The essence of photography
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ajay124
Well-Known Member
Nice pictures of my favorite jazz singers:
Jazz & Blues / Nina Simone
Jazz & Blues / .
Come back Nina.... You were the best!
Nina Simone - Ain't Got No...I've Got Life - YouTube
Jazz & Blues / Nina Simone
Jazz & Blues / .
Come back Nina.... You were the best!
Nina Simone - Ain't Got No...I've Got Life - YouTube
ajay124
Well-Known Member
I have been offered a used Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 (90K) and 17-35 f/2.8 (55-60K) by a local photographer. Nikon's best DSLR's and lenses are pretty expensive even when you buy them second or third hand. But one could conceivably shoot with them for a couple of years and resell them at more or less their purchase price. In that sense they are not really expensive. Good lenses like the 70-200 and 17-35 are more like a legacy passed on from one photographer to another. I am not interested in the 70-200 because my 80-200 2.8 seems to be almost equally good. But I will definitely consider buying the Nikon 17-35 if the condition is acceptable and the price can be knocked down to sub 50K levels. A brand new Tokina 17-35 f/4 costs 45K and is probably as good as the Nikon 17-35. But Nikon's pro grade lenses can be easily resold whereas it would be difficult to convince potential buyers to try out a third party lens.
Meanwhile both my current lenses - Tokina 28-70 2.8 and Nikon 80-200 2.8 - are making me very happy. Tokina 28-70 is as sharp at 50mm as my 50mm 1.8D so I don't feel the need for carrying the prime lens in my bag. If I buy the Nikon 17-35mm 2.8 it would probably become my most frequently used lens. I don't find the 24-70mm focal range very interesting. I am primarily interested in shooting landscapes and nature between 17-24mm. I have started enjoying the 80-200 range but feel that 200mm is not long enough for my needs. Rather than buying a new super telephoto lens I may buy a cropped sensor D300S (pro body) or D3200 (24 mgp). The 1.5 crop factor will give me the additional length for shooting birds and wildlife with the 80-200 2.8. I borrowed a 70-300 VR from a friend and found it to be a mediocre lens. My advise to anyone considering a new 70-300 VR would be to buy a used 80-200 2.8 AF-D instead (35-45K). It is heavy and does not focus very well in the dark. The minimum focusing distance is 4.5 feet. It is built like a tank but the ring for switching between auto and manual is cheap and plasticky (can't figure out how Nikon allowed it to happen). Apart from these minor flaws, this lens is worth its weight in g-o-l-d!
Recent pics with the Nikon 80-200 f/2.8 AF-D:
to be or not to be | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
bird on a monopod | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
a quiet place in the sun | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
sunlight #1 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
sunlight #2 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
will you take my picture?....sure | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Meanwhile both my current lenses - Tokina 28-70 2.8 and Nikon 80-200 2.8 - are making me very happy. Tokina 28-70 is as sharp at 50mm as my 50mm 1.8D so I don't feel the need for carrying the prime lens in my bag. If I buy the Nikon 17-35mm 2.8 it would probably become my most frequently used lens. I don't find the 24-70mm focal range very interesting. I am primarily interested in shooting landscapes and nature between 17-24mm. I have started enjoying the 80-200 range but feel that 200mm is not long enough for my needs. Rather than buying a new super telephoto lens I may buy a cropped sensor D300S (pro body) or D3200 (24 mgp). The 1.5 crop factor will give me the additional length for shooting birds and wildlife with the 80-200 2.8. I borrowed a 70-300 VR from a friend and found it to be a mediocre lens. My advise to anyone considering a new 70-300 VR would be to buy a used 80-200 2.8 AF-D instead (35-45K). It is heavy and does not focus very well in the dark. The minimum focusing distance is 4.5 feet. It is built like a tank but the ring for switching between auto and manual is cheap and plasticky (can't figure out how Nikon allowed it to happen). Apart from these minor flaws, this lens is worth its weight in g-o-l-d!
Recent pics with the Nikon 80-200 f/2.8 AF-D:
to be or not to be | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
bird on a monopod | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
a quiet place in the sun | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
sunlight #1 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
sunlight #2 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
will you take my picture?....sure | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
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ajay124
Well-Known Member
Nikon 50mm f/1.8D gives more bang for the bucks than any other lens on this planet. Most of the better Nikon lenses are horrendously overpriced. But in the case of the 50mm 1.8D ( a lens I would rate in the same bracket as the 70-200 2.8, 24-70 2.8, 14-24 2.8, 105 2.8D micro) Nikon is gifting photographers-on-a-budget with a truly wonderful lens. Bought the 105mm 2.8D micro Nikkor yesterday. I think I'm gonna truly love this lens 
D700+50mm 1.8D (hand held)
a man's best friend | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
D700+50mm 1.8D (hand held)
a man's best friend | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
ajay124
Well-Known Member
arj
Your comment about this thread plotting my progress as a photographer is right on the ball. I'm happy that there is at least one fm who seems to have followed my posts through thick and thin
These days when I go out to shoot (whenever the light is good) I feel a quite sense of joy that I have discovered a new passion which will give meaning to my 'retired' life in Chandigarh, Goa or wherever I may finally choose to stay. I love the feeling of being an outsider observing and capturing 'life' on a camera. I no longer have to think or plan a shot. It happens on its own. I prefer to move out with only one lens. I believe that our mind starts looking at the world through the 'eyes' of the lens we are carrying. And one pair of eyes is good enough for me. A couple of days ago I bought a lightly used 105mm 2.8D Nikkor. For many months I have had a strong desire to shoot with this lens. I plan to use it for everything-macro, portraits, landscapes, events etc. For the next few days (or weeks) I will be looking at the world through only a 105mm vision.
In the past few years I haven't travelled as much as I used to. But now my daughter is a little older and I would like to show her the world. I believe that travelling to new places, meeting new people and having new experiences is essential education for both children and adults. I am scared off people who don't travel and spend their entire lives living in one town or city. In most cases their imagination is shut out from many things which are real or exciting about the world. Television is usually their only window to the world. A window with a limited view. One can clearly observe Disneyland but beyond that the view gets a little hazy.
I am looking forward to visiting and photographing South East Asia. Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, China. I used to be fascinated with Europe but currently my 'Europhilia' is on a downswing (partly because airfares have shot up from 25-30K to 40-50K). Sooner or later I would like to visit Kenya, Tanzania, Peru, Patagonia, the Amazon rain forest, Grand Canyon, Pacific rim, Alaska, Istanbul, Slovenia, Croatia, St. Petersburg and Moscow. I love long train journeys and would love to travel on the Trans Siberian express: Moscow-Lake Baikal-Mongolia-Beijing.
Moscow to Beijing | Trans Siberian | Russia Experience
Your comment about this thread plotting my progress as a photographer is right on the ball. I'm happy that there is at least one fm who seems to have followed my posts through thick and thin
These days when I go out to shoot (whenever the light is good) I feel a quite sense of joy that I have discovered a new passion which will give meaning to my 'retired' life in Chandigarh, Goa or wherever I may finally choose to stay. I love the feeling of being an outsider observing and capturing 'life' on a camera. I no longer have to think or plan a shot. It happens on its own. I prefer to move out with only one lens. I believe that our mind starts looking at the world through the 'eyes' of the lens we are carrying. And one pair of eyes is good enough for me. A couple of days ago I bought a lightly used 105mm 2.8D Nikkor. For many months I have had a strong desire to shoot with this lens. I plan to use it for everything-macro, portraits, landscapes, events etc. For the next few days (or weeks) I will be looking at the world through only a 105mm vision.
In the past few years I haven't travelled as much as I used to. But now my daughter is a little older and I would like to show her the world. I believe that travelling to new places, meeting new people and having new experiences is essential education for both children and adults. I am scared off people who don't travel and spend their entire lives living in one town or city. In most cases their imagination is shut out from many things which are real or exciting about the world. Television is usually their only window to the world. A window with a limited view. One can clearly observe Disneyland but beyond that the view gets a little hazy.
I am looking forward to visiting and photographing South East Asia. Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, China. I used to be fascinated with Europe but currently my 'Europhilia' is on a downswing (partly because airfares have shot up from 25-30K to 40-50K). Sooner or later I would like to visit Kenya, Tanzania, Peru, Patagonia, the Amazon rain forest, Grand Canyon, Pacific rim, Alaska, Istanbul, Slovenia, Croatia, St. Petersburg and Moscow. I love long train journeys and would love to travel on the Trans Siberian express: Moscow-Lake Baikal-Mongolia-Beijing.
Moscow to Beijing | Trans Siberian | Russia Experience
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arj
Your comment about this thread plotting my progress as a photographer is right on the ball. I'm happy that there is at least one fm who seems to have followed my posts through thick and thin
These days when I go out to shoot (whenever the light is good) I feel a quite sense of joy that I have discovered a new passion which will give meaning to my 'retired' life in Chandigarh, Goa or wherever I may finally choose to stay. I love the feeling of being an outsider observing and capturing 'life' on a camera. I no longer have to think or plan a shot. It happens on its own. I prefer to move out with only one lens. I believe that our mind starts looking at the world through the 'eyes' of the lens we are carrying. And one pair of eyes is good enough for me. A couple of days ago I bought a lightly used 105mm 2.8D Nikkor. For many months I have had a strong desire to shoot with this lens. I plan to use it for everything-macro, portraits, landscapes, events etc. For the next few days (or weeks) I will be looking at the world through only a 105mm vision.
In the past few years I haven't travelled as much as I used to. But now my daughter is a little older and I would like to show her the world. I believe that travelling to new places, meeting new people and having new experiences is essential education for both children and adults. I am scared off people who don't travel and spend their entire lives living in one town or city. In most cases their imagination is shut out from many things which are real or exciting about the world. Television is usually their only window to the world. A window with a limited view. One can clearly observe Disneyland but beyond that the view gets a little hazy.
I am looking forward to visiting and photographing South East Asia. Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, China. I used to be fascinated with Europe but currently my 'Europhilia' is on a downswing (partly because airfares have shot up from 25-30K to 40-50K). Sooner or later I would like to visit Kenya, Tanzania, Peru, Patagonia, the Amazon rain forest, Grand Canyon, Pacific rim, Alaska, Istanbul, Slovenia, Croatia, St. Petersburg and Moscow. I love long train journeys and would love to travel on the Trans Siberian express: Moscow-Lake Baikal-Mongolia-Beijing.
Moscow to Beijing | Trans Siberian | Russia Experience
i too once had a 'long train journey' with Paul Theroux in his The Great Railway Bazaar and went to 'Patagonia' with Bruce Chatwin..
ajay124
Well-Known Member
moktan
Literature is a great substitute for travel. It also evokes a desire to actually visit the lands you read about. I made an extended trip through the small towns and villages of Japan after reading Mishima's Sea Of Fertility tetralogy. My desire to visit Patagonia was probably ignited by Bruce Chatwin. Before I die I have to visit St. Petersburg to pay homage to the worlds greatest fiction writer.
Literature is a great substitute for travel. It also evokes a desire to actually visit the lands you read about. I made an extended trip through the small towns and villages of Japan after reading Mishima's Sea Of Fertility tetralogy. My desire to visit Patagonia was probably ignited by Bruce Chatwin. Before I die I have to visit St. Petersburg to pay homage to the worlds greatest fiction writer.
Ajay, when you get a chance do see this one on You tube
I rather liked it...and he too talks about being one with the camera
part 2 here
BTW I just got myself a 20/2.8 Nikkor , used , at a great price and now looking for a chance to use that.
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ajay124
Well-Known Member
BTW I just got myself a 20/2.8 Nikkor , used , at a great price
arj
Yesterday I called up a photographer from Cochin who had put up a 20mm 2.8D for sale on the jjmehta forum. He said he had just sold the lens. There are very few 20mm's which come up for sale, so I presume that you bought this lens from him. Congratulations! D700+20mm 2.8D+50mm 1.8D+85mm 1.8D. You have quickly built up a great Nikon kit
I have fallen head over heals in love with the 105mm 2.8D micro Nikkor. It has reignited my interest in primes. I feel like dumping all my other lenses and simply shooting with the 105! I shot almost 70 pics at the local cactus garden. I have stopped uploading my best pics on Flickr because I intend to save them for the upcoming Nikon photo contest. But I posted a few pics which I am also quite happy with.
Nikon Photo Contest
delicate | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
dance of the leaves #4 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
dance of the leaves #3 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
dance of the leaves #2 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
dance of the leaves #1 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
arj
Yesterday I called up a photographer from Cochin who had put up a 20mm 2.8D for sale on the jjmehta forum. He said he had just sold the lens. There are very few 20mm's which come up for sale, so I presume that you bought this lens from him. Congratulations! D700+20mm 2.8D+50mm 1.8D+85mm 1.8D. You have quickly built up a great Nikon kit
I have fallen head over heals in love with the 105mm 2.8D micro Nikkor. It has reignited my interest in primes. I feel like dumping all my other lenses and simply shooting with the 105! I shot almost 70 pics at the local cactus garden. I have stopped uploading my best pics on Flickr because I intend to save them for the upcoming Nikon photo contest. But I posted a few pics which I am also quite happy with.
Nikon Photo Contest
delicate | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
dance of the leaves #4 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
dance of the leaves #3 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
dance of the leaves #2 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
dance of the leaves #1 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Awesome Ajay.
The judges are really talented. Am really amazed by the works of Chris Rainier ,Morten Krogvold and Ami Vitale.
Regarding the 20mm.. Yup
that was the oneapk
Well-Known Member
Nikon 50mm f/1.8D gives more bang for the bucks than any other lens on this planet. Most of the better Nikon lenses are horrendously overpriced. But in the case of the 50mm 1.8D ( a lens I would rate in the same bracket as the 70-200 2.8, 24-70 2.8, 14-24 2.8, 105 2.8D micro) Nikon is gifting photographers-on-a-budget with a truly wonderful lens. Bought the 105mm 2.8D micro Nikkor yesterday. I think I'm gonna truly love this lens
D700+50mm 1.8D (hand held)
a man's best friend | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
+1 to that. The Nikon 50mm 1.8 is a true high quality pro lens available at consumer grade prices. It was my first lens when I started 'serious' photography, and has been one of my favourites ever since.
The 50mm lens, either from Canon/Nikon/Pentex, are a must for people getting serious about photography. The good thing is that these lens are relatively affordable.
ajay124
Well-Known Member
My present set of 4 lenses and why I like them :
Nikon 105mm 2.8 D micro: My favorite lens for macro,portraits, landscapes....everything. Ruthlessly sharp and transparent. Zero distortion. Beautiful bokeh. Light weight.
Nikon 50mm 1.8D: The freedom lens! Super light weight. Absurdly cheap. Effortlessly good for many kinds of shoots.
Nikon 80-200 2.8 AF-D. A bokeh to die for. Remarkably sharp and clean IQ. Affordable.
Tokina 28-70 2.8 (Pro 1): Superb build quality and affordable price. Based on the Angenieux design. Renders beautifully soft and 'feminine' color tones. My wife loves the low contrast pastel hues of pics shot with this lens! I find its sense of colors is more 'French' than 'Japanese'! Compared to this lens I find the colors of Nikon primes and pro grade glass a little harsh. It gives superb results when the sun or the light source is behind me. Its great when the light is gentle or filtering through trees or windows. But it is not very effective when shooting directly into harsh sunlight or a bright source of light. Its bokeh is distinctly inferior to good Nikon glass. The f stops from 2.8-5.6 are a little unsatisfactory. With this lens I normally shoot between f/7.1-f/16.
A taste of India | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
NIKON GLASS: Tokina AT-X Pro 28-70mm f/2.6-2.8
Nikon 105mm 2.8 D micro: My favorite lens for macro,portraits, landscapes....everything. Ruthlessly sharp and transparent. Zero distortion. Beautiful bokeh. Light weight.
Nikon 50mm 1.8D: The freedom lens! Super light weight. Absurdly cheap. Effortlessly good for many kinds of shoots.
Nikon 80-200 2.8 AF-D. A bokeh to die for. Remarkably sharp and clean IQ. Affordable.
Tokina 28-70 2.8 (Pro 1): Superb build quality and affordable price. Based on the Angenieux design. Renders beautifully soft and 'feminine' color tones. My wife loves the low contrast pastel hues of pics shot with this lens! I find its sense of colors is more 'French' than 'Japanese'! Compared to this lens I find the colors of Nikon primes and pro grade glass a little harsh. It gives superb results when the sun or the light source is behind me. Its great when the light is gentle or filtering through trees or windows. But it is not very effective when shooting directly into harsh sunlight or a bright source of light. Its bokeh is distinctly inferior to good Nikon glass. The f stops from 2.8-5.6 are a little unsatisfactory. With this lens I normally shoot between f/7.1-f/16.
A taste of India | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
NIKON GLASS: Tokina AT-X Pro 28-70mm f/2.6-2.8
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apk
Well-Known Member
Those are some very good glasses that you have. I own the Nikon 50mm f1.8, a Tokina 35mm f2.8 Macro, a Rokinon 14mm f2.8 (completely manual - very sharp good lens) and a few other consumer grade nikons (follies of my earlier years when I was not a serious photographer!).
It seems from your posts that you are very fond of bokeh. You should check out the Nikon 85mm f1.4, which is known for it legendary bokeh. The Tamaron 90mm macro is also know to have good bokeh, and works well as a portrait and macro. In general, many good quality macro lens are known to have a good bokeh.
ajay124
Well-Known Member
apk
I am on the lookout for a wide angle lens and after going through all the options offered by Nikon, Tokina, Voigtlander and Zeiss, I finally shortlisted Nikon 14-24 2.8 and Nikon 17-35 2.8. The Zeiss 21mm is too expensive and I doubt if anyone has a Nikon 18mm 2.8 AF-D in India. I have not considered Rokinon but I've heard that it is very good.
Can you post some pics and information about the Rokinon 14mm?
I am on the lookout for a wide angle lens and after going through all the options offered by Nikon, Tokina, Voigtlander and Zeiss, I finally shortlisted Nikon 14-24 2.8 and Nikon 17-35 2.8. The Zeiss 21mm is too expensive and I doubt if anyone has a Nikon 18mm 2.8 AF-D in India. I have not considered Rokinon but I've heard that it is very good.
Can you post some pics and information about the Rokinon 14mm?
apk
Well-Known Member
Here you go:
Amazon.com: Rokinon 14mm F2.8* Ultra Wide Angle Lens with Automatic Chip for Nikon (Black): ROKINON: Camera & Photo
Another review:
http://www.davidcortner.com/slowblog/20110827.php
These lens are manufactured by a Korean company called Samyang, and are branded as Rokinon in the US and Walimex/Brower in Europe. I got mine from Amazon Germany while on a business trip to Europe.
They are very sharp, and are absolutely fantastic for the money paid. Flip side is manual focus. If you buy the model with the AE (auto exposure) chip, as I did, then you do not have to worry about exposure. With the AE chip, you will also get focus confirmation while focusing manually. Using manual focus on a wide angle is not very tough, and I have got very good results with this lens.
One point to note though is that you get a decent amount of barrel distortion. However, this can be easily corrected by using a software called PT lens (PTLens Home Page)
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ajay124
Well-Known Member
Flip side is manual focus.
apk
I rarely auto focus with AF lenses which have a well damped manual focusing ring. I feel that manually focused images have a stillness and purity which is seldom present in pics shot in the autofocus mode. D700 offers the Continuous, Still and Manual options for focusing. I rarely use C as I seldom shoot moving subjects. With the Nikon 105mm and 50mm lenses I use S as their focusing rings are slippery and it is a pain to manually lock in and hold the focus. But with the Nikon 80-200 and Tokina 28-70 it is a pleasure to focus manually.
I have been planning to research and locate manual lenses which have primarily metal construction and well damped focusing rings but I haven't found the time to do it. I shoot 50-80 pics in the RAW format everyday. The actual shooting dosen't take much time. But loading the RAW files on my Mac (core 2 duo, 2GB ram) and doing the minimal amount of processing (which I have more or less fine tuned) takes up a lot of time. There's a huge back log of pics which I have shot but not processed as yet. I was earlier saving the pics as monstrous 200 MB TIF files which completely choked my computer but now I prefer 4-8 MB JPEG's
apk
I rarely auto focus with AF lenses which have a well damped manual focusing ring. I feel that manually focused images have a stillness and purity which is seldom present in pics shot in the autofocus mode. D700 offers the Continuous, Still and Manual options for focusing. I rarely use C as I seldom shoot moving subjects. With the Nikon 105mm and 50mm lenses I use S as their focusing rings are slippery and it is a pain to manually lock in and hold the focus. But with the Nikon 80-200 and Tokina 28-70 it is a pleasure to focus manually.
I have been planning to research and locate manual lenses which have primarily metal construction and well damped focusing rings but I haven't found the time to do it. I shoot 50-80 pics in the RAW format everyday. The actual shooting dosen't take much time. But loading the RAW files on my Mac (core 2 duo, 2GB ram) and doing the minimal amount of processing (which I have more or less fine tuned) takes up a lot of time. There's a huge back log of pics which I have shot but not processed as yet. I was earlier saving the pics as monstrous 200 MB TIF files which completely choked my computer but now I prefer 4-8 MB JPEG's
apk
Well-Known Member
It's nice to know that you use manual focus most of the time. For me, it helps me get closer to the picture I am taking. The more manual controls you use - such as manual exposure, manual focus etc, the more you feel that you are in control of the image, rather than some 'machine' doing it for you. It is more time consuming, but also more rewarding. In a way, it's like playing an LP
You could check out keh.com - it's a great place to get used lens. I have seen older, high quality manual focus lens going for cheap!
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ajay124
Well-Known Member
I've ruled out all the other options for a wide angle lens except Nikon 14-24mm 2.8. I came to the conclusion that its probably the best wide angle lens on the planet so I might as well buy it and forget about future upgrades.
I have recently started shooting with a105mm 2.8D micro Nikkor. A stunning lens which has demolished many notions about prime, zoom and third party lenses. I have begun searching for a lightly used 60mm 2.8D micro. Both these micro's from the D series are going to be permanently in my bag. A Nikon 14-24 2.8, Tokina 28-70 2.8 and Nikon 80-200 2.8 will complete the kit. I may not keep the 50mm 1.8D after I acquire the 60mm 2.8D micro.
Results with the 105mm 2.8D. :
growing old | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
my daughter, my love | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
on beauty #1 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
on beauty #2 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
I have recently started shooting with a105mm 2.8D micro Nikkor. A stunning lens which has demolished many notions about prime, zoom and third party lenses. I have begun searching for a lightly used 60mm 2.8D micro. Both these micro's from the D series are going to be permanently in my bag. A Nikon 14-24 2.8, Tokina 28-70 2.8 and Nikon 80-200 2.8 will complete the kit. I may not keep the 50mm 1.8D after I acquire the 60mm 2.8D micro.
Results with the 105mm 2.8D. :
growing old | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
my daughter, my love | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
on beauty #1 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
on beauty #2 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Ajay, don't sell it off. Keep it . for the price you don't gain anything much on selling and it's always a great backup when you want something light.
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