The essence of photography

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Sometimes a song can inspire a photograph.

This Masquerade - George Benson (1976) - YouTube

Masquerade | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

THIS MASQUERADE
Are we really happy here
With this lonely game we play
Looking for words to say
Searching but not finding
Understanding anywhere
We're lost in a masquerade

Both afraid to say we're just to far away
From being close together from the start
We tried to talk it over but the words got in the way
We're lost inside this lonely game we play

Thoughts of weeping disappear
Every time I see your eyes
No matter how hard I try

To understand the reasons
That we carry on this way
We're lost in a masquerade
-Leon Russel
 
Last edited:
shaiju_o_thomas said:
Ajay, what is a good price for new Nikon D7100? I plan to buy one next week.
Click to expand...

Nikon India Private Limited - Digital SLR Cameras - DSLR D7100 -

Nikon D7100+18-105 lens is retailing for 100K. I presume the price of a Nikon D7100 (body only) would be around 80K. Even if you can wangle a 10-12% discount, the body would cost 70K+. D7100 is a cropped sensor camera crammed with 24 megapixels. More pixels come in handy if one is liberally cropping pictures and then making large sized prints of the crops. Unless you intend to do that you don't really need so many pixels. More pixels crammed together on a small sensor also mean more noise.

Over the past one year I have shot extensively with the Nikon D700. Full frame sensor and 12 mega pixels. The Nikon D700 is a stunningly good camera. There is no way a cropped sensor camera is ever going to give those kind of results, irrespective of how modern it is or how many pixels it has. The sensor is the soul of the camera. Bigger sensor means a bigger soul. A large, bright PENTA PRISM viewfinder is the other essential requirement of a camera. One's search for a good camera should focus on the sensor, viewfinder, focusing and metering system.

A lightly used Nikon D700 (sub 30K shutter count. used by an amateur) in the 65K-70K price range would be a much better choice than buying a brand new D7100. The Nikon 50mm 1.4 AF-D is a superb, multi-purpose lens which is available brand new for 15-16K.

Nikon India Private Limited - Nikkor Lenses - FX Format - Single Focal Length - Normal - AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D -
 
Friends...

Anybody using Nikon D600 ( or D800 or any other Nikon FF) with with 24-70 f/2.8 G ED ?? Looking for a standard zoom wide angle FX lens and is confused between this and 24 - 120 f/4G. I have experienced the performance of a 24 -120 on a D600 to a friend but still inclined a little bit towards 24 - 70 f/2.8 as I do a lot of low lights . But it is so expensive that I want to hear some personal experience before taking a final call. For the time being I am using a 28-300 bought with the body and cant say I am too satisfied with that especially in higher ISO. Kindly help .

Thanks in advance
Sanju
 
On an FF the nikon 24-70 is one of the best all time lenses and worth the investment. Everything else would be a compromise of some sort but cheaper ( and lighter). There are enough reviews by ken and thom on its superiority. Especially Since you are doing low light and I assume not wanting primes.

Btw I have just started using a 35f/2 and love it far more than the 50 1.4 !! At this range the 20f2.8, 35f2 and 85f1.8 work great for me but for the bother of changing lenses. All these on the d700 . If I had the budget I would have got the 24 -70 and maybe even a 14-24 :)

There were some 24-70 available used on the jjmehta forum...maybe you can post there in the wanted section ?
 
Last edited:
ajay124 said:
I've found several buyers for my work this month. Enough to cover the price of another camera. Bought a lightly used Nikon D3. The D700 has now become my back up camera. It feel like moving up from mid-fi into hi-fi!



The old fashioned way | Flickr - Photo Sharing!



High resolution prints are available for shipping in case anyone is interested :)
Click to expand...


Awesome Ajay..just saw this. Really Happy for you.
How do you compare the d3 to the d700 ?
 
sanjub

Nikon 24-120: Avoid
Nikon 24-70 2.8: Great lens. New 100K app. Used (if you can source one) 70K app.
Nikon 28-70 2.8 : Equally good. Used (if you can source one) 40K app.
Tokina 28-70 2.8 Pro 1 or 2: Equally good. Used 20-25K.
Nikon 24mm 2.8D+50mm 1.8D+85mm 1.8D. New 50K app. Used 35K app.

Personally I don't shoot in the 28-70 focal range anymore. NORMAL IS BORING!
I use a Nikon D700+Nikon 17-35mm 2.8D for wide-angle and Nikon D3+Nikon 80-200 2.8D for telephoto. I shoot portraits with Nikon D3+105mm f/2 DC. For ultra-wide I shoot with D700+16mm 2.8 fisheye. My pitcher is full! I don't need any more beer :)
 
ajay124 said:
sanjub

Nikon 24-120: Avoid
Nikon 24-70 2.8: Great lens. New 100K app. Used (if you can source one) 70K app.
Nikon 28-70 2.8 : Equally good. Used (if you can source one) 40K app.
Tokina 28-70 2.8 Pro 1 or 2: Equally good. Used 20-25K.
Nikon 24mm 2.8D+50mm 1.8D+85mm 1.8D. New 50K app. Used 35K app.

Personally I don't shoot in the 28-70 focal range anymore. NORMAL IS BORING!
I use a Nikon D700+Nikon 17-35mm 2.8D for wide-angle and Nikon D3+Nikon 80-200 2.8D for telephoto. I shoot portraits with Nikon D3+105mm f/2 DC. For ultra-wide I shoot with D700+16mm 2.8 fisheye. My pitcher is full! I don't need any more beer :)
Click to expand...

Ajay ..... thank you so much for the reply in detail. Seen your phtographs especially the beautiful ones with 17 - 35 which is forcing me to do some more r&d between 24 - 70 and 17 - 35 .... got a rate a 98k from a local Nikon dealer at Calcutta for 24 - 70 ..... anyway ... will keep you update..... thanks again for your precise suggestions .....
 
sanjub

Both 24-70 and 17-35 are expensive lenses. You should be very clear about which focal range you prefer before you pull the trigger. During the past two years I explored 4 DSLR's and 30+lenses before settling down with my present kit. I have everything I want and what I still desire is not within my present budget :sad::

Nikon India Private Limited - Nikkor Lenses - FX Format - Single Focal Length - Telephoto - AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8G ED VR -

Nikon India Private Limited - Nikkor Lenses - FX Format - Single Focal Length - Telephoto - AF-S NIKKOR 800mm f/5.6E FL ED VR -

Personally I can't live without the 17-35 2.8. It is one of the all time greats.

Yesterday there was news of heavy snowfall in the hills. We started out late so we decided not to go to Simla and beyond. Instead we drove to a nearby cantonment town called Dagshai. The light was crisp and clean. Temperature was around 2 degrees celsius. There was a brief spell of mild snow. A perfect day for a drive. And for photography :)

Sometimes a great notion | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Winter light | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
 
ajay124 said:
sanjub

Both 24-70 and 17-35 are expensive lenses. You should be very clear about which focal range you prefer before you pull the trigger. During the past two years I explored 4 DSLR's and 30+lenses before settling down with my present kit. I have everything I want and what I still desire is not within my present budget :sad::

Nikon India Private Limited - Nikkor Lenses - FX Format - Single Focal Length - Telephoto - AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8G ED VR -

Nikon India Private Limited - Nikkor Lenses - FX Format - Single Focal Length - Telephoto - AF-S NIKKOR 800mm f/5.6E FL ED VR -

Personally I can't live without the 17-35 2.8. It is one of the all time greats.

Yesterday there was news of heavy snowfall in the hills. We started out late so we decided not to go to Simla and beyond. Instead we drove to a nearby cantonment town called Dagshai. The light was crisp and clean. Temperature was around 2 degrees celsius. There was a brief spell of mild snow. A perfect day for a drive. And for photography :)

Sometimes a great notion | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Winter light | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Click to expand...

Thank you very much for your comments and guidance sir ... I put so much concentration on 24-70 that I hardly explore the others. I have started thinking on 17-35 and 14-24 for the first time after having your comments and observing your photographs. I really give it a thought what I need and finally settled for 14-24 for the time being. As I already have the 28-300, I can spend some time before accumulating budget for a 300/f2.8 if possible at all for a non professional like me. My 14-24, bot from a Calcutta dealer at 1.05 yesterday evening , has not yet 24 hrs old and I am just loving it on my D600. So fast , so sharp....Will update some pics soon. Thanks again for your comments...
 
ajay124 said:
I've found several buyers for my work this month. Enough to cover the price of another camera. Bought a lightly used Nikon D3. The D700 has now become my back up camera. It feel like moving up from mid-fi into hi-fi!

The old fashioned way | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

High resolution prints are available for shipping in case anyone is interested :)
Click to expand...

Wow!!!

You've hit big time. Carry on with the good work. But I can see that audio related participations have dropped:) and we miss you there.
 
Joshua,

Hi!

My audio participation has dropped because my mind did not register anything except photography in 2013. In the entire year I probably read one book (Candide/Voltaire. Monumentally hilarious and profound) and watched one movie (Krishh 3. Monumentally stupid. My daughter who dragged me to the film loved it and is eagerly waiting for Krishh 4,5,6,7....! ).

I don't have an amp since I sold the Bryston pre/power. I don't enjoy listening to music without a proper hifi set up. Music is limited to occasionally listening to the songs I grew up with in school: Simon & Garfunkel, Carpenters, Neil Diamond, Beatles, Bee Gees, Eagles, Queen, Abba, Cliff Richard, Rod Stewart etc :)
 
Last edited:
arj said:
Awesome Ajay..just saw this. Really Happy for you.
How do you compare the d3 to the d700 ?
Click to expand...

arj

Both D700 and D3 are 90% the same camera but the balance 10% is significant once you actually experience it.

BALANCE: The Nikon 80-200 2.8 lens weighs 1275g while Nikon D700 weighs 1085g. The lens weighs down the body and ultimately effects the resolution of the photograph. The 17-35 2.8 weighs 730g and balances beautifully on the D700. They seem to be made for each other. I use D700+17-35 for travelling and landscapes and find the balance and weight perfect for my needs. The Nikon D3 weighs 1420g and is a perfect match for lenses like 80-200 2.8 and 70-200 VR 1 and 2. For clean results and a comfortable shooting experience it is essential that body-lens-hands should attain a nice balance.

SHUTTER LAG: D3 is distinctly faster while capturing motion and speed than a D700. D700 seemed to be faster than D800 on the solitary occasion when I compared both. I haven't covered any sports because I don't find sports interesting but Nikon D3 clearly gave better results when I used it for covering dance performances, theatre, live concerts, street performances and a circus.

VIEWFINDER: The D3 viewfinder offers an extremely clean 100% view. Definitely better than D700, although even the D700 has an excellent viewfinder.

WEIGHT: The D3 can be gripped more firmly. When one presses the shutter a certain amount of vibration/shake is passed into the body leading to softening/blurring of the images. The D3 has better damping and shock absorbers!

BATTERY/CARD: D3 has a dual card holder and a much longer battery life.

In a nutshell I feel D700 is better for wide-angle photography (landscape,street) and D3 for telephoto (portraits, performances, sports, birding) :)
 
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