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Post by leonski on Mar 23, 2022 18:21:51 GMT -5
Keith? It is possible that Nikon won't even help you to the extent of telling you WHERE your Grey market lens was meant for! Which would make finding Nikon Service nearly impossible......in a timely fashion. I don't know how many 'sub-Nikon' organizations there are or WHERE. www.nikon.com/network/A bewildering number of 'where to send grey market lens'..... |
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KeithL
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Post by KeithL on Mar 24, 2022 9:03:33 GMT -5
I'm pretty sure you're right.
They're not telling you that you cannot get it serviced... They're simply saying that, if you didn't get it from them, any details of that are "between you and whoever you bought it from", and they aren't going to help you... (There are lots of different Nikon "sub-divisions"... which may change over time... so I guess it would be unreasonable to expect any one of them to keep track of all the details of the others.)
There are plenty of online resources these days, and their lenses do have individual serial numbers, and other identifying characteristics
(That link I added lists things like the color of the printing and the number and location of screws and such... I'm sure you could find lots of other information by Googling.)
Therefore it's not impossible that you might be able to trace it down or figure it out. However what they're obviously saying is "don't buy a lens from someone who won't either offer you service or give you details of where you can get service".
I should mention that it was not at all unusual in the past for companies to refuse to service products that weren't purchased from an "authorized dealer". (And, in the fine print, that often included the statement that each specific dealer was only authorized to sell their product in a certain location.)
In fact, and even more narrow, I heard an advertisement on the radio last week for a special discount or rebate deal on a certain car model... However, you were only eligible for that discount if you purchased the car from a certain dealer, and registered it in that dealer's service area within one month. (So someone who lived in another area couldn't claim the discount - even if they were willing to purchase the car in person and drive it home.)
I also tried last year to get out-of-warranty service on an older mid-priced Nikon camera with a faulty menu encoder (the little wheel that you push and turn). There was no question of provenance... (they didn't even ask who I had bought it from or when)
Nikon simply informed me that "parts for that model were no longer available from Nikon... so they couldn't offer service... but I might find a local repair shop that had parts and could fix it". (Not unreasonable since it was a model that was over ten years old - and cost less than $500.)
Keith? It is possible that Nikon won't even help you to the extent of telling you WHERE your Grey market lens was meant for! Which would make finding Nikon Service nearly impossible......in a timely fashion. I don't know how many 'sub-Nikon' organizations there are or WHERE. www.nikon.com/network/A bewildering number of 'where to send grey market lens'..... |
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Post by drtrey3 on Mar 24, 2022 11:51:13 GMT -5
Nikon can be peculiar. In the early 1980s my friends and I worked for school publications at UNC Chapel Hill and really ran the film. At NCAA basketball tournament time, Nikon would send a bunch of awesome techs to the tournament, rent a room at the big hotel, and fix anything you brought to them. They had parts, they had tools, and those guys could fix ANYTHING on a Nikon in house.
Then there is this sort of thing.
Peculiar.
Trey
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Post by leonski on Mar 24, 2022 17:13:55 GMT -5
Nikon can be peculiar. In the early 1980s my friends and I worked for school publications at UNC Chapel Hill and really ran the film. At NCAA basketball tournament time, Nikon would send a bunch of awesome techs to the tournament, rent a room at the big hotel, and fix anything you brought to them. They had parts, they had tools, and those guys could fix ANYTHING on a Nikon in house. Then there is this sort of thing. Peculiar. Trey Canon does a similar thing. At MAJOR sporting events, Canon Pro users.....I assume some kind of registration process, can go 'borrow' gear. Those VERY expensive (like 10K$ up) super telephotos, for example. But my point to Keith is simple......IF you do not know the market for which your Grey Market piece was intended, NIKON may NOT tell you. I don't know. Here is a link to the 'secret' marking Nikon places on factory refurb gear......A Nikon number is INSIDE the lens where I can't get to it which may be the 'clue'..... petapixel.com/2018/04/02/this-secret-code-shows-if-your-nikon-gear-is-refurbished/And yes, I'll agree......this is NOT a new thing. Other companies have done this sort of thing for a long time. But plugs or bulbs for my car is quite different than your 'encoder' wheel.......It is a proprietary part, maybe? Best of luck getting it fixed....IF it is a desired piece. ME? A couple years ago I sold my JUNK Sony Mirrorless (NEX-7) and went Nikon. My first Nikon after literally decades of CANON. Nikon has been very good, indeed and I'm up to FIRMWARE 3.2 or so......starting at 1.0 when new. Autofocus and a few other features are Vastly better than when issued. Camera now SNAPS onto eyes for focus and even the eyes of PETS......the follow focus for moving things is also improved. At up to 5 frames / sec it'll focus between frames. Neat. And higher frame rates are possible, but I have not explored that yet. No need for what I normally expect of a camera. Some Nikons NOW feature XQD memory which is FAST. Like 4k movie fast at 120 frames. Or 12bit or better RAW (35meg+ in my 24mp camera) at 10 frames / sec.....NO buffering problems. |
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Post by leonski on Mar 25, 2022 17:45:10 GMT -5
Hey! Tre!
Keith does hava a point, you know. At an 'event' the Nikon tech probably can fix quite a range or problems on new or current gear.
Some fanatic shows up with an F1 with photomic finder? Not so much.
Some aftermarket guys wokred those for a LONG time since a few serious types simply wouldn't give 'em up.....They are nearly
unbreakable, will work when many others won't but long term, ARE mechanical which means wear and than parts shortages......
My Z-Series mirrorless has fewer moving parts. Switches are a high-reliability item. But NO mirror / mechanical shutter. This along
saves a lot of hassles downstream. My Canon EOS1n had a 100,000 exposure MTBF rated shutter. Which failed me at about 20,000 exposures.....
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Post by drtrey3 on Mar 27, 2022 9:16:53 GMT -5
I have an F1. And an FM. And a FM-2. And lenses out the door. When they had been digital for a time I started buying up old glass. I would not pay more than $40 and picked up some lovely primes.
Not disagreeing with Keith or anyone on these matters, just interesting the way things change.
Trey
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Post by leonski on Mar 27, 2022 16:51:15 GMT -5
Original F has lens tabs.....Not sure about the remainder. Or when the tabs 'went away'.....
My brother had a Vivitar Series 1 when new.....and it was a very nice piece of glass.....It was one of the 70-210, which I know was made
in 4 or 5 versions......so be careful!
Lens physics doesn't chage. Period. That's why my 70-200 f2.8 for new Mirrorless Nikon is within MM and Grams of all the rest in this Category.
Even though it uses virtaully EVERY buzzword in new glass, non-spheric elements and exotic coatings.
Canon made an interesting choice and made a slightly more compact version, but with a compromise.... It's an Air Pumper which TENDS to suck in dust
over long time useage which degrades the image.
ONE neat and fairly new tech is the PF lenses. this is some kind of what they call 'Phase Fresnel'. All I KNOW is that it is very low in chromatic aberrations
AND ends up with a very compact lens. The Nikon 300mm f4 is well regarded. And maybe 2000$ give or take. Not a trivial $$$. And quite a bit smaller
than any other 300, with little compromise.
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KeithL
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Post by KeithL on Mar 28, 2022 10:39:50 GMT -5
In general lenses will continue to work forever... and some of the old lenses are really nice... and very sought-after... The obvious catch is that few older lenses, and none of the really old lenses, will work with the newer auto-focus and anti-shake technology...
To be honest I haven't been deeply "into cameras" for quite a few years... but I can offer a few interesting things that I picked up over the years... (Note that some of this may be a bit "dated")
1.
Some of the newer anti-glare nano-coatings and such do offer significant advantages in certain situations.
However that will depend on your application. (For example, a filter made with the new better coatings will be better at avoiding lens flare if you're shooting into the sun, or with a flash, but may not make much difference otherwise.)
2. With lens features like auto-focus the situation is FAR more complicated than "all or nothing". For example a fully manual lens is fully manual no matter what... And the latest Nikon "full auto lens" will only work with a camera that supports the level of automation it uses... But there is an in-between... Some older Nikon lenses support auto-focus if the camera has an actual focus drive motor in it to "run" the lens... Back when I bought my D90, that only certain cameras had the motor... and certain lenses would auto-focus only when used with those cameras.
(This was a reason to choose one model over another if you had lenses to which this applied.)
3. "Primes" (lenses with a fixed focal length as opposed to zoom) are almost always FAR superior to "equivalent" zoom lenses. For a given price a zoom lens will always be bigger, heavier, and offer a far more limited maximum aperture setting, than an equivalent prime lens. (At a given quality level a $150 prime 40mm will be half the size, half the price, and go two or three F-stops lower than an "equivalent" 30-200mm zoom.)
4. If you're just starting out in cameras it's worth noting that, with some brands, things like anti-shake are handled in the lens, while with others it's done in the camera. So, for example, with Nikon, the anti-shake is done in the lens... but I believe, with some Canon models, it was done in the camera. Putting the mechanism in the lens means that the lens will work that way with more cameras - but the lens itself will be heavier, more complex, and more expensive. Putting the mechanism in the camera means that pretty much any lens you put on that camera "inherits that feature"... and each lens can be smaller, simpler, and potentially cheaper.
(It also means that, if you put an older lens on that camera, it may "get the feature upgrade".)
(This was pretty universally true ten or fifteen years ago... but since then I've always put Nikon lenses on Nikon cameras... so I don't know how universally it applies now.)
5. And, for flash units, things have also gotten a LOT more complicated. For example, the latest Nikon SpeedLight has all sorts of cool features when you connect it to a Nikon camera... but it's pricey... And there are far more economical "knockoffs" that are "Nikon compatible"... But some of them may not do ALL of the cool features that you get with a real Nikon brand flash... (Again, something that used to be simple, and still is if you want to calculate all that stuff manually.. but otherwise can be extremely tricky... and the new features are awful handy.)
I have an F1. And an FM. And a FM-2. And lenses out the door. When they had been digital for a time I started buying up old glass. I would not pay more than $40 and picked up some lovely primes. Not disagreeing with Keith or anyone on these matters, just interesting the way things change. Trey |
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Post by leonski on Mar 28, 2022 17:15:47 GMT -5
my Mirrorless has in-camera vibration reduction. However? FEW of the old lenses would be my cup of tea.
Lubricants get OLD and stiff and change over long time periods.....
If anyone is actually curios about what goes with what and the quality of older lenses? I'd check the Ken Rockwell site.
He has a huge background and has USED many older lenses and even has a few preferences.
KEITH, your #4 point is simply WRONG. My Nikon has in-camera VR and some lenses do too.....Together? a claimed
5 stops in some cases, which I find tough to believe.....
I have NO interest in modern flash. My last Canon had a sensor which measured flash OFF HTE FILM and I used it to great advantage.
But I don't know much about modern speedlights. When I want flash? I use my off-camera monolights. they are 800 watt-seconds EACH
and go on a stand with either reflector or diffusion to my choice. I can even aim it up into the CEILING for a broad fill effect...... In the past?
I trigger them with a SMALL speedlight on my camera or using an X-Sync cable. Exposure? I'd use a Sekonic Flash Meter..... I have enough
light that I can photograph 30 person groups. But yes, Your #5 is sort of correct.
Nobody with ANY photographic sense uses anything like your mythical 30-200 zoom. It'll be highly compromised at EACH end, and most probably
have Dark Corners, of 2 stops or more down......at all focal length. Lens will be either barrel or pincushion at either end...and the opposite at the OTHER end of the zoom.
The BEST zooms are Not Cheap.....And while the new Nikkor 85mm f1.8 FOR MIRRORLES will go about 800$, the 24-70f2.8 is about triple the cost.
The exception in use for one of those super-zooms? 1. You GOTTA get the shot. 2. Weight / cost constraints. NEVER for mission critical stuff like weddings.......
The bikers would have pitched me off a roof had I shown up with shots of that quality.....
I had a SONY e-mount of 18-200 and it was WORTHLESS except as landfill. And the 450$ 35mm Prime? WAY below expectations.....By the time SONY made some good
glass for this mount, I'd lost interest. That 18-200? Worth <10% of new in pristine condition with case, original box, paperwork.......
One thing which makes modern zooms more useable? Correction Curves built INTO the camera for the lens. And my software has such curves for my glass even for RAW files.
My opinion? ALWAYS buy better glass. I teach a system. I encourge LIMITED numbers of lenses. I tried it the other way and it is a PIA and gets HEAVY. So? Get a short zoom.
Get a long zoom. THAN as fast prime..... short zoom? Up to 70mm to 90mm The long zoom? Starts wher the shortie leaves off and goes to 200 or so......Longer IF a good lens.....
As for the prime? I love my 85mm.....But would consider the 105mm f2.8 Macro. New processing is VERY quiet and ISO3200 or perhaps ISO6400 is NOT out of the question...
Noise reduction options in-camera and my software is VERY good. It is even possible to 'stack' images, but that's an entirely different kettle of fish.
Your point #3? ONLY applies as a function of need. If I wanted HUGE enlargements? Maybe. But up to 11x14 or even 16x24? AND depending on level of crop? I'm good.......
i teach 'crop in camera'......make what you want and cropless later. MORE data is better. Bracket, too, if time. Some advanced features can help here. I infrequently use the Histogram
display and more frequently the LEVEL......That sort of thing.
ONE other thing? IF you have some older glass you like? Several ADAPTERS on the market. Nikon has the FTZ and a newer version. Canon has similar. You can even get an adapter
and run your old Leica lenses on some newer cameras.....without automation.....The list goes on for a couple pages!
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Post by garbulky on Mar 28, 2022 22:15:31 GMT -5
In general lenses will continue to work forever... and some of the old lenses are really nice... and very sought-after... The obvious catch is that few older lenses, and none of the really old lenses, will work with the newer auto-focus and anti-shake technology... To be honest I haven't been deeply "into cameras" for quite a few years... but I can offer a few interesting things that I picked up over the years... (Note that some of this may be a bit "dated")
1.
Some of the newer anti-glare nano-coatings and such do offer significant advantages in certain situations.
However that will depend on your application. (For example, a filter made with the new better coatings will be better at avoiding lens flare if you're shooting into the sun, or with a flash, but may not make much difference otherwise.) 2. With lens features like auto-focus the situation is FAR more complicated than "all or nothing". For example a fully manual lens is fully manual no matter what... And the latest Nikon "full auto lens" will only work with a camera that supports the level of automation it uses... But there is an in-between... Some older Nikon lenses support auto-focus if the camera has an actual focus drive motor in it to "run" the lens... Back when I bought my D90, that only certain cameras had the motor... and certain lenses would auto-focus only when used with those cameras.
(This was a reason to choose one model over another if you had lenses to which this applied.) 3. "Primes" (lenses with a fixed focal length as opposed to zoom) are almost always FAR superior to "equivalent" zoom lenses. For a given price a zoom lens will always be bigger, heavier, and offer a far more limited maximum aperture setting, than an equivalent prime lens. (At a given quality level a $150 prime 40mm will be half the size, half the price, and go two or three F-stops lower than an "equivalent" 30-200mm zoom.) 4. If you're just starting out in cameras it's worth noting that, with some brands, things like anti-shake are handled in the lens, while with others it's done in the camera. So, for example, with Nikon, the anti-shake is done in the lens... but I believe, with some Canon models, it was done in the camera. Putting the mechanism in the lens means that the lens will work that way with more cameras - but the lens itself will be heavier, more complex, and more expensive. Putting the mechanism in the camera means that pretty much any lens you put on that camera "inherits that feature"... and each lens can be smaller, simpler, and potentially cheaper.
(It also means that, if you put an older lens on that camera, it may "get the feature upgrade".)
(This was pretty universally true ten or fifteen years ago... but since then I've always put Nikon lenses on Nikon cameras... so I don't know how universally it applies now.)
5. And, for flash units, things have also gotten a LOT more complicated. For example, the latest Nikon SpeedLight has all sorts of cool features when you connect it to a Nikon camera... but it's pricey... And there are far more economical "knockoffs" that are "Nikon compatible"... But some of them may not do ALL of the cool features that you get with a real Nikon brand flash... (Again, something that used to be simple, and still is if you want to calculate all that stuff manually.. but otherwise can be extremely tricky... and the new features are awful handy.) I have an F1. And an FM. And a FM-2. And lenses out the door. When they had been digital for a time I started buying up old glass. I would not pay more than $40 and picked up some lovely primes. Not disagreeing with Keith or anyone on these matters, just interesting the way things change. Trey What makes the old lenses so good? |
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Post by leonski on Mar 29, 2022 2:41:57 GMT -5
PERFORMANCE. They make wonderful images on film OR a digital plate. And Keith is generally right. Unless dropped / or otherwise abused (a good dunking in a pool will do) they SHOULD last an awful long time. Some lenses are sought after.....Even Nikor or Canon or ANY of the other lens builders (Olympus made some good as well as Pentax) made good AND not-so-good lenses. Even the aftermarket people did some pretty neat stuff. The first generation of Vivitar Series 1 was an aspirational lens for me. Today? New is disposible stuff.... It's worse than audio. NOTHING much has changed, except details and COST. My brand new....70-200 f2.8 nikkor is a 'pro' lens for the new mirrorless system. A big deal was made of the very large diameter lens mount and the very SHORT distance from that plane to the sensor. All sorts of Buzz Words in the glass and coatings. The text will put you to sleep. This lens is also very nearly the same size and weight as its predecessors. So with ALL THAT 'new' stuff, it is still a PIA to carry around for a day...... Put in some serious gym time if you have some glass....like anything over 400 or 500mm. So? WHat's the big deal? Well, it FITS ON MY CAMERA, that's what! I could have spent a little MORE or LESS on the FX mount and used the Nikon adaptor. But Nikon recommends a weight limit which the older glass exceeds. I COULD have gotten the 70-200 f4 with few compromises. I do NOT know at this time who else (like Tamron or Sigma or Tokina) make lenses in the new mount. AS it turns out? DSLR / SLR / Digital sales IN GENERAL are DOWN year over year for the last Decade and change. petapixel.com/2021/11/26/back-where-we-started-the-camera-industry-is-again-a-bit-part-player/You can search out the numbers for ALL the 'splits' in the data. A minor recovery is happening. I guess people got BORED being stuck in the house? The REAL winner in all this? The CELL PHONE which takes a reasonable image and is nearly brainless in use. When I taught photography? I would at first encourage FILM. You've got 24 or 36 chances to 'get it right'. This tends to slow the whole proces down and makes you more cognizent of what you are doing. But good film cameras are 'dear' and film / processing is getting a little more scarce. I photographed a wedding AS A GUEST and the bride liked MY stuff better than the commissioned pro. I took maybe 20 shots..... But its EASY to take 600 shots in a 10 hour wedding. Yep....a picture a minute for TEN HOURS. Take a 15 minute break for lunch! |
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Post by Boomzilla on Mar 29, 2022 4:43:07 GMT -5
I had a friend that bought medium format Hasselblad so that the cost per print would FORCE him to pay more attention to his framing, backgrounds, and focus. He and his clients were happy with the results. He eventually got a pilot's license and used his camera for ariel photos too.
Back in the day, the darkroom was the "PhotoShop" of photography. I did my share of dodging and burning for the fun of it, and aspired briefly to build my own darkroom. But my "eye" for photography just didn't justify the expense.
Photography, for me, was (and always will be) a hobby rather than a profession. I now use my phone for photography, but I don't much like it. I have gorilla paws for hands, and my fingers often accidentally touch the phone's screen randomly changing modes and settings. After carefully framing and focusing a shot, I often push the button to discover that I'm actually taking a video rather than a photo due to "fumble-fingers syndrome."
I wish the phone would switch itself to "photo mode" when you opened the camera app, changing all the phone's physical buttons to perform camera functions, and allowing the user to select a locked-in mode that couldn't be changed. For all I know, these options MAY actually be there, but since phone makers ship their products without manuals, I just may not know about them.
Boom
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Post by garbulky on Mar 29, 2022 6:27:54 GMT -5
I had a friend that bought medium format Hasselblad so that the cost per print would FORCE him to pay more attention to his framing, backgrounds, and focus. He and his clients were happy with the results. He eventually got a pilot's license and used his camera for ariel photos too. Back in the day, the darkroom was the "PhotoShop" of photography. I did my share of dodging and burning for the fun of it, and aspired briefly to build my own darkroom. But my "eye" for photography just didn't justify the expense. Photography, for me, was (and always will be) a hobby rather than a profession. I now use my phone for photography, but I don't much like it. I have gorilla paws for hands, and my fingers often accidentally touch the phone's screen randomly changing modes and settings. After carefully framing and focusing a shot, I often push the button to discover that I'm actually taking a video rather than a photo due to "fumble-fingers syndrome." I wish the phone would switch itself to "photo mode" when you opened the camera app, changing all the phone's physical buttons to perform camera functions, and allowing the user to select a locked-in mode that couldn't be changed. For all I know, these options MAY actually be there, but since phone makers ship their products without manuals, I just may not know about them. Boom There’s an app called camera plus that may do what you need |
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Post by marcl on Mar 29, 2022 8:15:05 GMT -5
I had a friend that bought medium format Hasselblad so that the cost per print would FORCE him to pay more attention to his framing, backgrounds, and focus. He and his clients were happy with the results. He eventually got a pilot's license and used his camera for ariel photos too. Back in the day, the darkroom was the "PhotoShop" of photography. I did my share of dodging and burning for the fun of it, and aspired briefly to build my own darkroom. But my "eye" for photography just didn't justify the expense. Photography, for me, was (and always will be) a hobby rather than a profession. I now use my phone for photography, but I don't much like it. I have gorilla paws for hands, and my fingers often accidentally touch the phone's screen randomly changing modes and settings. After carefully framing and focusing a shot, I often push the button to discover that I'm actually taking a video rather than a photo due to "fumble-fingers syndrome." I wish the phone would switch itself to "photo mode" when you opened the camera app, changing all the phone's physical buttons to perform camera functions, and allowing the user to select a locked-in mode that couldn't be changed. For all I know, these options MAY actually be there, but since phone makers ship their products without manuals, I just may not know about them. Boom + leonski Enjoying the camera discussion. My perspective .... people say I should be a pro photographer, and I say I AM a pro ... but instead of spending 80-90% of my time on sales and marketing (which I suck at) I spent 43 years in engineering and technology jobs making WAY more money, paying for cameras and travel, and I give the photos away for free ... just a matter of perspective. But on the point of all the technology of the past 30-40 years, it boggles my brain that the last film wildlife shoots I did in '04/'05 I shot 65 rolls in a week or two ... 2300 shots. Blew my mind back then. My first digital was an 8Mp Canon 1DIIN and I shot 9,000 on a 24 day Antarctic trip. But now .... I leave for Costa Rica Friday and I will likely shoot 2300 in a single DAY some days .... 25,000 total 50Mp files plus some 4K 120fps video. And my (rented) $13,000 Sony 600mm f/4 will arrive today. AND .... I shot all that film at ISO 100 or 400. In the next couple weeks I'll routinely shoot at 1600 or 3200 and likely some at 12,800 ... DxO DeepPrime will take the noise out and leave me with higher quality images than I ever shot on film, and better than the Canon images I shot on my last trip in 2013. Finally, limiting my gear due to several telephotos needed, I'm taking the 12-24 f/2.8 for possible astro ... but leaving the 24-70 home. The phone covers that job for this location.  |
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Post by drtrey3 on Mar 29, 2022 8:19:50 GMT -5
One thing about the old lenses, talking Nikor here, is that the coating on the lens gave them a very slight green cast, especially when shooting with Kodachrome, that was recognizable and strangely comforting to me! Think a couple clicks and pops as the record starts.
Trey
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Post by leonski on Mar 29, 2022 14:04:01 GMT -5
I had a friend that bought medium format Hasselblad so that the cost per print would FORCE him to pay more attention to his framing, backgrounds, and focus. He and his clients were happy with the results. He eventually got a pilot's license and used his camera for ariel photos too. Back in the day, the darkroom was the "PhotoShop" of photography. I did my share of dodging and burning for the fun of it, and aspired briefly to build my own darkroom. But my "eye" for photography just didn't justify the expense. Photography, for me, was (and always will be) a hobby rather than a profession. I now use my phone for photography, but I don't much like it. I have gorilla paws for hands, and my fingers often accidentally touch the phone's screen randomly changing modes and settings. After carefully framing and focusing a shot, I often push the button to discover that I'm actually taking a video rather than a photo due to "fumble-fingers syndrome." I wish the phone would switch itself to "photo mode" when you opened the camera app, changing all the phone's physical buttons to perform camera functions, and allowing the user to select a locked-in mode that couldn't be changed. For all I know, these options MAY actually be there, but since phone makers ship their products without manuals, I just may not know about them. Boom + leonski Enjoying the camera discussion. My perspective .... people say I should be a pro photographer, and I say I AM a pro ... but instead of spending 80-90% of my time on sales and marketing (which I suck at) I spent 43 years in engineering and technology jobs making WAY more money, paying for cameras and travel, and I give the photos away for free ... just a matter of perspective. But on the point of all the technology of the past 30-40 years, it boggles my brain that the last film wildlife shoots I did in '04/'05 I shot 65 rolls in a week or two ... 2300 shots. Blew my mind back then. My first digital was an 8Mp Canon 1DIIN and I shot 9,000 on a 24 day Antarctic trip. But now .... I leave for Costa Rica Friday and I will likely shoot 2300 in a single DAY some days .... 25,000 total 50Mp files plus some 4K 120fps video. And my (rented) $13,000 Sony 600mm f/4 will arrive today. AND .... I shot all that film at ISO 100 or 400. In the next couple weeks I'll routinely shoot at 1600 or 3200 and likely some at 12,800 ... DxO DeepPrime will take the noise out and leave me with higher quality images than I ever shot on film, and better than the Canon images I shot on my last trip in 2013. Finally, limiting my gear due to several telephotos needed, I'm taking the 12-24 f/2.8 for possible astro ... but leaving the 24-70 home. The phone covers that job for this location.  Yes, Marci, by any and ALL means, cut to the minimum gear load. I've got a Lowe bag which is sitting over there (pointing) unused. It still has the original tags in the pouch. I put all my THAN Canon EOS 1d mk2 (8mp, or so) and it was SO heavy I almost lost interest. 3 batteries? 100-400 L ? 20-35 L? 24-105 L? 50mm f1.8 (worlds cheapest!) and a 90mm Tamron Macro.......Along with filters, charger, and a double handful of GOODIES. Cables? Lens cleaning stuff? You're gonna LOVE Costa Rica. Paved roads! Nice people! Stable government. Enought reptiles to satisfy ANYONE. Volcanoes galore! We went on a 'nature cruise' up some river. 'put on the lifejacket before we leave the dock, please!' As we got out into 'nature'? I noted ALL the crocs or gators.....whatever they were. AND they were not afraid. I figured, IF I went in the water, it would be without that pesky life vest. I'd rather SWIM like Johnny Weissmuller... You can get a GOOD PIZZA while there, too. And if you don't already know? A good sized American Ex-Pat community. Be careful WHERE you move, several climate zones give you some real choices. I took a 'business of photography' class at the local JC. Taught by a high-end PRO with creds. Learned a lot, including BIDDING A JOB.......which is not a trivial exercise. Watch that high ISO stuff. Even with the Deep Prime (I have it) Noise CAN creep in. and a few other considerations. I always try for mid-apertures and 1/250 or 1/500 give or take. Action requires a slightly different approach, as WELL you know. Drag Races? Surfing? I set up for 4 or 5 frames / sec and bias towards a faster shutter speed even if I must crank in an extra stop using the ISO setting...... When I shot film? I went thru miles of Kodak NC stuff at events. I even shot some Vericolor way.....WAY back when. I liked Velvia (Fuji) for some things but Provia usually got the nod. I can't remember the names, but Fuji also made an ASA 800 print film which I ALWAYS kept around.....Provia could be had in (can't remember?) ASA 1600 or ASA3200......maybe you could ask for a 1 stop 'push'? It was E6 process, so sort-of routine. Something about Kodak consumer color negative films I didn't like..... My FAVORITE fast film? Kodak TMZ. This was base ASA of 800 or some such, but the tables to all the way to 12800 or higher. Grain was an odd shape.... I see listings to ASA25000 using T-Max developer at which time 14 MINUTES at 75f would be the staring place. OUCH........You need to TEST FIRST before committing. Have your Grain focuser ready when you go to do prints..... And to BOOM? The Hasselblad was not for me. I needed more....portable. But for the STUDIO guy? The Leaf Shutter lenses make strobe photography easier. I've heard that the studio guy would WEAR ONE OUT every couple years. Crazy.... The glass? Only a few equals....Maybe from the Mamiya RB67 or some such? |
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Post by marcl on Mar 29, 2022 14:18:02 GMT -5
+ leonski Enjoying the camera discussion. My perspective .... people say I should be a pro photographer, and I say I AM a pro ... but instead of spending 80-90% of my time on sales and marketing (which I suck at) I spent 43 years in engineering and technology jobs making WAY more money, paying for cameras and travel, and I give the photos away for free ... just a matter of perspective. But on the point of all the technology of the past 30-40 years, it boggles my brain that the last film wildlife shoots I did in '04/'05 I shot 65 rolls in a week or two ... 2300 shots. Blew my mind back then. My first digital was an 8Mp Canon 1DIIN and I shot 9,000 on a 24 day Antarctic trip. But now .... I leave for Costa Rica Friday and I will likely shoot 2300 in a single DAY some days .... 25,000 total 50Mp files plus some 4K 120fps video. And my (rented) $13,000 Sony 600mm f/4 will arrive today. AND .... I shot all that film at ISO 100 or 400. In the next couple weeks I'll routinely shoot at 1600 or 3200 and likely some at 12,800 ... DxO DeepPrime will take the noise out and leave me with higher quality images than I ever shot on film, and better than the Canon images I shot on my last trip in 2013. Finally, limiting my gear due to several telephotos needed, I'm taking the 12-24 f/2.8 for possible astro ... but leaving the 24-70 home. The phone covers that job for this location. Yes, Marci, by any and ALL means, cut to the minimum gear load. I've got a Lowe bag which is sitting over there (pointing) unused. It still has the original tags in the pouch. I put all my THAN Canon EOS 1d mk2 (8mp, or so) and it was SO heavy I almost lost interest. 3 batteries? 100-400 L ? 20-35 L? 24-105 L? 50mm f1.8 (worlds cheapest!) and a 90mm Tamron Macro.......Along with filters, charger, and a double handful of GOODIES. Cables? Lens cleaning stuff? You're gonna LOVE Costa Rica. Paved roads! Nice people! Stable government. Enought reptiles to satisfy ANYONE. Volcanoes galore! We went on a 'nature cruise' up some river. 'put on the lifejacket before we leave the dock, please!' As we got out into 'nature'? I noted ALL the crocs or gators.....whatever they were. AND they were not afraid. I figured, IF I went in the water, it would be without that pesky life vest. I'd rather SWIM like Johnny Weissmuller... You can get a GOOD PIZZA while there, too. And if you don't already know? A good sized American Ex-Pat community. Be careful WHERE you move, several climate zones give you some real choices. I took a 'business of photography' class at the local JC. Taught by a high-end PRO with creds. Learned a lot, including BIDDING A JOB.......which is not a trivial exercise. Watch that high ISO stuff. Even with the Deep Prime (I have it) Noise CAN creep in. and a few other considerations. I always try for mid-apertures and 1/250 or 1/500 give or take. Action requires a slightly different approach, as WELL you know. Drag Races? Surfing? I set up for 4 or 5 frames / sec and bias towards a faster shutter speed even if I must crank in an extra stop using the ISO setting...... When I shot film? I went thru miles of Kodak NC stuff at events. I even shot some Vericolor way.....WAY back when. I liked Velvia (Fuji) for some things but Provia usually got the nod. I can't remember the names, but Fuji also made an ASA 800 print film which I ALWAYS kept around.....Provia could be had in (can't remember?) ASA 1600 or ASA3200......maybe you could ask for a 1 stop 'push'? It was E6 process, so sort-of routine. Something about Kodak consumer color negative films I didn't like..... My FAVORITE fast film? Kodak TMZ. This was base ASA of 800 or some such, but the tables to all the way to 12800 or higher. Grain was an odd shape.... I see listings to ASA25000 using T-Max developer at which time 14 MINUTES at 75f would be the staring place. OUCH........You need to TEST FIRST before committing. Have your Grain focuser ready when you go to do prints..... And to BOOM? The Hasselblad was not for me. I needed more....portable. But for the STUDIO guy? The Leaf Shutter lenses make strobe photography easier. I've heard that the studio guy would WEAR ONE OUT every couple years. Crazy.... The glass? Only a few equals....Maybe from the Mamiya RB67 or some such? This will be half my bag hopefully, with A1 body mounted. The other half ... 100-400, 70-200, 12-24, another A1 body ... still debating if I need to bring the 200-600. I can shoot from a boat hand-holding the 600, but may need the zoom depending on logistics. And BTW ... this 600mm weighs 3/4 what my Canon 500mm f/4 weighed ... immediately noticeable.   |
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Post by leonski on Mar 29, 2022 14:43:19 GMT -5
Marci.
You've got some SERIOUS reach out glass. I sold my PRISTINE example of the 100-400L since I used it so seldom.
Me? I'd check out needing the 70-200 AND the 100-400. A LOT of overlap and Weight.
Actually? the 70-200 AND the 2x Teleconvertor? That's gonna be 140-400 f5.6 which should be fine.....during daylight hours.....
Check out the Canon 24-105f4 which I found to be a SUPERB lens.....on my 1.3CF 1Dmk2.....APS H, not APS C.......
I had some help at a few weddings. A guy to help with a reflector and move stuff AND help setups and posing.....Another set of eyes.
Sounds to ME like you need an 'Equipment Bearer'......Wanna borrow my BOGEN Tripod with Ball Head?
This leaves you with a 3-lens set. 12-24. 24-105 and the 70-200 w/2x TC OR the 100-400, TC optional.....That should be manageable?
Minimal lens changing. All are very good optically. OH! I'd add a 'fast prime'......f1.8 or better in YOUR choice of focal length..... I had that
50mm Canon EF lens.....the 'plastic fantastic' which while disposible, ALSO issued some wonderful images......I think it cost me like 70$ or some such.....?
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Post by marcl on Mar 29, 2022 15:42:28 GMT -5
Marci. You've got some SERIOUS reach out glass. I sold my PRISTINE example of the 100-400L since I used it so seldom. Me? I'd check out needing the 70-200 AND the 100-400. A LOT of overlap and Weight. Actually? the 70-200 AND the 2x Teleconvertor? That's gonna be 140-400 f5.6 which should be fine.....during daylight hours..... Check out the Canon 24-105f4 which I found to be a SUPERB lens.....on my 1.3CF 1Dmk2.....APS H, not APS C....... I had some help at a few weddings. A guy to help with a reflector and move stuff AND help setups and posing.....Another set of eyes. Sounds to ME like you need an 'Equipment Bearer'......Wanna borrow my BOGEN Tripod with Ball Head? This leaves you with a 3-lens set. 12-24. 24-105 and the 70-200 w/2x TC OR the 100-400, TC optional.....That should be manageable? Minimal lens changing. All are very good optically. OH! I'd add a 'fast prime'......f1.8 or better in YOUR choice of focal length..... I had that 50mm Canon EF lens.....the 'plastic fantastic' which while disposible, ALSO issued some wonderful images......I think it cost me like 70$ or some such.....? I went through all the combinations when I shot Canon and for those bodies and lenses I sold the 100-400 and went with 70-200 and 1.4/2.0. But the Sony A1 @ 50Mp is a different beast and I have found it works best without the TC ... i.e. better to crop in PS than to lose sharpness and light with the TC. Most days I'll shoot with the 600 on a tripod and 100-400 on a sling for fast flight shots. Might bring the 200-600 for three days of shooting from small boats ... or might leave it home. Only bringing the 12-24 in case we have opportunity for night sky/Milky Way. Leaving the 24-70, 10, 11 fisheye and 8-15 fisheye home for sure. Only reason for the 70-200 is it's f/2.8 and I may need it for hunting reptiles at night or macro subjects to get close. If weather cooperates I'm going to test all the telephotos with and without TC, and use DxO, and see how the sharpness holds up to the 50Mp. |
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Post by leonski on Mar 29, 2022 16:06:52 GMT -5
Does DxO have PROFILES for all your proposed combinations? I found that my Mirrorless Nikon in RAW with the profile corrects barrel/pincushion and a few other good things.
The camera fixes JPG for me, so that in the comparison of jpg /raw, it is obvious....
Just my Personal Opinion, but I've had my FILL of SONY. I had an NEX-7 to try to cut weight without quality. I figured teh 24mp ASP-C sensor SHOULD be better than the 8mp 'H' in my canon.
NOPE. The GLASS ruined it. The 800$ 17-200 was UnUsable past 100mm. The 35mm 1.8? Soft in the corners and dark.....And you'd think they could get THAT one right....esp for 450$......
I nearly gave up photography. I mean, really.....No more joy in it with such awful stuff to work with. Even tripod work at 10 feet / mid apertures? NOPE...
I even gave up on the SONY menu system. Really UN intuitive. My Nikon has a short menu with 1 button push. I can assign frequently used items TO this menu and do so reliably.
If I want to 'dig'? Can Do....and it's well organized and 3 or 4 layers deep in spots.....
Even RAW and largest JPG files were 'small'.....My same MP Nikon makes 35mp RAW files and I think 12 bit or 14 bit is available. XQD memory is WAY quicker than SD or even CF.....
I know the NEW full frame SONY stuff gets bang-up reviews. DPReview likes. So do most users. But you know? I really was revitalized by this Nikon. Fast and easy. Once configured....and
there IS a learning curve, I don't have to mess with it. New functionality added by firmware revs (now at 3.4) tells ME they really want to get it right. Focus snaps to eyes of people OR pets...or Zoo.....
One thing, though? SONY was Realy given a boost by the merger / acquistion of Konica-Minolta. The 'A' series was pure K-M. Sony learned FAST and has really driven Canon and Nikon to 'do better'......
I would PERSONALLY test well BEFORE any holiday.
Up for a ONE CAMERA solution? New Nikon Z9 will Melt Your Credit Card, but has 2x memory slots. EVERY function and capability imaginable and Nikon PRO level build thruout.....But I don't have a gym
membership. It weighs double or more my current choice.
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