The essence of photography

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Nikon has launched an interesting photo storing/managing/sharing website called Nikon Image Space. I am planning to sign up for it soon. Has anybody else checked it out?

NIKON IMAGE SPACE

I am back to shooting with my Nikon D700. I am looking for a lightly used, reasonably priced 24-70mm f/2.8 FX AF-S G ED NIKKOR. I would appreciate if anybody on the forum can help me in sourcing this lens.
 
Ajay and Umesh,

Thanks very much for the precise useful info. I did read most, if not all, of the posts on this thread. Very informative and exciting I must say.

I will borrow the D90 again to get more familiar with the settings and capability. Obviously a lot will depend on my ability and imagination. Holding on to the purchase for now and will settle for something semi-pro few months later.

I have scanned through JJMehta website for deals. In fact, the store is just 10 minutes drive from where I live.

I'll subscribe to this thread and keep a close watch.

You guys are inspiring, keep up the great thread.
 
Ajay, is there any reason you have fallen out of love of shooting with your Fuji? Or are you just taking a break?
 
Staxxx said:
Ajay, is there any reason you have fallen out of love of shooting with your Fuji? Or are you just taking a break?
Click to expand...

Staxxx

I plan to maintain both Nikon and Fuji systems as both are great in their own way. Fuji is excellent at rendering detail, especially in low light, high contrast situations. It is a great camera for honing your technique and composing in the old fashioned, sans technology way. It is a peerless camera for meditative and artistic photography of still life subjects. But it is not meant for shooting moving subjects or working in low contrast situations. IMO the two major upgrades future Fuji X series cameras require in order to become all round cameras are:
A phase detection auto focusing system
A reduction of the shutter/viewfinder lag

A full frame Fuji X will be rolled out sooner or later. I would be happy if instead of emulating a limited usability/limited affordability Leica M9, Fuji releases a full frame camera which focuses and shoots as fast as a Nikon or Canon FX while retaining the look, feel, light weight and build quality of the X series.

But meanwhile back to my old reliable. Nikon D700. I wish it had a 100% viewfinder, a bigger and brighter LCD, enhanced ISO performance till 3200 instead of 1600 and weighed around 300-400 g less :) But one can't have everything so I will take it as it is. Because its focusing and metering is outstanding. And because images shot with a D700 and Nikon primes have a complexity and layering which I have seldom seen in any other camera. Ultimately a full frame sensor is THE way to go. Shooting with the XE-1 and D700 has taught me that. The sensor is the soul of the camera. Bigger sensor, bigger soul :)
 
I know what you mean about the quality of FF pictures....but I cannot bear the thought of a big 5D MkII with a heavy L lens around my neck again !! :))
 
Staxxx

Weight is just a mental hangup! About a month ago I was convinced that I would not go back to a heavy DSLR, but the IQ of D700 and Nikon primes seduced me all over again.

This time I am going to work almost exclusively on a camera rather than on a computer. I would like to shoot technically perfect RAW's which are as close as possible to the highlights, shadows and colours which I am viewing on my camera. Once in a while I will edit a wee bit, but most of the time I would merely convert the RAW files into jpeg or tiff. I find most images tweaked with editing softwares to be unconvincing and superficial. I know it is a minority opinion because virtually every photograph you see online seems to be heavily over processed. Both the manufacturers and consumers of photographs seem to be in love with work which has been sharpened like a knife, saturated like a rainbow, and made as contrasty as a highlighter :)

The legacy of Nikon - a set on Flickr
 
Great Use of the Fisheye !
#3 of the tunnel is breathtaking. getting all that details without over/exposure as well as post processing takes some serious skill.
 
Nikon lenses for sale/trade in:

Nikon 80-400 f/4.5-5.6 VR lens AF
Nikon 28mm 2.8 AI-s lens MF
Nikon 35mm 1.4 AI-s lens MF
Helios 50mm f/2 lens (Nikon mount) MF

I am looking for:

Nikon 20mm 2.8D AF
Nikon 24mm 2.8D AF
Nikon 50mm 1.4D AF
Nikon 60mm 2.8 micro
Nikon 105mm 2.8 micro
Nikon 135mm f/2 DC
 
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In order to sustain interest in photography (and grow as a photographer) one needs to constantly search for new subjects. Beyond a point, shooting the familiar sights of our hometown, or doing repetitive work for clients, becomes a chore rather than a thrilling pastime. Travelling is obviously a good option, if one has the time, money and inclination for it. But another option is to keep an eye out for one of a kind activities happening in your city.

A few months ago the Great Bombay Circus was playing in Chandigarh. My daughter kept pestering me until I agreed to take her for a performance. I was carrying my camera but could not use it as photography was prohibited inside the big top. Later in the evening I spoke to the owner to find out whether I could get permission for a shoot. Mr. Dilipnath Nayar, the owner of the circus, not only gave me the permission but also became a friend. His experiences of constantly travelling across the length and breadth of our country with such a large and varied entourage were incredibly interesting. I have seldom come across anybody who has had the good fortune to be granted so much exposure to the hurly burly of life lived on the roads and maidans of India :)

I shot through several performances with various lenses. I even shot acrobats and trapeze artists with manual focusing lenses. Try it! It is a truly exhilarating and stress inducing experience. I consider the work I did as a failure. Just like I consider every shot I have taken a few months ago as a failure. Periodically I delete vast swathes of photographs which I had considered good when I shot them. Henri Cartier Bresson is supposed to have said that ones first 10000 shots are worthless. I agree. But if we constantly learn from our mistakes then perhaps shot number 10001 will be good :)

Scenes from a circus

Great Bombay Circus #2 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Great Bombay Circus #3 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
The legacy of Nikon #13 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
The legacy of Nikon #14 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
The legacy of Nikon #14 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
 
Bhatia Sahab,
Great pics....
You have captured the emotions that come with a travelling circus....
thank you for sharing..

best wishes,
Jawed Ahmed
 
Simla (memories of my childhood):

As I have grown older my childhood memories of growing up in Simla have gradually assumed a fairy tale dimension. I remember Simla as a town which was very close to nature. A town of nimble sunshine in the summers, swirling mist and rain soaked trees in the monsoons, magnificent views of the Himalayas after the rains and intense cold and magical snow in the winters. My journey back into the past was nostalgic...emotional...sad. I was trying to discover my lost childhood through the eyes of my 7 year old daughter. Walking through the bazaars and back alleys with her and my camera I discovered that the never never land of my childhood still exists in a timeless zone.

Simla (Memories of my childhood) - a set on Flickr
 
Sorry for this Off Topic post....

Can someone please give me the address of the 'Camera Market' in Bangalore ?

Usually, each city has a cluster of store that address a particular product segment, and prices are very competitive in these locations.

As an example, in Mumbai ( where I live) the Camera market is located at VT Station, in the lanes off Central Camera Company.

A friend wants to buy a Canon D600 with 18-135 canon lens in Bangalore.

The official list price ( also on FlipKart) is approx Rs 51,000.

However in stores near Central camera, the same is available for Rs 44,000.... and that INCLUDES Official Bill & Waranty.

Couriers refuse to carry Battry products, so cant buy in Mumbai and send to Bangalore. Also better to buy locally for local support.

Thanks for your help.
 
IndiaEars

Flipkart is giving virtually no discount on cameras or lenses. But it is easy to get 10-15 % discount from dealers in most cities. One only has to ask for it :)

Based on what I have heard from sellers of new and old photography equipment, sales have been very slow for several months now. They make pick up when the wedding season takes off in the winters. But at the moment it would be easy to bargain and get good prices.

Sales of compact cameras are literally falling through the floor as that segment is being taken over by increasingly sophisticated cameras in mobile phones. In the near future we may witness Nikon and Canon entering the cell phone market in order to protect their profit margins :)

Nikon Stock Plummets 19% After Cutting Profit Forecast, Biggest Drop Since 1985
 
India has an amazingly rich and varied tradition of classical and folk dance, music and theatre. I enjoy capturing it with my camera almost as much as I enjoy capturing the many-splendored creations of the greatest artist of them all - NATURE! I normally avoid shooting mainstream stuff as I find it insipid and boring.

Performing Arts - a set on Flickr
 
A few months ago I purchased a Fuji XE-1+18-55+55-200. My intention was to replace my heavy Nikon kit with the substantially lighter Fuji kit. The Fuji X series exceeded all my expectations. I sold most of my Nikon lenses and even decided to sell my Nikon D700. But I have gone back to shooting with D700 as I find it irreplaceable for professional events and for most other situations. I still have a few Nikon lenses and will soon be buying several more. I am looking for first generation Nikon AF zooms: 20-35 2.8, 35-70 2.8, 70-210 4.5-5.6. These lenses have exceptional build quality and fantastic optics. I have used some of these zooms as well as their later counterparts. These lenses cost a fraction of the price of a new 14-24, 24-70 and 70-200 but they perform at virtually the same level. They are also lighter and better built. I wish the 70-210 had a constant 2.8 aperture but otherwise it is an insanely good lens. I can do without the Nano coatings, silent wave motors and VR when I am saving so much money. Every lens has a different character and I would be quite happy to acquire these three zooms with a combined effective focal length of 20-210 on an FX body. Anybody contemplating buying entry level or even pro level G series lenses should seriously look at these lenses instead.

Nikon 20-35mm f/2.8 Review
Nikon 35-70mm f/2.8 AF
Nikon 70-210mm f/4-5.6 Review

I have a lot of respect for Ken Rockwell as a camera and lens evangelist who has (probably) influenced more potential customers than any other reviewer has ever done before. I love his " I support my growing family through this website, as crazy as it might seem" punchline. I find his photography to be at a very basic level, which only adds to the mystique of the man :)

I have come to the conclusion that I can't financially afford to build and maintain two camera systems . My (almost new) Fuji kit is available for sale at close to 30% less from its maximum retail price. A dealer would potentially give 10-12% off on a new kit.
 
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