Photography Lens lesson...

[wproct]

This is a great thread. I'll make my post brief. I've been a camera/photography fan for many years. At one time our camera's were me a Canon 30D and my wife's a Canon 40D. We had various lenses but didn't understand at that time that you don't want to scrimp on buying a lens. Now both of us never use a camera, just our Iphones. Now, the next purchase of phone will be the pro model just for the better camera. They are so convenient that I'm just not interested in traditional cameras anymore.

 

[turd]

^^^I use my phone a lot also.

 

[Randyzzz]

This is a great thread. I'll make my post brief. I've been a camera/photography fan for many years. At one time our camera's were me a Canon 30D and my wife's a Canon 40D. We had various lenses but didn't understand at that time that you don't want to scrimp on buying a lens. Now both of us never use a camera, just our Iphones. Now, the next purchase of phone will be the pro model just for the better camera. They are so convenient that I'm just not interested in traditional cameras anymore.

For years after my wife was taking amazing pictures, I was using my phone. Still am. I have one of the new IPhone 16PRO models and I will say that the camera is amazing. The simple fact that the tiny camera can take such great pictures is amazing. I have heard many photographers say that for video- even though they have 4K capable DSLR they still go to the phone because it just works. For stills however, online quality is perfect for the phone. But if you want to print larger, or do some real work on your shot in post, nothing beats a real camera.

I look at it like my old models vs my new models. The new models work just as good and have an added safety feature- but nothing beats the feel of an old model.

 

[Randyzzz]

Also- when buying lenses- there are some consumer and prosumer lenses that have almost equivalent IQ to the Pro lenses at a way smaller cost. The difference is build quality- the pro lenses are built like tanks and weigh a ton. They are designed for heavy usage and adverse conditions. Weather sealing and aluminum bodies vs polycarbonate. Many pro lenses also have a larger aperture for low light too. And you pay for that. According to reviews, the two lenses I just bought produce equally as pleasing pictures as the pro lenses that cost 4-5x as much. Yes, there are some consumer lenses that are real pos’s. Just do your research and you can get set up for a fair price.

 

[larry8]

A long time ago before they replaced the film cameras, I had a lot of pro Cannon camera lenses and other flash stuff. There was talk of the digital cameras coming out, so I decided to sell off all my stuff. After i sold it, I picked up a Cannon digital and some lenses. However, my interest weaned, and I ended up selling all that too. So to not be without a digital camera I bought an Olympus Stylus 800 camera (don't laugh) and have been using it ever since. It really takes fairly good pics and never lets me down.

 

[DickE]

I have a good friend who shoots with an Olympus digital. I'm not sure of the model, but he gets beautiful images.

 

[trebor44]

Digitals are great and can be very useful (especially for pre-viewing a large format landscape etc.). Also nice to 'delete those less than 'preferred' shots with no expense other than time. But there is and will be for many years to come a place for film photography (can be scanned to digital format). Film photography costs are now expensive (even used gear) but it is still viable for those who prefer it! OH YEAH, the scanning process is not 'cheap', DIY or commercial but it is an option. NOTE: older, used digital gear is often cheaper than new. Just check the shutter count and cosmetics to your satisfaction.

 

[Jeepnik]

The one lesson I learned on new lenses is that manufacturers are always looking for ways to to rip off consumers.
I had several Canon bodies and numerous Canon lenses. When digital came out they made sure none of the old lenses would work with the new bodies.

They said things like the sensor not being on the same plane as film. Truth is they were designing new bodies and could sure as heck made everything compatible. But like printer manufacturers they make much more money on accessories than the body.

 

[blume357]

great stories... Like I said, I started taking pictures in High School... in college I was taking a serious photography class and I say serious because the teacher was a pro-photographer who took it serious.... a friend who was also taking the class bought a Cannon AE-1 and I had a basic Pentax K1000. I remember his would not work if the light meter battery went dead and I swore I would never own a camera that required a battery to work.... I chuckle when I think how that 'promise to myself' worked out. Some time I think back in he late 80's or early 90's the Sony Mavraca (sp?) came out and it was all the rage of chimney sweeps... I did a little internet research and figured out ... nope not the way to go..... I think the image went on a floppy disc and the lens on the camera were plastic.... I started back with Nikon... I already had a consumer grade Nikon 35mm SLR at that time..... So I bought and used the various Nikon digital basic view screen cameras for a number of years... then ended up on top of the White House (separate story) and our leader on the team had a Cannon Digital SLR and he let me use it... I know it sounds strange but I had forgotten how much I like the sound of that mirror flipping up. So the next week when I got back I bought a basic Nikon Digital SLR.... D50 worked up to this medium grade D7100. I plan to stick with it... I'm old school and not ready at this time to go up to the mirrorless ones.... Kind of like with hand guns.... I like metal.... I have poly guns but really find an all metal frame much for to my liking..... and something closer to full size... I have smaller but have no need to carry a pocket pistol.

So, I guess it is all about shooting and I think I will be shooting a lot (of pictures) this summer and not as much ammo.

Oh and I need to try and look up what someone else mentioned: a certain mono-pod and maybe even a harness for taking a lot of pictures using this lens.... the thing I did not realize is it has a 99mm front lens and so is actually fast because of all the light it brings in....

 

[gnappi]

I started out with Canon in the 70's but when digital came out I got a Nikon D90 (gifted away and now my son's) and later bought a D750 full frame. The reason I went with Nikon is their lenses have mostly been backward compatible to earlier body models to the limitations of the body.

Anyway, I have the 200-500mm and it's an amazing lens. Hand holding even at 500mm is stable with the VR. I took the owl pic at about 25 feet at 500mm.


Blume, be aware that carrying the camera on a neck strap is not advised as the lens weight "could" deform the body, holding it by the mount or cradling it like a child in your arms are the preferred methods. Some poo pooh this notion but I play it safe. Since your 7100 is a DX you will have to treat it by framing the subject differently than if it were on a full frame FX body. I haven't had mine on my son's D90 so I can't say how much the effect may be.

Ken Rockwell has a great write up on that lens.

https://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/200-500mm.htm

 

[Yaworski]

They said things like the sensor not being on the same plane as film.

As I understand it, lenses for digital are shaped slightly different than lenses for film and if you use your film lenses you can wind up with some aberrations.

I may be wrong, I'm still using my Hawkeye instamatic with flashcubes.

 

[dstegjas]

I'm glad to see how many of us enjoy photography. As others, I started taking photo back in the late 70's while in high school. Enjoyed it as a hobby for several years after that. When the digital era came in I switched everything of and got serious about it again. As a part-time income I got into wedding photography. That helped me buy higher end cameras and lenses. Now that I'm retired it's back to being a hobby for me. Nature and wildlife are my favorites but if it looks interesting to me. I'll take a picture of it. I have terabytes of pictures I've taken over the years. Once I switched to digital I changed everything over to canon equipment. All my lenses are the "L" series lenses. My cameras are the 1D series and the 5D series. I really do need to upgrade them, but I'm good for now.

The last picture was taken up at Torch lake in Michigan. The picture of the Northern Lights isn’t that great. However what was interesting to me was that the Big Dipper was also captured in the shot.

 

[GHollan]

I I watched eagles feed on midshipmen that come to spawn in the oyster beds on Hood Canal today. I made a couple quick edits and hope to cull the thousands of images I took down to a manageable number this weekend.

 

[Larryburford]

I love cameras and photography too. I have always used Canon but always wanted a Nikon too. I am planning on getting a new canon digital in the next year. I still have my Canon AE-1 Program 35mm I got in high school, and it still works.

 

[blume357]

Larryburford, I hate to say it but I think Cannon has reached or even possibly surpassed Nikon in professional grade photo equipment.

I think it is obvious that the change to digital photography has been a revolution. You used to set f stops and shutter speed, for most of us using a meter, but then just had to kind of hope that what developed was good. Now we can see if what the camera has decided is best is actually working. I've pretty much relied on the auto setting on these latest Nikons and I know there is so much more that can be done... the dern options in the menus just boggles my brain. When I bought this one a couple years ago from my friend he gave me a book written by some guy on the camera and I did read it... I need to find it and start over and I'm seriously thinking about finding and taking a class.

Oh, just for kicks... below is a picture of the Camera my father used in Korea back on 1950 followed by a picture of him taken with it.

 

[ibboatin28]

Photography taught me there is no free ride. Like on lenses what you gain somewhere you lose elsewhere…

 

[blume357]

While I was working on ordering this Nikon lens for some totally ridiculous reason I ordered a 500mm fixed lens from Amazon... it was something like $98... it did come with instructions and they pretty much said there was a learning curve to get it to work on a digital camera.... I tried for maybe 30 minutes, could see just fine through the view finder but never could get the camera to take a picture... or one that was actually a picture... After setting the camera to manual mode I tried adjusting the ISO on the camera and the f stops on the lens but it was all useless.... I'm sure I could have figured it out eventually but was too much work. Just like with tools, you get what you pay for. Oh, I returned that piece of junk lens....

 

[wproct]

For years after my wife was taking amazing pictures, I was using my phone. Still am. I have one of the new IPhone 16PRO models and I will say that the camera is amazing. The simple fact that the tiny camera can take such great pictures is amazing. I have heard many photographers say that for video- even though they have 4K capable DSLR they still go to the phone because it just works. For stills however, online quality is perfect for the phone. But if you want to print larger, or do some real work on your shot in post, nothing beats a real camera.

I look at it like my old models vs my new models. The new models work just as good and have an added safety feature- but nothing beats the feel of an old model.

The 16 PRO is exactly what I would like for us to have next.

 

[wproct]

Actually I first developed an interest in cameras about the time I got married, back in 1964. Mainly in 35mm and 8mm movie. My wife considered them to be just toys except when I would take family get together photos. Then many years later when we had grandchildren my interest kind of waned and she got really into it with her own equipment. And now everybody packs a cellphone capable of getting great shots and we don't travel as much as we used to and rely mostly on pictures others take and share. My wife's main interest now is pictures of sunrises and sunsets, she never tires of them and every single day there is something different about them.

 

[Flyboy*61]

As I understand it, lenses for digital are shaped slightly different than lenses for film and if you use your film lenses you can wind up with some aberrations.

I may be wrong, I'm still using my Hawkeye instamatic with flashcubes.

You pay money for good stuff, and it just lasts and lasts!

 

[Flyboy*61]

I have a good friend who shoots with an Olympus digital. I'm not sure of the model, but he gets beautiful images.

Generally, it's not the arrow, but the Indian! Very few manufacturers make "bad" lenses, at least for long, and many "kit, Prosumer, less espen$ive" lenses are magnificent. Perhaps not as rugged as the deservedly legendary "pro" lenses, but more affordable, at least for me, as well as amazingly capable; i.e.,The brand I am most familiar with: Nikon 50 mm f/1.8, 18-55 VR or non VR models, 17-80, 70-300 f/ 4.5-5.6...both AF S and AF P models. (Avoid the cheaper non-VR models.) The list goes on and on, not just for Nikon, but for all major manufacturers. Sooo...Avoid on-line "pros" who say you MUST have this or that len$, or that "Pro" level camera or objective is a must have. Do your research, buy good, less-expen$ive (not cheap) and if you find a real need for more expensive equipment, sell what you have or use it as a trade in.

 

[blume357]

One of the issues with taking pictures I have suspected for a while now is camera shake when you trip the shutter, even if you have a fast shutter speed and are real steady I wonder if there is a slight blur to the picture... two items lead me to this thought.... one is there is a setting on most of these cameras for a 2second delay with the shutter release ..... the only reason I can come up with this is when you have the camera on a tripod and don't want pushing the shutter realize button to cause even the slightest movement... remember in the old film cameras there was often a way to put a cable on to realize the shutter? tThe other reason for thinking this is actually my experience in shooting pistols over the years and even after getting pretty good realizing that finger placement on the trigger and how you squeeze the trigger makes a world of difference. .......
Now with these new VR (Vibration Control) lens that seems to be part of the solution to this.

I remember watching a woman take pictures years ago and every time she tripped the shutter she pushed so hard on the button that the camera moved...... she took terrible pictures.

 

[Randyzzz]

VR can help up to a point- you still have to be steady and squeeze the shutter. Just like shooting.

 

[Randyzzz]

Just a heads up to anyone looking at Nikon lenses. They build a 24-120 lens with VR. This is a great range for all-around photography. But- there are several versions. The earlier version where the letters "VR" are painted red has very poor image quality. The later version where the VR letters are painted gold is one of their best. If you are looking on say, EBay you will find the red lettered lens for very cheap- don't fall for it. Get the gold VR.

 

[flyer898]

As an amatuer photographer who likes to create professional quality images in distant (from roads) locations, I have come to appreciate the Micro-4/3ds format. My Olympus cameras and lenses perform very well at about half the weight and bulk of a full-frame set-up.

 

[Jeepnik]

One of the issues with taking pictures I have suspected for a while now is camera shake when you trip the shutter, even if you have a fast shutter speed and are real steady I wonder if there is a slight blur to the picture... two items lead me to this thought.... one is there is a setting on most of these cameras for a 2second delay with the shutter release ..... the only reason I can come up with this is when you have the camera on a tripod and don't want pushing the shutter realize button to cause even the slightest movement... remember in the old film cameras there was often a way to put a cable on to realize the shutter? tThe other reason for thinking this is actually my experience in shooting pistols over the years and even after getting pretty good realizing that finger placement on the trigger and how you squeeze the trigger makes a world of difference. .......
Now with these new VR (Vibration Control) lens that seems to be part of the solution to this.

I remember watching a woman take pictures years ago and every time she tripped the shutter she pushed so hard on the button that the camera moved...... she took terrible pictures.

There were cable releases and there is the Bulb setting on some. The Bulb setting let you use a squeeze bulb to hold the shutter open for long exposures. Today my Canon has a wifi widget that allows you to control the camera and a phone app that gives even more utility.
This was a long exposure early in the morning done using the phone app.

 

[blume357]

GHollan back at post #11 on page one mentioned several items and now I'm thinking about investing in them... The speed shooter harness looks like it might just be the way to go with a monopod.

 

[gnappi]

Just a heads up to anyone looking at Nikon lenses. They build a 24-120 lens with VR. This is a great range for all-around photography. But- there are several versions. The earlier version where the letters "VR" are painted red has very poor image quality. The later version where the VR letters are painted gold is one of their best. If you are looking on say, EBay you will find the red lettered lens for very cheap- don't fall for it. Get the gold VR.

I happen to be looking at the VR2 gold label lenses but many are grey market (not for me) and or have damaged filter rings or scratched lenses because a purist figured a .0001 percent gain in image quality was worth destroying the lens without a protective filter. The quest continues.

Side issue, does anyone here have a Flickr account for "G" rated images?

 

[Randyzzz]

Yeah, I have seen a lot of “minimally damaged” lenses. Not for me.

And now my wife has decided that she misses her mirrorless camera with the electronic viewfinder. So I’ll probably be trading her nice D850 for a Z5II.

A macro shot from last weekend-

 

[blume357]

Since y'all brought this thread back up I'll go ahead and say I did break down and order the Speed Shooter Harness and at the same time the Wimberley gimbal and Monopod from the guy that makes the harness... all told another $500. I like the harness even though the pouch in the belt right at your belly button that the mono pod sits in seems a little small to me. And I'm still trying to figure out the gimbal. The interesting thing that I realized is that I had a harness and belt... I'm blanking on the military name for the rig... that I would wear back when I walked in the woods that had various pouches on it in case I needed something... this along with a canteen, knife and the bag that normally an entrenching tool goes in and I discovered years ago was a perfect covered holster for a full size semi-auto pistol. And so I have switched most of this over to the Speed Shooter Harness.... will have to post a picture of it possible with me in it.

I did go 'down home' this weekend with the plan of taking a good bit of pictures with this new lens but ended up mostly hanging with my old time buddies. and this is about the only picture I took with it.... bird was about 50 yards away and I've cropped the picture. Can some one identify it, it was an air feeder.