked away as I headed toward my car and thought it was a good opportunity to evaluate close performance wide open at 200mm. I was happy with this shot.
In the following block I saw this out of the corner of my eye and decided to take a shot, this at f/8 somewhere in the 80-100mm range. The push-pull zoom/focus ring is a pleasure to use.
Across the street I made a mistake, shooting Manual Mode in a darkened area at 1/250th of a second forgetting the aperture was at f/8 which pulled ISO up to 11,400, But the D4 sensor with a bit of help from Lightroom saved the day. I bet you like these colors Ken. I certainly do.
All in all I enjoyed shooting with this lens and am reasonably happy with the results. At some point I'll have to compare this lens to the 50-135 and the 80-200... for the fun of it of course. It is a very nice focal range to have available, for sure... tipping hat to Ken and Doug.
Curtis:
I have never, in the 26 years of having this lens, shot it wide open, as those are not the types of photos I normally take. I'm reasonably impressed. I find the bokeh on your images to be quite a pleasant surprise!
In another couple of weeks we might actually have some roses in bloom here, too! I shall have to try it myself
Doug
All in all I enjoyed shooting with this lens and am reasonably happy with the results. At some point I'll have to compare this lens to the 50-135 and the 80-200... for the fun of it of course. It is a very nice focal range to have available, for sure... tipping hat to Ken and Doug.
Great series Curtis. Glad to see it put to use
Did you get to use the macro mode on it yet? That adds another level of function in an all in one "jack of all trades" type lens.
The "macro" function works at all focal lengths, I think. It moves the whole lens assembly forward by about 9mm (I measured it). It's like a built-in short extension tube. I never found it as versatile as my 55mm f2.8 micro, though.
Well put, George. I also always call it a "jack of all trades, but master of none" lens - but I guess that applies to most zooms.
I'm under the impression the macro function works only at 35mm...
...Similarly, a macrofocus feature is provided where at the wideangle 35 mm setting, the lense can focus down to 0.3m (1 ft) and reaches a 1:4 life size reproduction ratio (1:7 at 1.6m helical focus)
