I message Curtis on Flickr but he ignores me. Maybe if I poke a stick at him here he might rouse.
ben
This is what I've been saying for YEARS... Ben is a provocateur who enjoys poking sticks at people...
And you know full well I HAVE responded to your comments on Flickr. It is true I don't spend much time there, but that is simply because this thread suits my tastes so much better. I turned to Flickr only because Picasa crashed and burned. It is a fine place to host images, but this is the place I prefer to talk about them.
AND, you're always welcome on this thread Ben. You achieved lifetime privileges by virtue of the fact you shared Nikki with us, your lovely 85 f/1.8 H.C. AI lens that so inspired folks that many from our fellowship bought a copy for themselves. It took me about three years to find a really clean copy, but eventually I did...
I searched for a copy with the Nikon AI conversion kit until I finally invested in a Df. Now I can handle pre-AI lenses and don't have to pay a premium for a converted lens. Thanks for the inspiration.
Wonderful to see old friends joining the conversation. The thread picked up nicely during my brief absence. I returned from Minnesota this evening. I'm curious to see whether any of the photos I took during the baseball game Monday evening. It began with temperatures close to 90 degrees, but ended with heavy rain and temperatures in the high sixties. But no processing this evening... off to bed in fact. But with so many folks posting so many great photos and such enjoyable banter, I'll be back sooner rather than later.
CGrindahl wrote:
This is what I've been saying for YEARS... Ben is a provocateur who enjoys poking sticks at people...
I searched for a copy with the Nikon AI conversion kit until I finally invested in a Df. Now I can handle pre-AI lenses and don't have to pay a premium for a converted lens. Thanks for the inspiration.
Curtis - thank god you made an appearance. I was starting to worry that you had slipped into decrepitude. But I am very glad to see that you're back and still giving some good stick of your own.
That is a sensational copy of the 85. Your patience really paid off. But it's not just about being pristine. My all time favourite lens, even over my Leica summilux (and that's saying something) is my nikkor S 50mm f1.4. It's old and worn, most of the black paint has come off but even on the hi res sensor of the A7RII it produces such finely rendered images - it's unbelievable, a pre-ai lens, no coatings, no aspherical elements.
Much as I love my beater, I envy you and Raphael those immaculate samples.
ben
Ram - lovely sky shot.
Steve - the poppies are very creamy. nice colour too.
Glen - welcome to the "lens gendered" community. Yes, the XT 2 is easy to like isn't it. I haven't used it much with the nikons (because the adapter is so big) but it's great with the Leicas - and the Leica adapter is tiny.
ben
I don't have anything to post from today - but when I saw Reagan's car shot - I thought I'd post this from the other day: the cinquecento - always makes me homesick
CGrindahl wrote:
This is what I've been saying for YEARS... Ben is a provocateur who enjoys poking sticks at people...
And you know full well I HAVE responded to your comments on Flickr. It is true I don't spend much time there, but that is simply because this thread suits my tastes so much better. I turned to Flickr only because Picasa crashed and burned. It is a fine place to host images, but this is the place I prefer to talk about them.
AND, you're always welcome on this thread Ben. You achieved lifetime privileges by virtue of the fact you shared Nikki with us, your lovely 85 f/1.8 H.C. AI lens that so inspired folks that many from our fellowship bought a copy for themselves. It took me about three years to find a really clean copy, but eventually I did...
......
I searched for a copy with the Nikon AI conversion kit until I finally invested in a Df. Now I can handle pre-AI lenses and don't have to pay a premium for a converted lens. Thanks for the inspiration.
Ahh... show off of the 85 HC
I did found a nice one with AI-ring.
And it has a nice addition as well with the chip.
I would say; ready for a Nikon mirrorless FX camera.
GroWeb wrote:
I haven't had time this week to process any photos for posting, but I sure have been enjoying the photos posted by others recently! Colin, that "lost garden" you found (see what I did there? ) makes a stunning IR shot, perhaps largely due to your excellent composition. Peter from Knysna, your monochrome church photo is also very nicely rendered.
The main reason I am posting today is to let you guys know that I now identify as "lens-gender." With some guidance from a fellow lens-gender member of the MFNG community, I have become the proud and extremely happy owner of a shiny new Fuji X-T2.
When I set out to add a Fuji to my stable of gear, I figured it would take a back seat to my D800E and be used only for a few specific functions. But after taking it out on a hike this evening to a local waterfall, this X-T2 has me smitten! My five-year affair with the D800E is under serious threat! The X-T2 is just a joy to use; it's lightweight, even with the vertical grip; it fits my hand so well that it feels like an extension of it; and it gets along extremely well with my MFNG, especially with the focus peaking. And to top it all off, it looks totally retro-sexy with its various knobs and dials! I have a focal reducer coming in the mail, so the Nikkors will soon regain something very close to their proper angle of view.
So if you hear reports of a person-shaped UFO over Vancouver Island, that'll be me, floating on air!
It's all right Glen, you can tell them it was me. And just to let everyone know, I didn't force Glen, just answered a few questions. the camera sells itself.
CGrindahl wrote:
This is what I've been saying for YEARS... Ben is a provocateur who enjoys poking sticks at people...
And you know full well I HAVE responded to your comments on Flickr. It is true I don't spend much time there, but that is simply because this thread suits my tastes so much better. I turned to Flickr only because Picasa crashed and burned. It is a fine place to host images, but this is the place I prefer to talk about them.
AND, you're always welcome on this thread Ben. You achieved lifetime privileges by virtue of the fact you shared Nikki with us, your lovely 85 f/1.8 H.C. AI lens that so inspired folks that many from our fellowship bought a copy for themselves. It took me about three years to find a really clean copy, but eventually I did...
I searched for a copy with the Nikon AI conversion kit until I finally invested in a Df. Now I can handle pre-AI lenses and don't have to pay a premium for a converted lens. Thanks for the inspiration.
Glad you made it home safely. Ahh Nikki, what a girl. I looked for a sample this clean for months and never could find one. I know they're out there, maybe I'll return to the search. I almost bought Nikki from Ben last year, but we both decided not to pursue it.
bruni wrote:
Curtis - thank god you made an appearance. I was starting to worry that you had slipped into decrepitude. But I am very glad to see that you're back and still giving some good stick of your own.
That is a sensational copy of the 85. Your patience really paid off. But it's not just about being pristine. My all time favourite lens, even over my Leica summilux (and that's saying something) is my nikkor S 50mm f1.4. It's old and worn, most of the black paint has come off but even on the hi res sensor of the A7RII it produces such finely rendered images - it's unbelievable, a pre-ai lens, no coatings, no aspherical elements.
Much as I love my beater, I envy you and Raphael those immaculate samples.
ben ...Show more →
Do me a favor when you get time. Mount that 50 on your X-T2 and share some samples.
bruni wrote:
Philippe - am enjoying your Bastille Day series - but if it keeps up I may start to worry that your fixation may be unhealthy
ben
Haha,
it might have been unhealthy at the time I was one of them since 58 camarades of the 1er RCP were killed in the Beirut Drakkar attack on October 23, 1983..... but now they said I am even too old to be a reservist....
CGrindahl wrote:
Wonderful to see old friends joining the conversation. The thread picked up nicely during my brief absence. I returned from Minnesota this evening. I'm curious to see whether any of the photos I took during the baseball game Monday evening. It began with temperatures close to 90 degrees, but ended with heavy rain and temperatures in the high sixties. But no processing this evening... off to bed in fact. But with so many folks posting so many great photos and such enjoyable banter, I'll be back sooner rather than later.
Welcome to Minnes........oh, wait. Safe travels....come back soon!
bruni wrote:
Ram - lovely sky shot.
Steve - the poppies are very creamy. nice colour too.
Glen - welcome to the "lens gendered" community. Yes, the XT 2 is easy to like isn't it. I haven't used it much with the nikons (because the adapter is so big) but it's great with the Leicas - and the Leica adapter is tiny.
ben
Ben if you want to have fun with Nikkor and the XT-2 dip your toe into the old Nikkor Rangefinder lens waters in either S mount or LTM on the Fuji. Great experience and the rendering of those old lenses is great.
gbohannon wrote:
Ben if you want to have fun with Nikkor and the XT-2 dip your toe into the old Nikkor Rangefinder lens waters in either S mount or LTM on the Fuji. Great experience and the rendering of those old lenses is great.
leighton w wrote:
Ken, Samy and I will miss you tomorrow.
I hate it, but two events got scheduled for tomorrow and next Saturday. I promise I will get up there before the market closes this fall. And it will be cooler. Y'all stay in the shade tomorrow, going to be a hot one.
bruni wrote:
Curtis - thank god you made an appearance. I was starting to worry that you had slipped into decrepitude. But I am very glad to see that you're back and still giving some good stick of your own.
That is a sensational copy of the 85. Your patience really paid off. But it's not just about being pristine. My all time favourite lens, even over my Leica summilux (and that's saying something) is my nikkor S 50mm f1.4. It's old and worn, most of the black paint has come off but even on the hi res sensor of the A7RII it produces such finely rendered images - it's unbelievable, a pre-ai lens, no coatings, no aspherical elements.
Much as I love my beater, I envy you and Raphael those immaculate samples.
ben ...Show more →
The amazing thing about that 85 Ben apart from its pristine condition was the price. I bought an old H version of the lens for $214 after failing to find a decent H.C. thinking I got a good price since the newer lens was going for much more. When I stumbled on this particular lens the seller was offering it for $169. Needless to say I couldn't resist.
You speak about "immaculate" samples, but as I recall lenses in your kit suffered since the person doing your conversions did not treat them kindly. I don't know whether you've seen how Jose handles conversions, which he does himself, but he does an amazing job of both finding inexpensive pre-AI lenses in pristine condition and doing impeccable work making the cut and repainting the aperture ring. Of course, you now are mounting these lenses on your Sony, so there is no need to be cutting the aperture ring. I understand you have so many of these old Nikkors that you likely are no longer in the market, which is my situation as well. Inspired by you I've added 24 pre-AI lenses to a kit that already included 23 AI and AI-s lenses...
With regard to the 50 f/1.4 S I have to say I don't own one. I bought the S.C. version of that old lens. But I also was inspired by folks on this thread to add both a 5cm f/2 S and a 5.8cm f/1.4 S which are delightful lenses with which to play. Perhaps you'd like to try out the 5.8 to see how that performs on the Sony. Great to have you back on the thread Ben. You add a bit of what I call "snap, crackle and pop..."
Max Power wrote:
Welcome to Minnes........oh, wait. Safe travels....come back soon!
We flew over St. Paul after taking off yesterday afternoon. I even saw the state capitol as we banked around the city on our way west.
I'd noted before that you were from St. Paul but didn't note the fact. I was born in Richfield south of Minneapolis and spent the first 27 years of my life living in an around the region. I graduated from the University of Minnesota. Driving around Minneapolis with its string of lakes and lusciously green parkways I was reminded of what a gorgeous city it is. Of course, as we were about to disembark from the Delta airplane upon my arrival, the cabin staff asked if we could shut all the blinds "to keep the airplane cool" which told me I was in for a treat. The heat and humidity hit me like I'd just opened the oven door as I entered the jetway. Ah yes... the beauty of a Minnesota summer.
On my return flight I sat next to a woman who had moved to Minnesota the same year I moved to the West coast. We were both happy with the choices we made... Stay cool and stay dry. I experienced the heaviest rain I recall ever on Wednesday as I drove with family around Lake Harriet. Blessedly, it brought with it moderate temperatures...
) makes a stunning IR shot, perhaps largely due to your excellent composition. Peter from Knysna, your monochrome church photo is also very nicely rendered.
