Photography Lens lesson...

[blume357]

Little background on me: I've been an amateur photographer since high school ... have kind of stepped back with this hobby in the last couple of years but do take lots of pictures for my work.
Back in the mid 80's I saved up enough to buy a Nikon 35mm Single Lens Reflex (SLR) and a couple lower grade Nikon lenses. ... for those that don't know it professional grade Nikon (Nikon) lens cost a LOT more than even their top of the line cameras..... like three or four even more times. While on vacation this past two weeks I got itchy and decided it was time to add to my current Nikon camera system. I have a Nikon D7100 digital SLR, which is or was a medium grade camera... not on the low end but not on the top either.....the lens I purchased with it are an 18-70mm and a 70-300mm... which seem to suit me fine.. but about a year ago I wanted a wider angle lens for shooting inside and got a 10-20mm... this one has this new technology 'VR' which is vibration reduction which some how corrects the image if you are shacking the camera......don't ask me how.... I've been thinking for a while that since I have three different lens I need another camera.... so I decided to look at buying another D7100.... B&H in New York actually sells used equipment and I trust them and they have one at a decent price and I figure I will buy it....

But for the real point of the story... I was sort of looking at needing a 'longer' lens... more powerful telephoto... and started looking at a 2x converter... the Nikon ones aren't cheap and also the lens that will work with this converter are limited... but I'm on vacation and have time and just keep going back and forth trying to figure out about a telephoto lens... I kind of fall on the 200-500mm VR one and it seems like one I can barely afford.... price used right at $1,000. Looks in the pictures much like my 70-300mm lens.... but it is the more professional version.... so I break down and order it along with the camera..... I had no clue the size of this thing...

Here is the Nikon D7100 camera with the 70-300mm lens:

Here is the new 200-500mm lens on the camera with the other one beside it...

I'm glad I have a tripod ........

 

[GoBow]

Wow!

Enjoy!!!

 

[contender]

Penny would love to spend more time with her camera. And to have a 200-500 lens like that,, well,, she'd be very, very happy. But she admits to how she'd not get the use out of it unless she quit doing other stuff & went more into taking pictures.

But From all I've seen,, those lenses are outstanding.

And from every one I've seen like that,, they come with a tripod mounting bracket as part of the body.

 

[eveled]

Good for you to get what you want. Life is short. Enjoy your new equipment.

 

[trebor44]

There are more than a few online sites for used Nikon lenses and DSLR's. Check out the nikon blogs and Ken Rockwell for reviews. Also the D7100 can use non-CPU lenses. The D7100 is a nice camera with many options. Way too many for my feeble brain to track!

 

[thor's daddy]

Congratulations, I'm betting you'll find the VR function really comes in handy! I've only used one lens with the VR feature and it was a lifesaver on more than a few occasions. And yes, that lens is a chunk along side the 70-300. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

 

[Kevin]

Now that's an awesome lens! Post some pictures you take with it please.

 

[turd]

Nice, very nice. I'm still using film. I don't take enough pictures to justify spending thousands of dollars on digital stuff. I use a Nikon FA I bought back in the 1980s when it was high tech. True Nikon lenses have always been expensive.

 

[Randyzzz]

Congrats on your purchase, and in your renewed interest in photography. I was very much into photography 45 years ago- Nikon F2 Photomic and a complete darkroom. Then I got married, got a job managing the camera dept at FedMart (now bankrupt) and I bought a bunch of the newfangled Minolta auto exposure stuff. My interest sorta fizzled though…

Fast forward to the early 2000's. My wife became interest in wild horse photography, and I encouraged her to buy Sony equipment as it would take some of my older Minolta lenses. She eventually upgraded through the models to a pro-grade full frame mirrorless camera and one of those big white tele lenses- but Sony Glass was so expensive…and in a moment of weakness last year she sold it all.

She missed her camera and earlier this year we ended up getting her a Nikon D850 and a couple of decent consumer grade lenses. I wanted to be able to join the fun, and I purchased a D750 and a 70-300 VR lens, along with a really cool 18-35. I really prefer the full frame format. I did my research and both these lenses are 99% as sharp as their higher grade offerings- just a little slower, but a lot lighter weight and about 1/4 the price. I buy used through KEH, MBP, Recycled Photo, etc. I was planning on a long prime lens, but recent unexpected medical bills put that on a long hold. Didn’t help with the Ruger’s I was looking at buying either…

You will have to share some pics, Blume!

 

[blume357]

It was a goodly number of years ago but someone was comparing standard Kodachrome film resolution to digital and there still was no comparison... not sure about now.... but then it might be much like audio... that a lot of this stuff is beyond the average humans perception.....

Randyzzz.... my first 70-300 zoom went bad somehow but the new one is tops... my 10-20VR zoom is pretty impressive and great for indoors for taking pictures in crowds....

I was telling a friend who is a professional photographer about this new one and he said it would have been easier to just get a 500 or 600mm fixed lens.... and they of course don't weight as much as the zoom lens.... so I went back and just looked at the used ones at B&H. (kind of like going to gun broker to see about prices)... the 200mm-500mm used zoom I bought was just under $1,000. the cheapest telephoto fixed lens like that or close I could find, they start at over $3,000 used! I sometimes get an email from Nikon about a new professional grade lens they've just come out with and sometimes I'll click on the link.... usually the cost of that lens is around 12 grand... I've finally decided that the only folks buying these are photographers who work for some big corporation and the corporation is paying for it.

Oh by the way.... if you ever see an add for a new Michelin tire my buddy the photographer probably took the picture. His normal assistant was on vacation once and he asked me to help him..we spent a day prepping the new tire... we'll call her the model...and we were actually dressing her up and putting make up on her.... spent day in an outside tent... cutting the little rubber buggers off of her and actually spraying her with very thin flat black latex paint... then the next day took her in the 'studio" big warehouse full of various tires...and he spent an hour or more setting up the lighting, camera and computer..... then we took 3 pictures of her and were done....

 

[GHollan]

I'm not getting any younger and can't hand hold the big glass as long as I used to and a tripod isn't always practical. I used to shoot professional sports as a second job/hobby and still have most of the toys. I'm still passionate about photography and occasionally look to wildlife opportunities to scratch my itch.

Some of my favorite subjects are Orcas, whales and eagles. Tripods are not possible on a whale watching boat or on some of the long hikes I take where I pack a camera and long glass in case I see something interesting.

On a whale watching trip there was so much action my arms almost fell off from hand holding the Nikon f4 200-400 zoom. I suffered the same fatigue while shooting the Blue Angels. I have the same issue with my f4 600mm.

My research led me to a solution that works well for me. I put a Wimberley MH-100 head on my monopod, put a Speed Shooter Harness on, and can now be mobile while letting the harness handle the weight and I can shoot as long as I want without getting fatigued. Any flagpole type harness works at a more affordable price and some gimbal type head is recommended. I will still use a tripod with gimbal head if I am stationary and don't need as much 360 degree, up, down, and around movement.

 

[Randyzzz]

It was a goodly number of years ago but someone was comparing standard Kodachrome film resolution to digital and there still was no comparison... not sure about now.... but then it might be much like audio... that a lot of this stuff is beyond the average humans perception.....

Randyzzz.... my first 70-300 zoom went bad somehow but the new one is tops... my 10-20VR zoom is pretty impressive and great for indoors for taking pictures in crowds....

I was telling a friend who is a professional photographer about this new one and he said it would have been easier to just get a 500 or 600mm fixed lens.... and they of course don't weight as much as the zoom lens.... so I went back and just looked at the used ones at B&H. (kind of like going to gun broker to see about prices)... the 200mm-500mm used zoom I bought was just under $1,000. the cheapest telephoto fixed lens like that or close I could find, they start at over $3,000 used! I sometimes get an email from Nikon about a new professional grade lens they've just come out with and sometimes I'll click on the link.... usually the cost of that lens is around 12 grand... I've finally decided that the only folks buying these are photographers who work for some big corporation and the corporation is paying for it.

Oh by the way.... if you ever see an add for a new Michelin tire my buddy the photographer probably took the picture. His normal assistant was on vacation once and he asked me to help him..we spent a day prepping the new tire... we'll call her the model...and we were actually dressing her up and putting make up on her.... spent day in an outside tent... cutting the little rubber buggers off of her and actually spraying her with very thin flat black latex paint... then the next day took her in the 'studio" big warehouse full of various tires...and he spent an hour or more setting up the lighting, camera and computer..... then we took 3 pictures of her and were done....

My wife’s mirrorless Sony was 40MP. The resolution was amazing. Now she has the D850 Nikon and it has over 45MP. It too is amazing. She opted for a 28-300 VR lens. It’s sharp but heavy. Still, one lens does it all. She also got a 50 1.4 that I called for myself. My D750 is 24MP and that has always been enough for me. I will agree that film seems to have that magical combination of sharpness and smoothness. Digital can get contrasty and over sharp- but with digital you can do so much with the right program. I’m interested in the new AI driven post programs. I’ll do the composing and it can make it look beautiful. But it still seems wrong, as a guy who learned on film. 36 shots to get it right…

I’m hoping my 70-300 lasts. It’s the AF-P version that uses full electronic focus. In Ken Rockwell’s reviews it holds its own with the lenses that cost 4x as much. It’s just a bit slower. I paid $366 for a used copy that looks brand new from KEH. Same with the 18-35. $289 from RecycledPhoto.com and it also looks brand new. And my D750 cost $350 from MBP after I traded in a P900 that was given to me. And it looks like it’s never been used. My goal was to get equipment that gave me good results without weighing a lot and costing a lot. I still have to get out and take some real pictures with it, not just backyard junk. We were planning a little get away, but an unexpected medical bill from an injury my wife had last year arrived and put the damper on a lot of fun for now. Once I get the hang of it and have some pics I can be proud of I’ll post them up.

 

[Paul B]

There was a guy at the swap meet years ago selling some photo stuff and he had an 800 MM telepoto leans with the adapter for theHoneywell Pentax. I had a couple pf Pentax bodies so we hooked up to one and found out you need two tripods with that lens. I talked him into letting me take a few shots and process the film and if I liked the results I'd buy the lense. So we set up with two tripods and using the light meter in the Spotmatic made all the adjustment and set the preset ring and I ran off about a half dozen shot of some guy ay the other end of the swap meet that had a checkered shirt. I then hurried home and processed the Tri-X and stuck the still wet filn into a older and on the enlarger. I blew the picture up as bigs the enlarger would allow and ran off a couple of prints. One didn't even need to use with a magnifying glass as I could not only see the pattern on the shirt but the weave of the material. That lens came home with me along with the Pentax adapter and an adapter for the Canon A series which would also work on a Canon F1. A couple of years later I moved from California for good and never had another darkroom to work with. It's too bad lenses for the canon A series can't be adapted to a digital camera and trying to sell what I have would mean a bit of serious loss financially.
Paul B.

 

[dweis]

This thread is like a trip down memory lane for me. I started in photography in HS shooting pics for the yearbook. Joined the Corps upon graduation and after 2 years in the Infantry I was approved to go to Navy Photo School, which ledge to a Combat Phtotgrapher MOS as in my Avatar. After 2 tours in Nam I went civilian an became a freelance photographer in 1968. I retired from photography in 2014 at age 72. Favorite cameras and lenses: Nikon and Leica. Favorite camera today: iPhone 15 ProMax. At 83 I do not want to lug a lot of gear around. The OP has chosen a goor range of lenses which will cover almost any imaginable situation for those of us who are earthbound.

 

[Randyzzz]

This thread is like a trip down memory lane for me. I started in photography in HS shooting pics for the yearbook. Joined the Corps upon graduation and after 2 years in the Infantry I was approved to go to Navy Photo School, which ledge to a Combat Phtotgrapher MOS as in my Avatar. After 2 tours in Nam I went civilian a became a freelance photographer in 1968. I retired from photography in 2014 at age 72. Favorite cameras and lenses: Nikon and Leica. Favorite camera today: iPhone 15 ProMax. At 83 I do not want to lug a lot of gear around. The OP has chosen a goor range of lenses which will cover almost any imaginable situation for those of us who are earthbound.

That “twilight inferno” is absolutely mesmerizing…

 

[Randyzzz]

Nice, very nice. I'm still using film. I don't take enough pictures to justify spending thousands of dollars on digital stuff. I use a Nikon FA I bought back in the 1980s when it was high tech. True Nikon lenses have always been expensive.

I’m about to list my late Father’s FA with the MD15 motor drive on EBay with a starting bid of $75. I was hoping to get a little more than that…

If it’s something you might be interested in let me know…

 

[turd]

Very nice.

 

[blume357]

I'm really impressed with you guys and the stuff you know.... and some like dweis who made a living taking pictures.... part of my job is photography... but nothing of any importance or highly technical... mostly taking a picture of the top of a chimney to show deterioration to the homeowner.... a lot of times now a days I do that with a drone.... for work I pretty much use a Nikon cool pix because it will fit in my pocket....

Speaking of fire in the sky... one of the things I do when we go to the beach twice a year for a couple of weeks is get up and hopefully be able to watch the sun come up..,.. not often that spectacular but here is one of mine: (the amazing thing is this was taken with my Nikon Coolpix AW130)

 

[KIR]

Have always been interested in photography since HS. Previously, since my current camera I was using a compact Casio. I use to get good pictures, but I think it just got old and the pictures and video started to come out poorly. While checking out a pawn shop, I ran across a Nikon Coolpix L320 for only $80. The plastic/glass viewfinder was scratched up, but otherwise I took a few pics in the store and they seemed to turn out o.k., so I sprung for it and got a good decent camera. Since I live in the Sparks/Reno area there is plenty to photograph in/out of town. Landscape, parks by the dozens, animal/bird life at the Sparks Marina and/or Truckee River which runs through both towns. etc., etc., etc., ad infinitum, ad nauseum. I am coming up on my 81st B-Day and of late have been treating myself with $$$ out of my IRA. Because I was under the impression my L320 did not have a timer, I decided to upgrade. I was reading some posts on a photographer's forum and the original ad for the camera and found that it does. Haven't figured out how it works, yet...
I went to the Costco web site to see about getting a new Nikon, but could not find anything, so I called them up and was told they do not carry Nikons anymore, not even online. However, they might have some for the late year holidays??? May still get a newer model, but more research to be done.
Attached is my favorite picture that I have ever taken. In Aug '66, I drove out to Pyramid Lake, northeast of town and drove around to the east side of the lake where the pyramid is located by the shore. John C. Fremont named the lake after this rock formation on one of his expeditions. The picture was taken with a Kodak Instamatic I believe and it is a little out of focus, but it is the subject matter that I found most interesting. It shows the water level very low, no thanks to the farmers out by Fallon who had a canal built to divert water from the river and thus the lake so they could water their crops. I do admit that I love the Fallon Melons. Great eating. The water levels have risen and fallen over the decades since the early 1900's. When I took the picture the water level had fallen so low, one could wade out to the Pyramid. So here is the picture...

 

[Achigan]

I just handed my Nikon D5300 off to my son. I used Nikons for 35 years as a photojournalist.
Nowadays, I just use my phone(iphone13promax) and it does pretty much all I want. Pic is for this morning.

 

[DickE]

WOW! This post strikes two topics very close to my heart, photography and guns. I guess I am attracted to anything that "shoots" cameras or firearms. I enjoyed the conversation about cameras and photography. I have the same Nikon lens (200 to 500 MM.) the OP is correct it is truly a beast. Most of my photography these days is done with a 24 to 70 MM telephoto, and the 200 to 500 MM mostly takes up space in my office. We just booked a photo trip with "Back Country Journeys" to Utah to photograph wild horses in Utah. This will be my first extended experience with the 200-500 MM. For me a tripod is essential with this lens due to the weight. I'm looking forward to "shooting" those horses. Regarding film versus digital...I shot film most of my life and when digital cameras came on the scent I swore it was a fad and that I would never switch to digital. Then I retired and my wife and I booked a river cruise in Europe. I was perplexed as to how I could deal with so many rolls of film through the airport screening and, since I didn't have my own dark room, the cost of processing so many rolls would be pretty high. So I bit my lip and bought a Nikon D700. Our trip was only eight days, but I took almost 2,000 images. That much film would have been unmanageable from both the maneuvering and cost standpoint. I found that with the adjustable ISO feature I was able to get really good night shots in the small villages along the Danube. This experience converted me 100% to Digital. I now have a Nikon D850 with 46MP full frame. I love the camera and usually shoot with a Nikon 24-70 MM tele photo lens, I'looking forward to the Utah trip and using the long 200 - 500 lens. If we get good pictures I'll post a few.

BTW those posted images of the sun rise are really stunning!

 

[turd]

I'm about to list my late Father's FA with the MD15 motor drive on EBay with a starting bid of $75. I was hoping to get a little more than that…

If it's something you might be interested in let me know…
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Randy, thanks for the offer, but I have three working FA bodies and two MD 15s. I bought the extras a few years ago just in case - it is very difficult now to find anyone that can repair them. Just some thoughts although I haven't been on EBAY for a while - I would consider selling them separately as the bodies are easier to find than the motor drive. That motor drive is dedicated to the FA. The MD 12 will also work on an FA, and there are way more of them out there. I also think you might be a bit low - I think I would start the body at $75 OBO, and the motor drive at $100. JMHO, and note I haven't been watching prices.

 

[dweis]

I just handed my Nikon D5300 off to my son. I used Nikons for 35 years as a photojournalist.
Nowadays, I just use my phone(iphone13promax) and it does pretty much all I want. Pic is for this morning.

Indeed. I don't own a conventional camera or lens of any kind. I have some accessories that make my iPhone 15 ProMax handle more like a conventional camera. Photo is of my cage mounted to a light stand with a lanyard attached. Handgrip mounts my an LED light or mic and trips the shutter via bluetooth. Cage also has two other accessory shoe mounts, and auxiliary lenses can be mounted to rhetorical cage.

 

[Gopher]

I'm about to head out to the camera shop and see what's going on with my Nikon D3100. It's putting a white stripe on the photos so I'm told it's either a bad sensor or a shutter problem. I bought it off of eBay for cheap, so if the repair is too much,h I'll upgrade if possible. It has served my needs well.

 

[Randyzzz]

WOW! This post strikes two topics very close to my heart, photography and guns. I guess I am attracted to anything that "shoots" cameras or firearms. I enjoyed the conversation about cameras and photography. I have the same Nikon lens (200 to 500 MM.) the OP is correct it is truly a beast. Most of my photography these days is done with a 24 to 70 MM telephoto, and the 200 to 500 MM mostly takes up space in my office. We just booked a photo trip with "Back Country Journeys" to Utah to photograph wild horses in Utah. This will be my first extended experience with the 200-500 MM. For me a tripod is essential with this lens due to the weight. I'm looking forward to "shooting" those horses. Regarding film versus digital...I shot film most of my life and when digital cameras came on the scent I swore it was a fad and that I would never switch to digital. Then I retired and my wife and I booked a river cruise in Europe. I was perplexed as to how I could deal with so many rolls of film through the airport screening and, since I didn't have my own dark room, the cost of processing so many rolls would be pretty high. So I bit my lip and bought a Nikon D700. Our trip was only eight days, but I took almost 2,000 images. That much film would have been unmanageable from both the maneuvering and cost standpoint. I found that with the adjustable ISO feature I was able to get really good night shots in the small villages along the Danube. This experience converted me 100% to Digital. I now have a Nikon D850 with 46MP full frame. I love the camera and usually shoot with a Nikon 24-70 MM tele photo lens, I'looking forward to the Utah trip and using the long 200 - 500 lens. If we get good pictures I'll post a few.

BTW those posted images of the sun rise are really stunning!

Years back my wife made the trip to Utah to visit a wild herd there - the Onaqui. Here's some of her pics. There's a couple that are spectacular but I couldn't find them online.

And this is one of her favorite images from "her" herd in the Ochocos in Central Oregon.

She also puts out a calendar every year as a fundraiser for the 3 Ochoco mustangs that we own. One was a rescue straight out of the wild. Little did we know but she was pregnant! The dad was determined to be Razzle, the speckled guy two pics up. Rosie, the one we rescued, suffered a hip injury that happened, we believe, in the mating process. So the Forrest Service captured her and we adopted her. She wouldn’t have survived the winter on her own. And she is doing great with us! Both of them are.

We also have an Ochoco mare, we found her on Craigslist of all places. And we have Carol’s 27yo Tennessee Walker. No wonder there’s never any extra money…

 

[DickE]

Really nice photos of the wild horses! I'm hoping we can get some good images also. Do you know what camera and focal length lens she used?

 

[Randyzzz]

Really nice photos of the wild horses! I'm hoping we can get some good images also. Do you know what camera and focal length lens she used?

That was back when she was running a Sony A7 RIII. 45MP mirrorless. She owned the 70-200GMaster but for this trip she rented the 200-600GMaster. It was a beast of a lens. She loved using it but she was happy that she rented it as she didn't think she would want to be carrying it around all the time. Her primary picture area is the Ochocos and she can get to within the 200mm range with no problem.

 

[turd]

You folks are so far beyond my experience it is amazing. Seeing photos like these in this thread are what keeps me trying. Digital is so much easier to work with in terms of manipulating and sharing the results. Years ago I did enter that genre with a Panasonic Lumix that had 5 megapixels. Things were really taking off and changing so fast I knew I couldn't afford to keep buying cameras to try to keep up, so I stuck with my old standby. Now with the move to full frame cameras in many cases you would need to buy all new lenses as well. Now I think I am too old to start over.

 

[DickE]

God bless you for taking care of the horses. I'm sure they survive better due to your efforts. Love the two closeup shots. My wife and I will be renting some equipment for her on the Utah trip. She is a good artist (water color painting) but not into photography enough to justify expensive equipment. She will get more enjoyment from seeing the wild horses than photographing them.

 

[Randyzzz]

God bless you for taking care of the horses. I'm sure they survive better due to your efforts. Love the two closeup shots. My wife and I will be renting some equipment for her on the Utah trip. She is a good artist (water color painting) but not into photography enough to justify expensive equipment. She will get more enjoyment from seeing the wild horses than photographing them.

Thank you for your kind words.

Carol has a Facebook page - Carol Statton Photography if you would like to see more of her work.

Enjoy your adventure!