Several night blooming cactus photos in Chandler Arizona, 4/11/2026.. 200 F4 AIS micro lens, 135 F4 bellows lens on PB4 bellows and 600 F5.6 AIS lens used.
Harry Palmer
Backlight giant argentine blossom.
NIKON Z 7_2200mm f/4 lens200mmf/4.01/320s100 ISO0.0 EV
600 MM backlight.
NIKON Z 7_2600mm f/5.6 lens600mmf/5.61/640s160 ISO+0.3 EV
299 micro blossoms
NIKON Z 7_2200mm f/4 lens200mmf/4.01/800s100 ISO0.0 EV
135 bellows closeup.
NIKON Z 7_2135mm f/4 lens135mmf/4.01/160s110 ISO-0.3 EV
135 bellows inside closeup.
NIKON Z 7_2135mm f/4 lens135mmf/4.01/160s160 ISO+0.7 EV
600 F5.6 shot across the street at neighbours cactus blossums.
NIKON Z 7_2600mm f/5.6 lens600mmf/5.61/1000s450 ISO-1.0 EV
Awaiting in the wings-800 F5.6 AIS
NIKON Z fcNIKKOR Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR lens16mmf/8.01/25s2200 ISO0.0 EV
Thanks for the travels Serge, I've seen the view of the bridge and thought it would be interesting place to visit. I guess it's not possible to get that shot without a drone.
Congrats on the 800 Harry if indeed it's a new purchase. You seem to be doing just fine without it though ! Beautiful flowers on those cacti. When I lived in Tropical North Queensland we grew dragon fruit which until we grew them i was unaware that they came from a cactus.
Those gardens are looking splendid again now Rafael.
In February I kinda fell for a Nikon film body that I had zero knowledge about. It was the mechanical wonder, and predecessor to the electronic leap forward of Nikon's N90, and N90S - The Nikon F4 and F4S. It seems to work with any lens combo I throw at it. Been saving up exposed color c-41 process rolls of film until I had enough to develop them myself. Hit the goal a few days ago.
The Nikon F4S shot with 5DS-R_w-Nikkor-S-auto_5.8cm-f1.4-Non-ai
Nikon-F4S with 400mm-f5.6-ais-&-modified tc-16a Fuji-400-C-41-4min-103-degrees_
rafaelcasd wrote:
800mm 5.6! with a 10000:1 or so ND filter, took great eclipse photos with no heat on the camera sensor.
Heh, the other kind of astrophotography: sunny day, tropical drinks, no motorized mount, no dark adapted eye. I've taken some plausible moon shots at that FL on D500 (extra reach). I own little brother 800/8 Ai-S.
I had no idea today was Squirrel Day. The only pics I took in the back yard today were this Red-Bellied Woodpecker. Taken with 300mm f/4.5 AIS even though the camera thought it was a 200mm.
We went for a walk in Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge today. The first thing we saw from the parking lot was a courting ritual.
Wanna' see my etchings? WannaSeeMyEtchings by James Muller, on Flickr
Nope, not interested. NoThanksNotInterested by James Muller, on Flickr
Before we had walked 50 yards we encountered this Chipping Sparrow, singing and checking us out. ChippingSparrow by James Muller, on Flickr
We wanted to see if the herons had occupied their traditional nests on the back side of Puffer Pond. The answer is yes. GreatBlueHeronNesting by James Muller, on Flickr
The next chapter involved a minor adventure crossing a water spillway between two ponds. The spillway had maybe six inches of water flowing across but the administrators had placed a row of large stepping stones at one end. I blame the adventure on a lack of sleep after playing a concert last night. One of the stones wobbled, and even though I had been warned I fell anyway. Fortunately the Z5ii w/300mm didn't get wet. The 55mm in a bag over my shoulder got splashed a little but not submerged. It seems to have survived just fine.
So I sat down on the other side to drain water from my boots while a pair of Tree Swallows cavorted overhead. When ready (finally) I managed to get these pics. TreeSwallow by James Muller, on Flickr
Ever tried to get a shot of a swallow in flight with a manual-focus lens? Dang near impossible. This is probably the best I'll ever do. TreeSwallowInFlight by James Muller, on Flickr
After a short walk we reached a bench for lunch. We weren't alone looking for lunch. This osprey joined us. After a while it flew off with a fish. I didn't get a pic because I had a sandwich in my hands. OspreyLookingForMeal by James Muller, on Flickr
All but this next with the 300mm f/4.5 AIS.
Eventually we finished lunch and packed up to continue walking, me in wet boots. But first, a pic of my sweetie, with the 55mm f/3.5 AI Micro. SharonReadyToWalk by James Muller, on Flickr
