I have a question about the Ai-s lenses. I bought the d80 because its supposed to be able to support a wide variety of lenses. The Ai-S lenses are the ones from the old film cameras, correct? Which makes them MF only, right? You installed the chip into the lenses so it can work with AF? The D80 has a built-in AF motor so if I bought an old lens I would still be able to use AF with the built-in motor, or was the chip installed so the lens could use the built-in motor?

all auto-focus nikon lenses have built in motors, camera bodies do not, it's impossible to turn a manual focus lens into auto focus (someone correct me if I'm wrong)

You are correct. The lens would have to have an internal motor to work in AF. I would suggest to practice up on your manual focus if you want to get the older lenses.

Im jealous of your 35mm f1.8. ive been wanting a 35mm for a while but im just too broke.

^You can get one on ebay for about $150.


So what was the chip for??

Manual focus lenses can never become autofocus lenses.

(The chip allows the the camera to change aperture, meter exposure and use the P, A and S modes, use the focus indicator light and record EXIF information for Ai-S lenses)

BTW, there are AF nikon lenses without focus motors. Some Nikon cameras have focus motors in the camera body that connect to a screwdrive focus mechanism in the lense. The 50mm 1.8d is an example of an AF lens without a motor. If you use the 50mm 1.8d on a D40 or other low end Nikon, it won't autofocus. The D80 has the built in motor, so the lens would autofocus on this body.

Never got around to posting my gear. This is what I currently have:

Canon EOS 7D

I bought the 7D in January 2010. I've been very happy with it. AF system is superb, 8 fps is a great feature too. Not the best landscape camera but great for the street.

Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM

I picked up this lens mainly for landcapes but ended up using it as my primary walk around lens. Great for candid street shots. It isn't an L but it very well could be. The housing feels a little cheap and the inner elements get dusty as the lens isn't weather sealed.

Some shots:

Lapsing Beach by Porter Yates, on Flickr


Espera Azul by Porter Yates, on Flickr

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS II USM

I bought this lens in March. Incredible sharpness and color. I was very impressed with the original version and the II blows it away. Extremely heavy and sticks out like a sore thumb. Not a great lens if you are looking to stay hidden on the street. Why can't Canon release a black version too?


Looking to Lasso by Porter Yates, on Flickr


Daily Haul by Porter Yates, on Flickr

Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

Kit lens that I don't use much any more. I'll grab it if I'm tight on space or don't want to be changing lenses. The lens is still sharp and produces nice colors but is certainly not on par with other Ls


Dogon Boy by Porter Yates, on Flickr


Old Man on Step by Porter Yates, on Flickr

Canon EF 135mm f/2.0 L USM

Great lens for the street. Because it is a prime, it adds another element to shooting. What you see is what you get. Super crisp and the 2.0 fstop produces a buttery sweet bokeh. Lack of IS is a problem. 135 x 1.6 crop makes hand shake an issue at lower shutter speeds. Nice lightweight and discrete. I use this when I want unnoticed street portraits.


Butchering Fish by Porter Yates, on Flickr


Styled by Porter Yates, on Flickr

Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 AF APO DG OS HSM

Giant lens that I have used for wildlife shots. The image quality is noticeably worse than my other lenses. Might try and sell this guy soon.


Dead Set by Porter Yates, on Flickr


Out of My Way by Porter Yates, on Flickr

Sigma 10mm f/2.8 EX DC HSM Fisheye

I picked this lens up in June. Really wanted the Canon 8-15 L fisheye but is wasn't out when I needed it. The lens is a fixed 10mm, and gives a nice fishe-eye effect. Chromatic Aberration is really, really bad but I can fix that in PS. Image quality is ok, the sharpness just isn't there. Will probably sell this and pick up the canon fisheye.


Arced Shore by Porter Yates, on Flickr


Come and Pray by Porter Yates, on Flickr

Extender EF 1.4X III

I've used this for the 135 and 70-200mm. Great for a little bit of extra reach. Sharpness does seem to suffer in certain instances.

That's about it, I have a manfrotto tripod and a few lighter weight, travel tripods. I also have a few filters and last but certainly not least, a lowepro backpack. Gotta lug all that gear around safely.

My photo gear:

Nikon D-5100 body, Nikon 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 VR (crappy kit lens), Nikon 55-300mm f4.5-5.6 VR, Nikon 50mm f1.8G (awesome!), Sigma 10-20mm f4.0-5.6 (awesome!) lenses.

Gotta love my new 50mm 1.8, no doubt about it! :tup:

Thinking of biting the bullet and picking up the Sigma f2.8 17-50mm Vibration Reduction lens... Figure I could use a basic "go to" lens with excellent bokeh (now that I understand what the hell bokeh is! :jester:

Anyone have experience with the Sigma f2.8 17-50 VR lens? Better or worse than the equivalent Tamron?

Aaron (Glworock)

Yep, it's the lens I use the most (albeit for a Canon).

I think I'll hold off on getting anything else for a while. I'm busy with school right now, and my 3 lenses are fine for walking around the city.
Besides, it's either lens or travel, and I'm thinking of going to Seoul or Tokyo this summer for a couple weeks.

I have a Canon XSi with a 75-300 4-5.6, kit 18-55 3.5-5.6, and 50 1.4. I'm saving my money to buy a 17-55 2.8.

I also have a FujifFilm FinePix F650.

From the reviews I have read the Sigma has superior color to the Tamron but the sharpness is relatively equal. Also Sigma has the older 18-50mm f2.8 that you can get for around $400

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sigma-18-50m...item35b402b7bb

@Porter - that new canon fisheye is completely BADASS! Buy one. You will not regret it. one of my flickr contacts has that lens.
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6162/...7dce79f2_z.jpg
prime view by ronnie.yip, on Flickr

Wow, that's a killer shot!

interesting to see what everyone is shooting with, especially some of the ssp photo beasts like flar and okayyou. i browsed the thread quickly and didn't see anyone using pentax gear, so i thought i would add my setup:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6104/...67225165_b.jpg

from left to right:
- SMC Pentax-DA 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 WR (water resist) - bought new for our vietnam trip
- homemade macro diffuser (see below)
- SMC Pentax-A 50mm f1.7 - manual focus, about 20 years old and my sharpest lens by far. bought used for $90.
- Tamron AF 90mm f2.8 macro 1:1 - bought new for the missus
- Tamron AF 70-300mm f4-5.6 - bit of a dog (looks like it too), only sharp-ish up to 200mm. bought second hand for the reach but not overly satified with it.
- Pentax K-5 with SMC Pentax-M 28mm f2.8 mounted. my most used lens by far, great angle for street shots and easy manual focus. bought second hand for $30, it's almost 30 years old and works like a charm!

my gf and i are into totally different kinds of photography - i use the 28mm the most (street shots), and the 50mm (portraits) quite a bit, while for the most part she only does macro. here is her kit, with the homemade flash diffuser i cobbled together for her out of a can of pringles:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6111/...9aed1638_z.jpg
she added the fabric (white on front to act as a diffuser and black to cover up the "low fat bbq" branding, which she thought was in poor taste).
it works surprisingly well, here is a shot she took recently:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6211/...f94eb6ed_z.jpg

pretty crafty with the home made diffuser.

Yeah, that does work well. Nice job!

Well, I should be receiving my Tamron 18-50mm VC f2.8 in the mail today... Can't wait to try it out! Had a chance to see it in person and test a few shots at a local camera store the other day, and decided it was by far the better buy between it and the Sigma equivalent lens which is retailing for more than $100 more than the Tamron...

And now, I am finished buying lenses. I've spent enough money already! :haha:

Aaron (Glowrock)

I'm still rockin' an 8-year old Canon Digital Rebel (300D) which is starting to give up the ghost.

Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III (bought this for 80 bucks)
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II
Canon EF 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 II (kit lens, looking to upgrade)
Promaster 19-35mm f/3.5-4.5 AF

That pretty much sold me on the tamron vs sigma debate too. Really thought that a great deal of a lens. Awesome sharpness and bokeh.

Plus I got a free lens hood that day!

Tamron makes a 28-75 f2.8 or you can be like me and aaron and get the 17-50 f2.8. I like having the wider angle option.

Especially when I got the VC version of the lens for the price they had the non-VC version for at Camera Exchange! :)

Aaron (Glowrock)