The essence of photography

[thatguy]

Canon recently released the EOS-M, an interchangeable lens mirrorless camera. Unlike Nikon's 1, this one has a APS-C sized sensor. With a pancake lens, you get the portability of a point and shoot and the quality of a (entry level) DLSR.

They only have two lenses so far, but the existing canon lenses can be used with a mount adapter.

Canon EOS M: Digital Photography Review

Canon U.S.A. : Consumer & Home Office : EOS M EF-M 22mm STM Kit

I have a soft corner of interchangeable lens mirrorless cameras and am happy Canon didn't release a crippled device Eagerly waiting for reviews to start trickling in.

 

[Shivam]

shivam

The sunflower pic is really nice. Which lens did you use and what were the camera settings?

I used a Nikkor 18-35 mm lens. I'll check the exif info and then tell you the settings.

pastorale | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Nice going. You should try to get the wires out of the pic. Maybe a little editing. It should be easy since the background is simple.

 

[ajay124]

shivam

The 18-35 AF D seems like a good wide angle option which will also work on an FX camera. I have just read a few reviews and they are mostly good. I would be happy to have at least one zoom in my arsenal!

Listed Indian price is 31K, which is quite close to the new 24-85 VR FX lens. If I can wangle a 15-20% discount from the dealer, then both these lenses start looking interesting! The 24-85 may be bundled for roughly 500$ with the new line of Nikon semi-pro DSLR's. Used 18-35's are going for roughly 300$ on eBay. I would prefer the wider angle of the 18-35 to the longer telephoto of the 24-85.

What is your opinion of this lens on DX and FX?

 

[Shivam]

18-35 is just a little less wider than the much expensive 17-35. Sharpness and overall image quality with both these lens is similar. With use I have learned that in wide-angle shots usually I have to use a small aperture for better depth of field and so it makes no sense to me to invest in a faster lens. Distortions of such a wide lens are easily handled by Nikon capture NX.

This lens or its faster expensive brother will be my choice over the other lens which you are looking at.

 

[ajay124]

The 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5D IF-ED looks like the wide angle baby I have been waiting for. I have been reading reviews and specs of all the Nikon lenses but somehow I missed out on this FX lens. Last night I read the reviews by Ken Rockwell and Thom Hogan and they are fairly positive. The pro's and con's as compared to the 17-35mm f/2.8D and 16-35mm f/4G ED VR seem to be:

Cons:
More plastic in the build
Variable f/stops from 3.5-4.5
(17-35 offers a constant 2.8 over the entire focal range)
A little softer at the corners on FX
A little more distortion
Aperture ring is not as 'clicky' as the one on 17-35
(Newer Nikon models would require locking the aperture at f/22 anyway)
No VR or nano coating
(available on the 16-35)

Pros:
AF-S Zoom-NIKKOR 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED (2.1x): MRP - INR 97,605
AF-S NIKKOR 16-35mm f/4G ED VR: MRP - INR 86,905
AF Zoom-NIKKOR 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5D IF-ED (1.9x): MRP - INR 31,270

No contest really. I can't afford to spend 90K on a lens, therefore the 18-35 wins hands down for me

 

[josephjohnt]

josephjohnt

"toehold.in provides rental at Bangalore."

Photography Equipment Rentals - Toehold | Travel & Photography

I was not aware of toehold.in. I hope they expand their services to other cities also.

I heard about toehold last year when i was looking for a D700. Unfortunately their bodies were already booked the days when i wanted it. It was a time i was looking for D700 and then the rumors about D800 made me wait. But looking at the specs of D800, its a real overkill for me. So now i am waiting on the next rumor of D600.
I have also heard of other individuals who rent equipment, but only in known circles as the equipments are costly and they need people who can handle it properly. So if you look around you maybe able to find a person in your city too.

shivam
I have been looking at various wide-angle lenses on the Nikon and Tokina websites for several months now, but I have not found anything which I like and which is within my budget. Tokina's 12-24 looks interesting but it is a DX lens which would be almost useless if I switch to an FX camera. Affordable Nikon zooms like 18-200 and 16-85 are also DX lenses. The recently released Nikon 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5 VR seems like a good FX option. It may even be bundled as a kit lens with future Nikon cameras. I have also been contemplating the 28mm 2.8D, 24mm 2.8D and the 20mm 2.8D primes, but none of them have unanimously good reviews like the 50mm and 85mm primes. Therefore I have decided not to buy a wide angle until the time Nikon launches the rumored D600 and/or the D400.

In the meantime I want to figure out whether I actually need a wide angle in the first place! I have been mostly shooting portraits and close ups of flowers with my 50mm and 85 mm lenses. Wide apertures and shall DOF. I have not experimented at all with shooting landscapes. Today afternoon I had some work in the countryside and I took my D90+85mm 1.8D along, with the specific purpose of trying out a different kind of photography. Conditions were not very conducive because of the hot, humid weather and bright sunlight. But I shot a few pastoral landscapes. Handheld because I did not want to lug my tripod along. I will only start using a tripod once I get a good one from Manfrotto! I was interested in taking pics with greater depth of field. Stopping down to f/8-f/16 was a novel experience for me after having shot at f/2-f/2.8 for so many months. A new exploration has begun

pastorale | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

After getting inspired with all the landscape pics on internet, i also wanted to do it. So i went ahead and bought a Sigma 10-20mm (probably my second mistake). But after using it i don't know if its worth it. Its so wide that the distortions are bad. And when you are out taking photos, you need to switch lenses for other photographs else should have two bodies.
For landscape shots I would suggest you to try multiple overlapping portrait like shots and then stitch the photo in a software like a panorama. This works very well and you will be able to use your current lens.
I wish i had the option to rent that lens before buying it. If you want to try my 10-20, i am fine to share. Not sure how i would get it to you though.

 

[Shivam]

Cons:
More plastic in the build
Variable f/stops from 3.5-4.5
(17-35 offers a constant 2.8 over the entire focal range)
A little softer at the corners on FX
A little more distortion
Aperture ring is not as 'clicky' as the one on 17-35
(Newer Nikon models would require locking the aperture at f/22 anyway)
No VR or nano coating
(available on the 16-35)

This is how I see the cons -
Less metal means less weight in the camera bag.
Most of my landscapes are done at around f/8
Even on FX the corners are not so soft at f/8.
Distortion is handled by Nikon Capture NX
I use the aperture control on the body and not on the lens.
I don't expect to use VR on such a low focal length in day light photos and tripods are a must for night shots (which extend to several seconds of open shutter)
Nano Coating - I never heard of it even when I was using the F5.

 

[ajay124]

Josephjohnt

Thank you for your offer of sharing the 10-20. Spontaneous sharing with strangers is a quality which is gradually disappearing from the world. I would love to shoot with the 10-20 for a couple of weeks, but there is always a chance of the lens getting damaged or lost during shipping and I wouldn't want you take that risk with a 30K lens.

I would suggest that you give the lens a second chance. Personally I do not consider ultra wide lenses to be landscape lenses. Any lens wider than 20 mm is basically a distortion machine and should be viewed as such. If you are shooting with a sub 20 mm focal length then you should be clear that you are dabbling with distorted perspectives. If you can't beat 'em, you should join 'em! Rather than trying to control the distortion of an ultra wide lens, you could try creating interesting and artistic perspectives with that distortion. I haven't shot with a UW lens, but this is the way I would attempt to use it if I had one. On a DX camera, the 10-15mm focal lengths of your Sigma could be used for pics with a touch of distortion and the 15-20mm length could be used for relatively less distorted landscapes.

For landscapes and street scenes I would be happy to have the 18-35mm focal length. By restricting myself to primes, I have learnt that in order to shoot with a wider perspective, I can simply MOVE BACK! If one is at a sufficient distance from the subject, every lens can work like a wide angle lens. The reverse is equally true. As you move closer to a subject, you are effectively converting a wide angle into a normal lens and a normal lens into a telephoto lens

 

[Shivam]

What I like about wide angle lens is the ability to bring a feeling of being there in the photograph.

I am not sure if I am able to explain myself but here are a few photos from my Flickr album that may show this-
Fresh | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Untitled | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

 

[ajay124]

thatguy

Digital has comprehensively replaced film in the last decade and mirrorless cameras with electronic viewfinders and interchangeable lenses may soon replace the current generation of cameras with mirrors and optical viewfinders. But for this to become a reality, Nikon and Canon have to abandon the older technology and adopt the new one in a big way. I doubt if Sony, Panasonic, Pentax, Fuji or Olympus can give birth to a 'mirrorless' revolution without the cooperation of the big two.

An interesting write up from the old reliable

Nikon DSLR History

 

[ajay124]

shivam

What would be a good price for a brand new 18-35 AF D?

The 85mm and 50mm primes have become permanent fixtures in my kit. I don't think I will ever be parting with them. I have not bought more lenses because I did not want to make expensive mistakes. But I am finally planning to pull the trigger on a 18-35 f/3.5-4.5 AF D. It is an affordable, light weight, wide angle, full frame lens which is still made in Nikon's Japanese facility. It perfectly suits all my requirements and it will complement my earlier lenses. I checked up and it is available with one of the local dealers.

Eventually when I move to an FX camera I will be using this lens for landscapes and architecture, the 50mm for street scenes and the 85mm for portraits. In the long run I would want to add one more telephoto lens from the following:

135mm f/2 DC
105mm 2.8D micro/105mm 2.8G micro
180mm f/2.8 AF-D

 

[Shivam]

I had bought the lens few years back on one of trips to Eastern Europe. It had costed me about USD 450 then. I have no idea about its present price. You can try checking the Nikon's Indian website. They might be having the present price.

If I was in your place, I would sell of 85 and buy 105 which provides better perspective for portraits and doubles up as macro. However on the smaller sensor 85 makes a better choice for portraits.

 

[ajay124]

the builders | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

50mm 1.8D, 1/500, f/8, ISO 200

This is the kind of crisp, clean and distortion free resolution I would want from a wide angle lens. Somehow I don't feel that most zooms would be able to manage it. The ones that might (like the 24-70 2.8) are not in my budget. I have been doing a bit of a rethink about the 18-35. Partly because of a bad review in Photozone. A reviewer I happen to trust a little more than Ken Rockwell or Thom Hogan. Even though the 18-35 is only a 2x zoom, it does seem to come with a few limitations. According to the Photozone review it has significant barrel distortion at the wider end and it even has modest distortion towards the longer end. It also seems to have significant vignetting and poor resolution at the corners while using the wider apertures. If this review is accurate, then the (relatively) more usable focal range would be 24-35mm and the more usable f stops would be from 8-16.

Nikkor AF 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5D ED (FX) - Review / Test Report

One of the local dealers is expecting demo lenses from Nikon soon. Buying lenses without a demo is as risky as buying hifi without a demo. I would love to demo the 18-35, 24mm 2.8D and the 28mm 2.8D lenses. Right now my interest is shifting towards the 28mm 2.8D. My favorite reviewers (Nikon Helpline) have given it 8/10. I bought my earlier two lenses largely because of their recommendations. After having used these lenses for a few month, I feel that the reviews were bang on target. Therefore I would trust their opinion for my next acquisition. Also this lens is part of the same family as my earlier lenses.

Nikon 28mm /2.8D AF - YouTube

I am not interested in shooting with any lens that has high levels of barrel or pincushion distortion. I feel that any lens wider than 24mm is bound to have plenty of barrel distortion which it may or may not be possible to entirely cure during post processing. For me, 24mm or 28mm on a full frame would be wide enough for shooting landscapes and architecture. The Nikon wide angle primes are not rated as highly as their 50mm and 85mm primes, but buying the 28mm 2.8D for 11-12K seems like the best option at the moment.

 

[ajay124]

The D600 hysteria is gathering force! In August we will probably find out whether it is finally coming or not. At the rumored price of 1500$ it could potentially become Nikon's bestselling camera of all times. A lot of DX users around the world will jump ship. It would lead to a surge in the sale of FX lenses and a corresponding slump in the sale of DX lenses. A lot of used DX glass may be hitting the market soon!

It seems likely that the D600 rumor will prove to be true, but the price will probably be closer to 1999$ as the D800 is currently selling for 2999$. A lower price point would severely damage the sale of D800, D7000, D700, D300S. But with a price tag of 1999$, the D600 will not really be the budget FX which amateur DX users have been dreaming about. So who knows? For once Nikon may decide to play Santa Claus and offer an FX DSLR for 1499$!

There is no Nikon D600 yet, although if I die before it comes out and can't update this page, this will be the link to order it from Adorama - Ken Rockwell. Ken is informative, entertaining and has a great sense of humour

Nikon D600

Will the D600 likely be your first FF DSLR? ? Nikon Rumors Forum

Nikon D600 Release Imminent

 

[Shivam]

I am also waiting for D600.

 

[ajay124]

I am also waiting for D600.

Me too! But only if it comes for a price of 75-80K. Otherwise I intend to trade in my D90 for a D7000 and then stay put with a good DX camera. The D7000 will take care of what I perceive as the shortcomings of D90. It comes with 100% viewfinder coverage, 39 point AF system, decent ISO performance till 1600, better dynamic range, two memory banks for saving camera settings, weather sealing, faster shutter speeds and 16 mega pixels.

The only reason I did not buy it instead of D90 was that I was hoping to upgrade to a full frame sensor. Therefore the choice for me is going to be a D600/D400 for 75K+ or a D7000 for 50K+.

Plus 28mm 2.8D, 50mm 1.8D, 85mm 1.8D and 135mm f/2DC.

 

[ajay124]

My 50mm 1.8D is proving to be the best teacher of photography one could ever could desire. It opens it's heart and soul to anyone who is willing to give it love and understanding. It is as sharp as a samurai sword. And as reliable as Reginald Jeeves! My self imposed discipline of exploring, analyzing and understanding every trick that my D90+50mm is capable of, is slowly yielding results. I can understand better what is going on in a pic and I can shoot far better pics, than I could a few months ago.

Some recent pics that I am pretty happy with. I would welcome comments. Both bouquets and (especially) brickbats

the twilight zone | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

light and dark | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

lotus pond | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

lotus leaf | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

nepli woods #25 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

 

[Shivam]

I had used a 50mm lens on a full frame camera (actually on a film camera) for many many years before buying other focal lengths. Even on DX digital camera, I had used a 50mm lens for over a year before mounting any other lens. Even now it is most used lens.

Coming to brickbats, I suggest that you use the curves while reviewing the photo in your camera body, or at least switch on the highlight to show over exposed areas. This will help you learn the spot and centre weighted metering even better.

I am not very good at bouquets but I like the balance of the elements in the overall compositions.

 

[ajay124]

shivam

I have more or less dumped matrix and center weighted metering for good. Currently I only shoot with spot metering. The histogram has become my most important reality check. Our eyes can betray us, but the histogram does not lie. None of the pics above have blown highlights. Some are borderline cases, as I try to push the dynamic range to the maximum possible, both before and after the shoot. Earlier I had messed up some of these pics while processing the RAW files. But I got better results this time by re-editing the jpeg files.

A pic that I shot in the dim light of the local art museum. It may not be very interesting to view, but as a learning experience it was a difficult and satisfying shot. There were several different zones of light in a small and dark area. The idea was to expose all the zones using natural light, without blowing out the highlights or allowing the pic to be dominated by shadows. I seldom shoot with ISO's higher than 400 on D90, but for this shot it seemed to be needed. It also made me yearn for the bigger sensor of a full frame!

Focal length: 50mm
Shutter speed 1/80
Aperture 2.8
ISO 800
Spot metering

In retrospect, I wish I had reduced the shutter speed to 1/50, increased the aperture to f/2 and bought the ISO closer to 400. D90 does not give very satisfactory results at ISO 800. I had to aggressively reduce the noise in the pic during editing. After shooting this pic and reviewing the result, I felt that for shooting indoors, in low light and without a flash, I would have to move up from D90 to a D7000 or D600/D700.

in the gallery | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

 

[Shivam]

Oh yes !!! The 'histogram'. I keep quoting 'curve' since I use that in post processing.

If your highlights are correct then I think it is time to calibrate my monitor. This brings me to another important but usually ignored aspect of digital photography.

The monitor on which the photographs are viewed / processed / edited should be of very good quality. High end CRT or IPS panels are the best.
Most important part is to tweak the monitor settings to give correct display as needed for the desired color space and also taking into consideration the ambient room light.

I use Spyder for this purpose. It just plugs into USB and calibrates the monitor perfectly. A properly calibrated inexpensive monitor can give better results than even a high end but not calibrated monitor.

Monitors should be calibrated at least once a month. (this is where I lag).