NightOwl Cat wrote:
Could I hit you up for a loan? OMG... wish my sewer line hadn't eaten my savings.
So very tempting indeed, but alas I am going to get out of long glass and stay with everything 300mm and shorter, that even includes selling the mystery lens.. ughh going to be so hard to part with it and the 500P is so superb as well.. but I think it makes sense for me to just go AF on the long glass. Hope someone here gets that 600!
CGrindahl wrote:
George, our long lost friend from Germany enjoyed shooting with the 24 f/2 but I never warmed to it, especially after purchasing a pre-AI converted lens, the 24 f/2.8 N.C. AI. Here's a photo from the E-Bay ad for the lens I bought for the remarkable price of $104.49, including shipping.
...
I'm not certain the premium you'd pay for the faster lens would really give you much. But others may chime in as well, though the thread seems to be crawling at the moment... Good luck sorting it out Chin. I promise I'll refrain from repeating our "motto"...
Hi Curtis, hi Chin,
the 24/2 Ai was a „special effects lens” for me. My copy (the old, long focus-throw Ai-version) had some micro-scratches on both back- and front-element. This might have caused me to raise the contrast a bit more than usual, so it's special rendering of highlights might have been "boosted" of some sort.
In my experience the 24/2.8 is the sharper, more contrasty lens and a bit less prone to flare (a fairly good copy of the 24/2.8 Ais vs a slightly scratched copy of the 24/2Ai).
In short: the 24/2.8 is the better general-purpose-lens, but the 24/2 can be used to create great effects. And it's not too bad stopped down a bit, just not as good as the 24/2.8.
Some old shots with the 24/2 Ai:
at the christmas fair, 24/2 Ai, D700, heavy processing
city harbor or harbour, 24/2 Ai wide open
24/2 Ai wide open, typical rendering of the highlights
24/2 Ai wide open, D700
Hope this helps, Chin and happy shooting everyone, Georg.
Welcome back Georg!! So Curtis finally managed to flush you out!
Have been missing your pictures here.
Hope we will get to see you visit more often now and share your work perhaps...
The 55 f/1.2 pre-AI saw some love this week.
It has always amazed me with its rendering, especially on the Df.
50 1.8e on the Df wide open.
This is my 2nd copy of the 50 1.8 Series E lens that I found a few weeks ago at my store.
An early black version in pristine condition, but I think I prefer my late silver version over this for overall sharpness and color rendering.
Happy weekend everyone and happy shooting!
-lestor
It wasn't quite so funny when I found the toilet oozing at the bottom, and the tub filling up with liquid brown, on a Saturday at 6pm as I was running in to get ready for my night at work. A comedy of errors occurred with Rotorooter that had me without working plumbing till Monday afternoon.... Yes, it was pretty Sh&&ty
Had to take my toothbrush and toothpaste to work to at least do that much cleanup..
CGrindahl wrote:
I guess you can accurately call that "throwing money down the drain..."
I'm waiting for my landlady to give me notice that my rent is about to take a big jump. She had to replace the sewer line a couple of years ago, then last year had to replace one wall that had been infested by bad bugs and rain water, then replaced the refrigerator, gas stove and finally the wall heater in the living room. I think owning property guarantees that you'll be spending money for something. But I also know that OWNING is preferable IF the market allows normal people to buy. Unfortunately, where I live I'd need to win a large lottery to become a homeowner. I'm not counting on it...
Sorry about the lens Laura, I know you could take great advantage of something this long...
No doubt Laura, when the plumbing breaks down problems arise. I have a water heater located beneath a kitchen counter. It leaked badly, flooding both the kitchen floor and the adjacent bathroom. Yes, we were grateful it was clean water, but Sue was concerned about mold developing so our landlord in his infinite wisdom removed exterior boards to air out the cavity beneath the bathtub. Unfortunately, he failed to cover the wall opening and I arrived in the kitchen next morning to be welcomed by a large rat looking for breakfast no doubt. The landlord chased the rat and the baseball bat he was carrying was up to the task at hand.
Amazing the things we take for granted simply because they work as designed. It is always when they go on the fritz that we discover how fortunately we are. Yesterday I was attempting to download software designed to deal with photo noise and realized it was taking forever. I did a speed check of my computer connection and found I was downloading at about 10 mbps on a line touted to run at 150 mbps. After texting with my ISP for ten minutes I was up to 244 mbps. Remember dial-up? I know not everyone has high speed internet, but those of us who do quickly become fans and think nothing of tackling any size download. Downloads in the bathroom are even MORE important...
Glad you got everything in order. Now you can begin saving for the 600mm lens.
Georg!!! Fantastic seeing a post from you appear on the thread. It is almost as though saying abracadabra could magically make anything appear. Say your name, even misspelled and you appear. I love it.
Thanks for your contribution to the discussion about that lens. I recall your comments in the past. They no doubt affected my decision not to buy the lens.
You're always welcome to drop by. You've been a valued member of our congregation.
So a triptych from my photo shoot on Tuesday. When I saw my friend standing in front of a darkened television monitor I snapped away. Seeing what I'd gotten, the thought of creating this set arose. I like the result and imagine the family will as well. This might be titled "A Mother's Love." Shot with the 55 f/1.2 S.C. AI at f/2.8 and ISO 6400.
lsds wrote:
One final image from the Jubel park in Brussels.
50 1.8e on the Df wide open.
This is my 2nd copy of the 50 1.8 Series E lens that I found a few weeks ago at my store.
An early black version in pristine condition, but I think I prefer my late silver version over this for overall sharpness and color rendering.
Happy weekend everyone and happy shooting!
-lestor
Only difference between the early and late 50E's is its construction. Lens design and coatings are identical. I have an early one as well, but I like it over the later one as its a tad lighter.
georgms wrote:
Hi Curtis, hi Chin,
the 24/2 Ai was a „special effects lens” for me. My copy (the old, long focus-throw Ai-version) had some micro-scratches on both back- and front-element. This might have caused me to raise the contrast a bit more than usual, so it's special rendering of highlights might have been "boosted" of some sort.
In my experience the 24/2.8 is the sharper, more contrasty lens and a bit less prone to flare (a fairly good copy of the 24/2.8 Ais vs a slightly scratched copy of the 24/2Ai).
In short: the 24/2.8 is the better general-purpose-lens, but the 24/2 can be used to create great effects. And it's not too bad stopped down a bit, just not as good as the 24/2.8.
CGrindahl wrote:
So a triptych from my photo shoot on Tuesday. When I saw my friend standing in front of a darkened television monitor I snapped away. Seeing what I'd gotten, the thought of creating this set arose. I like the result and imagine the family will as well. This might be titled "A Mother's Love." Shot with the 55 f/1.2 S.C. AI at f/2.8 and ISO 6400.
pburke wrote:
Got a slightly different racing machine here today. Crazy light reflected into the house from a windshield in the driveway. Fleeting moment.
55mm f/1.2 Nikkor-S on D810, handheld, some SEP2 since there wasn't any color in it to begin with
Saving for it, and getting it are two different things. It may be gone before I have enough to get it, unless someone else here buys it, and holds onto it for me.
CGrindahl wrote:
No doubt Laura, when the plumbing breaks down problems arise. I have a water heater located beneath a kitchen counter. It leaked badly, flooding both the kitchen floor and the adjacent bathroom. Yes, we were grateful it was clean water, but Sue was concerned about mold developing so our landlord in his infinite wisdom removed exterior boards to air out the cavity beneath the bathtub. Unfortunately, he failed to cover the wall opening and I arrived in the kitchen next morning to be welcomed by a large rat looking for breakfast no doubt. The landlord chased the rat and the baseball bat he was carrying was up to the task at hand.
Amazing the things we take for granted simply because they work as designed. It is always when they go on the fritz that we discover how fortunately we are. Yesterday I was attempting to download software designed to deal with photo noise and realized it was taking forever. I did a speed check of my computer connection and found I was downloading at about 10 mbps on a line touted to run at 150 mbps. After texting with my ISP for ten minutes I was up to 244 mbps. Remember dial-up? I know not everyone has high speed internet, but those of us who do quickly become fans and think nothing of tackling any size download. Downloads in the bathroom are even MORE important...
Glad you got everything in order. Now you can begin saving for the 600mm lens. ...Show more →
After a crazy couple weeks at work and a holiday thrown in last week, I went out for an early evening walk around the pond with my oldest lens. Nippon Kogaku Tokyo 3.5cm/f3.5 in LTM mount. Good to use it at its native format.
Last chapter in the 800mm saga, the seller offered a substantial discount if I kept the lens, so I decided to keep it if it was truly sharp corner to corner, and it is! if you nail focus it is sharpest fully open.
So it will stay with me after all.
I accept the uneven lower left corner illumination, at this level with same vivid processing as the pics above. Glass is pristine so no idea what causes this.
Good luck sorting it out Chin. I promise I'll refrain from repeating our "motto"... 
