My kit: (bodies) D850, D500, FE, OG X100; (lenses) Ai 24/2.8, 24mm f/1.4G, Zeiss 50/1.4ZF2, 85/1.4D, macro 105/2.8G, 300/4E PF, TC-14E III; (other bodies) Bessa-R, Ricohflex Model VII; (other lenses) LTM Canon 50/1.4, Nikkor 24/2.8D, 30/1.4 DC HSM | Art.
I like to photograph flowers, insects, wildlife, landscape, street/documentary, astrophotography, macro (and film scanning), portrait, sport/action.
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You don’t need to carry a camera and multiple lenses
I use to carry a camera with a lens mounted and also several lenses just to make sure I don’t miss a shot. But how many times did you swap lenses, or even use the lenses you bought with you? Chances are you decided to keep shooting with the lens you had on the camera…
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One trip, one body, one lens
These days, when I go out I leave with body and one lens only. I make that decision before I go considering where I am going and what I want to photograph. I do this because it keeps me focused on what the photography itself and not gear choice paralysis. Some bodies are more flexible…
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Zone Focusing
Yesterday I went to a local festival. I had decided to take the D850 with the AI 24mm f/2.8. I chose this lens over my 24mm f/1.4 because I wanted something smaller and more discreet. Mostly, I set it up at aperture f/8, shutter speed 1/500s, auto ISO, zone focused to infinity, single shot. The…
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D/SLRs, Image Quality, and Practicality
Images from fifty or a hundred years ago are not worse or better than images of today. They are just different. Of course, Ansel Adams’s photos images being captured on the large format are as good as any images today in terms of detail and sharpness. But Adams could not go out and do street…
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Close up with the 300mm f4E PF
The AF-S 300mm Nikkor f4E PF lens on the D500 body is a 450mm equivalent while the minimum focus distance is still 1.4m. So the magnification is about 0.36x which is within close up range. Quite handy when you are walking out and about carry-shooting wildlife but also have flowers to shoot as well.
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Don’t Chase Gear
I find it interesting (read: funny) that photographers who are YouTubers say they love a camera and will use it for at least three to five years. But if a camera is that good won’t you use it forever? Why would I bother to buy an old film or digital camera if its shelf life…
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AF-S 24-70mm Nikkor f2.8G ED-IF
My AF-S 24-70mm Nikkor f2.8G is a good general fast zoom lens. Most moderate lowlight situations f2.8 is enough. In dark concerts or bars, it struggles. The VR is not necessary if you select your shutter speed correctly. The lens is sharp from f4 to f8. Color fringing disappears after f4. If you know you’re…
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State Of The Kit
My first experience with photography was probably the Fujifilm disposable cameras in the 80s. Then in the late in the 90s I got a Canon IXY APS camera. Then later my first SLR—a EOS888. In the early 2000s I upgraded to the EOS55. And soon after that my first digital camera a Powershot G3 and…
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Thoughts after a day at the baseball with the 300mm f4 PF
I went to the baseball for the first time this year. And I brought with me my D500 and recently purchased 300mm f4E PF. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had never taken just a prime lens to the games. Usually I take my long 70-200mm zoom. But this time I wanted extra reach,…
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