Step away for a day and things get crazy... was that Ben I saw sneaking in while Philippe was away?
Even without the username in the left hand corner it was easy to see that opening shot was one of yours Ben. You've definitely been missed. It is nice to know you still have one Nikon camera that will accept our favorite manual focus lenses. Don't be a stranger.
And Eike, a delight to hear from you as well. Thanks for your generosity. Perhaps you're aware I've been playing with one of George's lenses the past few weeks. It is nice to be able to help a fellow photographer, especially when he's a neighbor.
And speaking of sharing lenses, you ask Doug about my assessment of the 35-200 f/3.5-4.5 AI-s. I certainly understand the appeal of that lens for a traveler not interested in a heavy camera bag. No reason to second guess a choice made so many years ago. The fact you're still shooting with the lens suggests it works for you. That said, Peter's recently posted photos taken with the 80-200 f/4 AI-s remind us what a professional quality lens can produce. As happy as I've been with some of the images I've shared on the thread captured with George's lens, its performance is a bit of a mixed bag compared with what I experience when shooting with either the 50-135 or 80-200. Of course, if I we're putting together a kit for traveling, I doubt I'd take any zoom lens. But that is a topic for a different conversation.
Leighton, have fun with your new computer. No doubt there are limits to how one can relate to an Apple product since they never make it easy to upgrade. But generally you can add RAM without difficulty and since much of our storage is now handled with external SSD drives internal drive limitations aren't a serious deterrent. And you've got a fast enough processor for the kind of work you're doing. I'm running Intel i5 on my iMac and it gives me plenty of power for handling photos, even stitching for panoramas. You'll do fine I'm sure.
Thanks guys for the photos from your visits to my corner of the world. I recall the first time I returned from a trip to Europe while living here and the excitement I felt as the plane was landing. I'd spent a month in Italy and everyone I spoke with was delighted when I told then I came from San Francisco. They all wanted to come for a visit. I know I'm blessed to live here. For anyone interested, here is a link to the album I created during the time Nikki was visiting. I rambled around San Francisco and the North Bay with the lens. This is really my world...
