CGrindahl wrote:
I figured you couldn't be too far away Reagan and why am I not surprised that you're once again looking for a camera? I'm guessing the XT-2 is still in your kit. The D810 also? So you're looking for a THIRD camera or to replace the D810?
I was looking at Sony cameras this afternoon. All this talk about mirrorless cameras at the moment gets the juices flowing. But I'm basically a cheapskate so it is doubtful I'll buy anything right now. The Df is still keeping me happy, at least on those rather rare occasions I pick it up.
Hope you're enjoying your summer Reagan. Sue plans on visiting Delray Beach in early October, but I'm holding down the fort in California. But I definitely have Florida on my mind at the moment since tickets were bought today... ...Show more →
The 810 is long gone but I do sell most of it to people I know
The Fuji is all I have left but thinking of moving it along also
Too hot for tromping around with a camera
I spend most of my days on my back in the pool
and lurking on FM
Hey you're right, I walked over to the Good Earth myself that morning. Why didn't I pay a visit?! Oh noes
Someday I will make that pilgrimage back there, bring Raylan over to visit that famed landmark.
Brave that 14 hour direct flight.
Press an old film camera into his hands, mounted with a fast lens, perhaps the 50 1.2.
And tell him to just look in the viewfinder.
Turn the ring, son and watch the split screen move the metal rims of the washers.
From hazy blur into focus, into clarity.
It's kinda uncanny you'd post that shot. I remember having an irritation in my left eye, a budding stye if I recall correctly.
Guess what's got me calling in sick tomorrow... bleah
CGrindahl wrote:
Sadly, if you want a photo from the laundromat you'll have to come back for another visit Chin...
When Picasa abandoned all of us who'd used that site as a host, I had the painful decision to make about how many of my photos I'd move to Flickr. Alas, those shots from the laundromat didn't make the cut. Finding them now would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Don't forget Chin, we had a meal directly across the street from the laundromat and your room was only three blocks away! You have NO excuse...
saph wrote:
Chin, I spy a Barca shirt in that photo
Haha would you believe I bought that on my first ever trip abroad in 2006?
Sent over to Barcelona for training (they're one of the best organ donation centers in the world) and did the hostel backpacking thing then. I traveled with a compact Nikon and I consider that as the seminal journey that started me looking into photography seriously - was frustrated with all the blurred shots in dark cathedrals.
But going to Camp Nou was absolutely memorable. I watched Ronaldinho score his 100th goal for the club, a sensational overhead kick against Villarreal. All whilst the fellas around me were teaching me all the local chants.
I even bought a copy of the papers the next day - frontpage stuff!
That training stint is also where I first met my Japanese friend, whom I am going to visit in November. Kinda crazy to think that we bonded over a week in the mountains of Girona, and here we are, 13 years later. The bunch of them thought I was lonely being the only other Asian dude and decided to co-opt me as a Japanese for the rest of the training together; I spoke not a whit of their language and they were none too good with English either!
CGrindahl wrote:
I've said this before on the thread but that post is long lost... there are only so many of these old lenses in existence. I liken it to something like a 1957 Chevrolet BelAire hardtop, a very beautiful car from my youth... beautiful, rare and irreplaceable. Nikon made conversion kits for pre-AI lenses that allowed them to be used on newer cameras. The three copies of the 55 f/1.2 S.C. lenses I own all have the conversion kit installed. Of course, as they stopped producing pre-AI lenses they also stopped producing the modified aperture ring to convert them. I know John White does a credible job of converting pre-AI lenses by cutting the existing aperture ring. Our friend Jose in Rio does a fine job of converting his own lenses. But once you're cut a forty year old aperture ring there is no going back to the original lens.
There are a couple of solutions to the problem. One is to buy what is an outstanding camera, the Nikon Df which will accept pre-AI lenses without conversion. I bought that camera and am happily using it, though I'd built my kit before buying that camera so practically all of my pre-AI lenses already have the AI conversion kit installed. I have subsequently bought a few lenses that have not been converted, a 5.8cm f/1.4 S, a 5cm f/2, a 28 f/2 N.C. a 50 f/2 H and an 85 f/1.8 H.C. You also can mount unconverted lenses on other cameras using an adaptor. I imagine that will be possible with the new Nikon mirrorless cameras.
There are only so many 1957 Chevrolet BelAire hardtops in the world. Every time one of those crashes there is one less. The same is true of these classic lenses. I not only love shooting with them, I love appreciating their beauty unmarred by even the most carefully applied metal file. But that is just me. I put together my kit at a time when the lenses I sought were available. It took time and I probably paid a premium for a few of the lenses I bought. I'm happy I did AND I'm happy I bought the Df, which is a wonderful camera.
Here's a photo of my Df with a recently purchased copy of the 28 f/2 N.C., an unconverted lens. It doesn't get better than this!
I have to say I think we are on the same page with this one. I like the pre-ai lenses that have the Nikon conversion kit installed, but I do not care for taking a dremel tool to a beautiful pre-ai lens makes me shudder a little. I have a spotless 20mm 3.5 that I could never cut up.
The buzz saw and piece of tape to me looks like Crager SS wheels on a Ferrari.
That reminds me Max of the beautiful Nissan Altima I bought used a few years ago... white with tan leather interior, low miles, perfect condition. Yes, the back windows had been tinted and yes, the stock wheels had been replaced but the tires were like new. I drove it home, parked in the driveway and walked to the sidewalk to check the view... my new car in its regular parking place. I didn't LIKE IT...
Fortunately, the dealer was willing to take the car back without a charge. I returned it a day after buying it. 15 months later I bought another car that I'm very happy with... It is the same year, a Toyota Camry, white with light leather seats.
Reagan wrote:
The 810 is long gone but I do sell most of it to people I know
The Fuji is all I have left but thinking of moving it along also
Too hot for tromping around with a camera
I spend most of my days on my back in the pool
and lurking on FM
R
Just don't drop your iPad into the pool and destroy it...
You are modeling for all of us Reagan, the pure pleasure that can come with retirement. I read Leighton's brief note and wonder what retirement will be like for him if he EVER decides he's had enough dirt under his fingernails...
Of course, I doubt he'll be following your example Reagan, if only because his compromised liver wouldn't allow him to tolerate all those tall cocktails with umbrellas in them...
So are you going to experiment with a NIKON mirrorless camera? Inquiring minds want to know.
leighton w wrote:
No time to comment or "blab", just wanted to be on this page.
Spoken like a hard working farmer whose days are never quite long enough to handle all the chores. Of course, as mother nature takes its toll on our bodies, we tend to slow down a bit, which makes that list of chores seem even LONGER.
Hope you and Barbara are well... at least well enough to get the goods to market. And thanks again, for reminding me of the anniversary. I am embarrassed about that one...
Perhaps one of these days we'll both be here at the same time.
Hey Chin. Absolutely, Raylan needs his dad to show him the ins and outs of photography. And how better to do that than with one of the classic metal lenses, even the 50 f/1.2 with its rubber focusing ring. Just make certain the hood is mounted so that if an accident happens it will result in a dented hood rather than a broken front element.
I've taken that flight from San Francisco to Singapore and it definitely is a monster. On the way there I sat next to a fellow who'd been the chair of the board for San Francisco Zen Center and the conversation was exactly what I needed to handle the long flight. On my return, after a month in India, it was an overnight flight. The open drinks cart got me through that one...
You're always welcome for another visit my friend, though I know there is much in this world that intrigues you. The important thing is to take exquisite care of your beautiful boy. Nothing is more important than that.
CGrindahl wrote:
Just don't drop your iPad into the pool and destroy it...
You are modeling for all of us Reagan, the pure pleasure that can come with retirement. I read Leighton's brief note and wonder what retirement will be like for him if he EVER decides he's had enough dirt under his fingernails...
Of course, I doubt he'll be following your example Reagan, if only because his compromised liver wouldn't allow him to tolerate all those tall cocktails with umbrellas in them...
So are you going to experiment with a NIKON mirrorless camera? Inquiring minds want to know.
I feel a Z6 calling my name but knowing Nikon's QC issues I will wait
There will be people buying and trying
I believe there will be at least one other Nikon in my hand before that one
Scheduled for an eastern Caribbean cruise in March and the wife is going to Italy with a girlfriend a few months after that
The husbands have no interest in going
I am trying to curtail my spending for a while
Reagan wrote:
I feel a Z6 calling my name but knowing Nikon's QC issues I will wait
There will be people buying and trying
I believe there will be at least one other Nikon in my hand before that one
Scheduled for an eastern Caribbean cruise in March and the wife is going to Italy with a girlfriend a few months after that
The husbands have no interest in going
I am trying to curtail my spending for a while
R
I did lose a phone to the pool last year
I am your guinea pig Reagan. Will let you know about the Z6. Release date Nov 30th, but given past history and the apology already being issued from Nikon for the Z7 and PF 500 lens, may get it by next year this time
Reagan wrote:
I thought the same and there will be people that buy it and decide its
not for them
How many cameras do you have now?
I remember 810.Df, and Xpro2
R
How many cameras? (looking over shoulder )
Is enough a good enough answer?
In flux now. In the end will settle on the D850 (for AF telephoto work and video work for some part time actual projects), Leica M, and Z6.
On the chopping block to make room for the Z6 will be the Df and X-Pro2.
It's nice to see the blabber-post content picking up a bit; what a fine way to celebrate an anniversary!
On the subject of having John White Ai-modify lenses, I can understand why the purists among us have some trouble with the the fact that such lenses become irreversibly altered from their original state. And now that I have a camera body/adapter combo that can use the lenses unmodified, I can happily obtain and use pre-ai lenses unaltered. However, while I had only Nikon DSLR bodies that were not Df's, I had some lenses modified by John. Scouring E-Bay, I was unable to find conversion rings for these lenses, or copies that already had Ai rings installed, so there was no way I could put the lenses to use without enlisting John's services. I agree with Max about the piece of white tape looking a bit cheesy; so I just removed it, as I have no need to have the apertures marked twice. Although on close inspection the cut-out section of the aperture ring is identifiable, John does an excellent job of camouflaging it with black paint so that it is not apparent at a glance. And his work enabled me to put these lenses to use, and enjoy turning their wonderful scalloped focus rings.
For today's post from me, no pre-ai lenses were modified or harmed in any way. I shot the photos below at Elk Falls, near Campbell River, BC, with the following unadulterated lenses (each of them sports a Nikon Ai conversion ring), respectively: 85 f/1.8 HC, 200 f/4 Q, and 24 f/2.8 NC.
I like the way you think Scott. Reagan needs gentle coaxing to move him along.
I'm guessing that with the mirrorless announcements it is doubtful Nikon will produce a second version of the Df. I really like my copy of that camera and would have considered a second version if one came on the scene. I will be watching as George and others play with the new offerings, especially how they accommodate our favorite lenses. The Z6 with 24 megapixels is much more to my liking and the price is reasonable, so that may be the way to go... IF I go ANYWHERE...
I've no doubt there are more sophisticated techies in our group. I have to admit I spent the morning digging out of a hole I created for myself by turning to iCloud to facilitate communication between my multiple Apple products. I keep a MacBook Air at Sue's home and though I never work on photos with that 13 inch laptop, I do occasionally work on text documents. It seemed sensible to put documents in iCloud so I could access them when at her home.
Yesterday I had occasion to seek out a quote I'd put in a file, intending to share it with a friend. It wasn't there! The folder in which I'd deposited it was there but it was empty. I've been accumulating documents in that folder for many years. Losing them would be very painful. I thought to go into TimeMachine to find the backup but that folder was empty too. So I rebooted the computer, hoping it was just an electronic hiccup. After restarting the folder was still empty. I reached out to my friend in India who has shepherded me through many a computer glitch and finally spoke with him this morning. He was aghast that I'd place documents in the cloud.
By the time we connected the files had appeared once again. I have no idea how they left or how they returned, but the experience seemed to demonstrate what he was talking about... that the cloud is susceptible to problems and is therefore not a good place to keep valuable documents. So I spent part of the morning bringing those files back to my iMac and to turn off that aspect of iCloud. From now on I'll use it only for my calendar and contacts. A word to the wise... though as I said, I expect there are many more savvy folks on this thread who wouldn't create such a problem for themselves. My friend said the best way to accomplish what I'd been trying to accomplish would be to upload files using Dropbox... mmm, think I'll check that out again.
jhinkey wrote:
I can appreciate that! Barely have time these days to take any images with my Nikkors . . .
I imagine John, that as proprietor of your own business, it is gratifying to find what you dreamed could be a viable career choice has panned out as well as it has. I've watched as you and your family travel to Europe and immediately think to myself that business must be pretty good. It is through your talent and hard work that all of this has come to be. Congratulations! Now you're left with the problems of the successful, how to balance work and the rest of your life. Those are high quality problems with which to deal. Seems like a pretty good life to me...
