Kicking it old school yesterday after work on a hike with the two yellow labs, D700 and 200 f/4 AF-D (might as well be manual focus right?!?!?). Most of what I found interesting yesterday was at ground level (fall is setting in and we've had decent rain, so colorful leaves and mushrooms), and being 6'2" tall I found that I very much enjoyed the 200mm focal length.
My only struggle was that much of the hike was on trails benched into the side of a fairly steep hill, and there was a light rain so I felt a bit cramped w/o reliable footing while trying to get more horizontal angles on the subjects.
Having been out of the photography game for 15 years I had forgotten a lot of things that are starting to come back to me now. Why I prefer certain focal lengths (my height and preferred subject matter), why fast glass and high ISO performance are important aspects of my photography experience (this time of the year in Wisconsin light is limited and the sun sets FAST), and why I need rugged gear (there was a light rain and I found that I cared more about enjoying the hike and being in the moment then I did keeping the gear dry).
jonshonda wrote:
Kicking it old school yesterday after work on a hike with the two yellow labs, D700 and 200 f/4 AF-D (might as well be manual focus right?!?!?). Most of what I found interesting yesterday was at ground level (fall is setting in and we've had decent rain, so colorful leaves and mushrooms), and being 6'2" tall I found that I very much enjoyed the 200mm focal length.
My only struggle was that much of the hike was on trails benched into the side of a fairly steep hill, and there was a light rain so I felt a bit cramped w/o reliable footing while trying to get more horizontal angles on the subjects.
Having been out of the photography game for 15 years I had forgotten a lot of things that are starting to come back to me now. Why I prefer certain focal lengths (my height and preferred subject matter), why fast glass and high ISO performance are important aspects of my photography experience (this time of the year in Wisconsin light is limited and the sun sets FAST), and why I need rugged gear (there was a light rain and I found that I cared more about enjoying the hike and being in the moment then I did keeping the gear dry). ...Show more →
Outside, fall color, good companions, sounds like a good after work activity. Mushrooms and fall color can be great with a little bit of rain too, especially with a polarizer. I've not really had gear failure, even when gear has not been wet rated, but then again I've not shot with truly heavy rain falling on me and the equipment as keeping the glass clear of water drops become the biggest issue unless shooting with telephotos and a long hood. Have not been able to bring myself with trying to juggle an umbrella when shooting. Maybe I should get one of the clown umbrellas that fit like a cap :-).
We climbed Cadillac Mt today, no big deal, not a hard hike though it's the highest peak on Mt. Desert. At one point I saw an interesting bird way up in the sky, way too far to identify. I was carrying the camera with the 200mm f/4 Q lens. I snapped a few pics hoping that they might show more when blown up to full resolution instead of downsized to fit on a computer screen. Sure enough, it was a bald eagle. That 200mm is quite the thing. So is the Z5ii. (I have no idea what size Flickr and MF are going to show you. You just have to take my word for it!) BaldEagleOriginal
by James Muller, on Flickr
Also on the walk down we encountered a cute little beast about 7 feet up a tree, baby porcupine wondering what all the fuss was about. Porcupine
by James Muller, on Flickr
Unfortunately I had one little mishap, slipped on a wet rock, went down fast. The camera fared a bit better than I did. The focus ring picked up a few minor scars, more testimony to its ~55 years of service. Somehow the rubber cup around the viewfinder was torn at the bottom on both sides. Everything else appears normal and functional. I took a few scrapes, no big deal, just bummed. Another day, another injury. My scrapes will heal by themselves. Not so the camera. I'll have to find a fix, probably a replacement rubber cup from Nikon.
More (other than the cat placard) with the 75-150mm f3.5 series E. My eyes were so messed up that green dotting was a joke. Fortunately, the 5DmkIII beeps. Now that the vision is returning I see serious vignetting on all the frames regardless of focal length. Everything is shot wide open, but The thing is - I like the lens. It is light, good focal range, but if you point it down it changes focal length instantly. I've never used a push/pull zoom with such crappy dampening. Shouldn't complain for $39 and free shipping
Not fast enough - My neighbor's huge hen chasing her chicks (in the cedars)
SiMuMe wrote:
Lovely light indeed, Raymond. The third shot, did you U-turn after taking a the shot? Seems like some admire that house and then turn back.
Thanks Siphiwe. Yes, I was shooting at a cul-de-sac, and never wandered more than 20 feet in any one direction.
Another sign of fall, goldenrod and early morning fog with the 200 mm f4.0 Micro AI.
Back in 2014, my very first outing with a D810 was by night in Quebec city.
I wanted to test the camera in low-light with MF lenses (I had a bunch), so I used my Nikkor 28mm f/2 AI as I liked its character on night shots from previous cameras.
I was favourably impressed by the results.
These are out-of-camera JPEGs, with minor edits (perspective, slight colour touches) in Lightroom.
All photos shot handheld.
On the side of one of the carriage roads. You could serve dinner on this one. I have no idea whether it is edible. I don't like mushrooms anyway so I have no desire to find out!Mushroom
by James Muller, on Flickr
