Author Topic: Bought any photography stuff today? (Read 172538 times)

JohnP · « **Reply #375 on:** 29 April, 2014, 08:59:03 pm »

Not sure how it happened but my Chief Financial Officer and SWMBO sanctioned the purchase of a SIGMA 24-70/2.8 and 70-200/2.8 along with a 1.4 convertor. To show good faith, I agreed to px my elderly D3000 body and five lenses covering from 10mm - 500mm . Beginning to suffer pain in both thumbs and the 150-500 was getting too heavy - probably why I hadn't used it for quite a while. Quite looking forward to trying the new lenses over the next weekend when we visit Nieuwpoort in Flanders.

Zipperhead · « **Reply #376 on:** 30 April, 2014, 11:34:30 am »

In the past I've always been a little wary of third party lenses, I remember a time when some of the current big players had reputations for producing things that weren't very good.

But, Nikon don't make anything with the attributes that I wanted, so I started looking at other manufacturers offerings and found that Sigma make one. Not only that but in independent tests it comes out ahead of the nearest Nikon offering. Ebay turned up a selection of them, with a variety of prices ("good condition, a mark of the front element but it doesn't affect picture quality" ), a lot of them from Japan & HK. But one of them from a camera shop in this country, ex-demo and only slightly more than than a good s/h example and with a 3 year guarantee from Sigma.

So, this morning the postman delivered a 50-150mm F2.8 APO EX DC OS.

I knew it was going to be a little on the bulky side, it's as big as my Nikon 80-400mm and probably about the same weight.

I've just been out in the garden to try it on the local furry semi-wildlife. Wide open, at the longer end I reckon there's mabe 10mm depth of field, but it's very, very sharp. Not only are the smallest hairs on the cats face sharp but you can see the what look like spots of pollen on them. As far as the mechanism goes, it feels beautifully smooth - better than the 80-400 which was to hand.

Charlotte · « **Reply #377 on:** 30 April, 2014, 11:56:26 am »

So it's basically like a 70-200mm f/2.8 for DX? Very cool - and *very* useful!

Zipperhead · « **Reply #378 on:** 30 April, 2014, 12:29:45 pm »

Quote from: Charlotte on 30 April, 2014, 11:56:26 am

So it's basically like a 70-200mm f/2.8 for DX? Very cool - and *very* useful!

Hexactly. It's just what I was looking for. I'm going out in a little while and I'm tempted to take a filter off something else (it's 77mm, so I've got a choice) and take it with me to play a little more.

In fact, as it's a nice day and I'm going by bike, why not.

Charlotte · « **Reply #379 on:** 30 April, 2014, 01:25:18 pm »

...feckless unemployed

Jaded · « **Reply #380 on:** 30 April, 2014, 01:29:37 pm »

It's a very nice lens.

Zipperhead · « **Reply #381 on:** 30 April, 2014, 01:55:02 pm »

Quote from: Charlotte on 30 April, 2014, 01:25:18 pm

...feckless unemployed

It's payback for all the wet winter cycle commuting

PaulR · « **Reply #382 on:** 30 April, 2014, 02:14:50 pm »

Further to the smashing time I had with my 1000D and its nice 50mm f1.8 lens earlier this week, I am going to be unemployed in about three hours' time.

It's not been fun travelling along this road, but at 10.30 this morning I had a job offer that I am going to find very difficult to refuse, particularly as this will leave me with some leeway to use part of my pay-off on a new camera.

I might just go for a 600D, as it ticks all the astrophotography boxes I am interested in, as well as seeming to be a good general purpose machine. I will not buy it without also purchasing a proper bag, so as to avoid a recurrence of the aforementioned smashing.

LEE · « **Reply #383 on:** 30 April, 2014, 03:07:14 pm »

Canon EOS 100D & 40mm f/2.8

Household objects for scale.

Despite the mind-boggling amount of menu options I default to Aperture Priority because that's what my old Pentax ME Super was and it just seems natural.

paul851 · « **Reply #384 on:** 30 April, 2014, 03:49:29 pm »

A couple of 220 and 120 inserts for the Mamiya 645 plus finally found a decently priced 80mm 2.8 that came with a M645 1000s as a rear lens cap

Paul

PaulR · « **Reply #385 on:** 02 May, 2014, 02:21:45 pm »

Oopsadaisy

Went out to get a replacement 50mm f1.8 canon lens, ended up also getting an immaculate 600D (complete with a snazzy 18-55mm STM lens)

paul851 · « **Reply #386 on:** 03 May, 2014, 01:59:57 pm »

I had a Mamiya power drive for the 645 turn up today , not sure why

as it isn't really so hard to turn the crank but it was reasonably priced . Also a 35mm f3.5 C lens .

Paul

LEE · « **Reply #387 on:** 07 May, 2014, 11:07:29 am »

Didn't buy anything but I did remember that my Dad had a Canon 35mm camera tucked away somewhere.

He dug out his dusty camera bag and we found his old (16 years old...so ancient) 35mm Canon EOS 500 (and people think modern DSLRs fee plasticky) with 2 zooms, a 35-80 and a 75-300.

I imagine that they seemed like space-age tech back in the day as both had auto-focus and both work perfectly well with my new EOS 100D.

They aren't the greatest of lenses, distinctly budget feel, but a good find (and sorted out my birthday presents from Mum & Dad this year).

Maverick · « **Reply #388 on:** 09 May, 2014, 07:24:33 pm »

Finally got the funds together for a AF-S Micro Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 and the Speedlight R1 kit that arrived today. Look out bugs, I'm hunting you

Seriously, I'm really looking forward to getting to grips with this kit

David Martin · « **Reply #389 on:** 10 May, 2014, 12:04:25 am »

Do let me knwo how you get on. I am on the lookout for a decent macro lens.

Maverick · « **Reply #390 on:** 10 May, 2014, 10:39:33 am »

David - you're welcome to come round and give it a try out, just PM me

geraldc · « **Reply #391 on:** 14 May, 2014, 12:21:15 pm »

Found PC world getting rid of the lumix G6 with bundled 14-140 for less than the price of either the body or lens. Totally mental. So I bought it. Will have to now get rid of my current M43 camera

Charlotte · « **Reply #392 on:** 15 May, 2014, 05:15:58 pm »

A second hand Gitzo GT3541XLS turned up in the international post for me this morning. Solid as a rock, not too heavy and when you get the legs all the way out, it's huge - the thing goes up to about two metres before you put a head on it.

Tripods will never be sexy, but if you're going to have to use a set of sticks under your camera, Italian carbon fibre is definitely the way to go

clarion · « **Reply #393 on:** 15 May, 2014, 05:22:32 pm »

Didn't buy anything per se (well, two rolls of film and a battery cover for my SLR (which was thrown in for free in the end anyway)), but spent a significant amount of money on getting five cameras repaired and fettled. A worthwhile investment.

Charlotte · « **Reply #394 on:** 15 May, 2014, 05:30:10 pm »

Yeah, I need to get a lens CLAd and I should probably either get some more sensor swabs or take my cameras up to Fixation for a bit of a squeegee. Service bills never feel as welcome as receipts for new kit...

tiermat · « **Reply #395 on:** 15 May, 2014, 05:44:34 pm »

Quote from: Maverick on 09 May, 2014, 07:24:33 pm

Finally got the funds together for a AF-S Micro Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 and the Speedlight R1 kit that arrived today. Look out bugs, I'm hunting you Seriously, I'm really looking forward to getting to grips with this kit

Good choice! I bought one of them, for Mrs T, a while ago, it's great!

clarion · « **Reply #396 on:** 15 May, 2014, 06:09:37 pm »

Quote from: Charlotte on 15 May, 2014, 05:30:10 pm

Yeah, I need to get a lens CLAd and I should probably either get some more sensor swabs or take my cameras up to Fixation for a bit of a squeegee. Service bills never feel as welcome as receipts for new kit...

But it felt like Christmas when I went to collect all the cameras this morning!

Like most Christmases, of course, it made a significant impact on my wallet

But I've been shooting today with one camera I've never been able to use before, since it came with a damaged shutter. Just required a quick rebuild, and it's good as new.

Unfortunately, the lens I took (in bits, as I received it) is not up to a rebuild, as the optics were too degraded. This means I still have a rare Olympus interchangeable lens camera body in great condition, and no lens to use with it!

On the plus side, I spent a slightly disproportionate amount on a rangefinder I didn't particularly have a use for, so that Butterfly now has one of her own. It's an early program-function camera, so she just has to compose and focus. The model in question has a notoriously feeble electrical side, so it's been future-proofed, and is now better than any that can be bought directly.

I've now got a trio of film cameras - 35SP; 35RD and Pen D - to use for the majority of the time, and a couple of sorted cameras I can sell (along with all the others in the box

).

David Martin · « **Reply #397 on:** 23 June, 2014, 02:48:59 pm »

I have a Blackmagic Ultrastudio mini recorder for slurping HDMI into the Mac. It works, after some fettling, swearing and work-arounds. So I can now do Chroma-key stuff, or at least I would if the ChromaKey background had arrives, which it hasn't, but will, hopefully, soon.

And then to see if I can get the output from the Mac onto the big screens for live recording weatherman style..

David Martin · « **Reply #398 on:** 26 June, 2014, 01:55:26 pm »

OK, so just how do you store a 2.4m backdrop? Fortunately my office has 2.6m ceilings so it is currently standing on end in a corner (innabaginnabox)

PaulR · « **Reply #399 on:** 12 July, 2014, 08:54:34 pm »

Another almost accidental purchase: a huge chunk of manual glass to sit on the front of my Canon 600D

Author Topic: Bought any photography stuff today? (Read 172538 times)

paul851

paul851