VPI Posted January 11, 2015 Report Posted January 11, 2015 Went out today looking for bald eagles but found nothing but little birds. 1
Salt Peanuts Posted January 11, 2015 Report Posted January 11, 2015 I really like separating AF and shutter button on my DSLR. Makes re-framing so easy. This is the reason why I wish Nikon would add the "AF-ON" button to high-end consumer/enthusiast models. I know you can assign the "AE-L/AF-L" button to do the same thing, but that button is further in toward viewfinder just enough to be uncomfortable in use.
Duggeh Posted January 14, 2015 Report Posted January 14, 2015 The 1Ds arrived. It is not light. Feels even more solid than the 1N though. Handles just like the 1N. Right down to the practical ISO limit at 1250. 40mm FOV is best FOV. I shall take it out this weekend and give my back muscles a workout. 1
Voltron Posted January 14, 2015 Report Posted January 14, 2015 Nice to see a little bit of Duggeh after all this time. And that is one BIG ASS CAMERA! Good luck with that. 1
agile_one Posted January 15, 2015 Report Posted January 15, 2015 ^^^ ditto. Douglas, did you bash your thumb with that big bad camera? 1
Duggeh Posted January 15, 2015 Report Posted January 15, 2015 ^^^ ditto. Douglas, did you bash your thumb with that big bad camera? Humiliatingly enough, I sliced it open with my new penknife in my eagerness to open the parcel ¬ _¬ 1
The Expanding Man Posted January 15, 2015 Report Posted January 15, 2015 How are you finding that Voigtlander lens?
dsavitsk Posted January 15, 2015 Report Posted January 15, 2015 Nice article on a Robert Frank image: http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/01/15/robert-frank-telling-it-like-it-was/
Voltron Posted January 15, 2015 Report Posted January 15, 2015 The Americans was on display at Stanford's Cantor Arts Center and luckily I was there on the last day of the exhibition. I had seen some images, but there were dozens of them and it was very cool. 2
crappyjones123 Posted January 15, 2015 Report Posted January 15, 2015 Very cool images and article. I was surprised I could read the whole thing without having to pay for it.
Iron_Dreamer Posted January 15, 2015 Report Posted January 15, 2015 So I might be going to Ireland for 10ish days this summer. I am thinking of dumping the Sigma 50 as I get closer and either picking up a zeiss 15/2.8 or the nikon 14-24. The zeiss 15mm is easily (expensively) filterable. The nikon 14-24 can be filtered as well but holy crap those things are expensive. An entirely different avenue would be to rent an A7II (probably out by then) and a canon ts-e 17mm. This combo has resulted in some fantastic landscape images but I have never used a tilt shit lens before so will likely not know what to do when I do get it. Another option is the fuji xt1 with a 14mm but this combo doesn't inspire as much confidence in me. Have you considered the new Nikon 20/1.8? It's relatively small, light, and affordable, with really nice performance. I used it a bit at CES, and discuss it in my blog post: http://www.pbjames.com/blog/2015/1/ces-2015-report-a-photographers-perspective
crappyjones123 Posted January 16, 2015 Report Posted January 16, 2015 Very interesting suggestion Peter. Didn't know that lens was already released. The zeiss 15/2.8 is available used around the same price but the filters are very expensive. 77mm filters should be available more readily. I know you love the 14-24. Any thoughts on how it holds up against that lens? I don't really care for the extra stop as I am not going to shoot a 20mm lens at f/1.8.
Iron_Dreamer Posted January 16, 2015 Report Posted January 16, 2015 You're not? I sure as hell would / will (the want for that lens is pretty strong for me). Having the pop of some shallow DOF at wide angles really adds to event/reportage stuff, and then there's the usefulness of another stop for astrophotography! I wasn't aware the Zeiss 15 was available that cheaply used, I thought it was about $3k new! 15mm and 20mm are hugely different focal lengths. I use 14mm quite a lot on my 14-24, and there are even times where it doesn't feel quite wide enough, and there are plenty of times where 19-21mm is the sweet spot. It's the difference between quite wide, and insanely wide. One's still somewhat realistic, the other quite fantastic. I've considered getting the Wonderpana filter system for my 14-24, but I'm thinking I might just prefer to get the 20/1.8 for a similar cost, and just deal with the lack of zoom for filtered shots, and have the option of f/1.8 when needed, and a lighter lens for backpacking trips.
crappyjones123 Posted January 16, 2015 Report Posted January 16, 2015 Sorry, was thinking of the zeiss 18. All these numbers are starting to mingle. =/ The astrophotography argument is one I like for the extra stop. I just never really thought there was any semblance of shallow DOF with a lens that wide. Always figured everything would be in focus unless one were shooting something very up close. It certainly is climbing up the list of lenses very fast. I might trade my sigma 50 for the nikon 20. For portraits 50 is too wide, and for landscapes the 50 is not wide enough. I rarely have enough time to go walk around and shoot so might be time for the 50 to go. Depending on how things turn out with the new rokinon 135, i might grab that in favor of the nikon 85 but we shall see. With Rokinon you really have to get very lucky to get a good copy.
Iron_Dreamer Posted January 16, 2015 Report Posted January 16, 2015 Ah, that makes more sense. The Zeiss 18 isn't really one of their best, most people go for the 21/2.8 which is fairly legendary. But at this point, I wouldn't bother, give that it retails for about 3x the Nikon 20. I really liked the Sigma 50 when I demoed it in store, and if anything it was even more brilliant than their 35/1.4, but I just don't use that focal length enough to justify the size/weight/cost, when the Nikon 50/1.8G is probably 80% the performer, for 15% the cost (used) and 20% the weight. 85 vs 135 again is a decent difference in focal length, and while they're both "portrait" lenses, they definitely result in a different look, and I wouldn't really consider one to be a substitute for the other. I had a good copy of the Rokinon 35/1.4 on the first stab years ago, their 12/2.0 for the Fuji system, not so much on the first try, and didn't feel like staying on the merry go round.
crappyjones123 Posted January 16, 2015 Report Posted January 16, 2015 I can shave with the sigma 50 wide open. I doubt the nikon 50 will give me the same performance wide open or even close to it but I don't use that focal length enough. I took it with me to NYC this past winter break and hated lugging it around with the D800. It really got very annoying after a while to the point where I switched it out for the 85 even though I missed a lot of shots due to the lens being very long. Back when I had the sigma 35, I got the nikon 50/1.8D which is ok from around f/5.6 for like $80. In a pinch, I could just use that if I really needed a 50mm lens as it has just been sitting on the shelf this entire time. I used it with the Nikon F5 before I realized the sigma 50 and the nikon 85 worked on the F5 as well. All this talk is making me realize I don't NEED the sigma 50. Its a beautiful lens and great to have around but far too heavy for me. Most likely it'll end up on FM shortly... I had the zeiss 135 briefly and loved the focal length. Makes for tight quarters when trying to shoot indoors but the subject isolation was to die for. The 85/1.8 is good but I feel like I don't get nearly enough isolation that I could with a 135. I tried the 105DC a while back and it suffered from some very serious CA under f/4. The same was the case with the 135DC which was too expensive and heavy of a lens to carry to just shoot at f/5.6. Half the time I forgot what DC setting I had set it at. I actually grabbed a Rokinon 35/1.4 upon your suggestion a long time ago with a D7000 but I don't think the viewfinder was appropriate for a manual focus lens. The D800 is much better when it comes to that and makes it a lot easier with longer lenses where the transitions are more pronounced. I enjoyed the build quality - it was a hefty lens. I picked up a local rokinon 14/2.8 a while back but it was so decentered I sent it back to the seller. He initially denied any issues but I sent him images taken with the lens and he finally gave me the money back. People have spoken very well of the 14/2.8 and for the price I would have picked it over the nikon 20 in a heartbeat if I didn't have to go through 10 copies to find one properly aligned. And then there is the issue of the infinity marker being absurdly inaccurate. Just not a good set up for astrophotography.
nikongod Posted January 16, 2015 Report Posted January 16, 2015 You can reset the infinity marker on the 14F2.8 It is, I agree, not very sharp at F2.8 If its any help (doubtful I would even listen to my own advice here) I would stick with something in the 18 to 24mm range of primes for travel. The Nikon 24F2.8 is relatively small/light, and optically pretty pretty.
crappyjones123 Posted January 16, 2015 Report Posted January 16, 2015 I fear the D800 sensor will be left wanting more with the 24D
crappyjones123 Posted January 16, 2015 Report Posted January 16, 2015 Id get the 135 apo before I got either of the otus'
crappyjones123 Posted January 17, 2015 Report Posted January 17, 2015 Revisited one of the images from 2 summers ago. 1
VPI Posted January 18, 2015 Report Posted January 18, 2015 Got tired of waiting for the RRS L Plate to come in stock so tried to set focus on the Lens Align system with an old Manfrotto head I had in the closet. Sharpness seems to be as good as I can get it now. Of course RRS just got the D750 L Plates in stock so I should have that next week to do some nighttime shots in DC. Just to make Brent jealous. 4
MexicanDragon Posted January 19, 2015 Report Posted January 19, 2015 Did I ever tell you you're a horrible person? **BRENT**
n_maher Posted January 19, 2015 Report Posted January 19, 2015 You're like the CJ of people, you hate everyone I like. I'm trying to figure a way to get a D750 some time in the next year. 4
Salt Peanuts Posted January 19, 2015 Report Posted January 19, 2015 FWIW, Nate, if you don't mind getting one used/refurbished, D800/E is cheaper than D750, not to mention D750 won't be back in stock unit later in February.
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