I'm the proud owner of a Canon 135L. Traded a zoom lens for it. I'm all primes at the moment, which is where I want to be.

The 135L is one of my favorite lenses. Image quality, focus speed, bokeh all top tier. Only complaint is the lack of IS. Handshake can be an issue, I usually take 3 or 4 shots in burst to make sure I get a clear picture.

Congrats Kev. Wish I could boast the same statement.

Just picked up my first DSLR, a Nikon D5100 with the standard 18-55 VR zoom lens. Also got the 55-300 VR zoom lens as well. I think it's a f3.5-5.6?

I think the only other lens I'm really going to need/want very much is a super-wide zoom, something like photolitherland's 11-16 Tokina or perhaps the slightly cheaper 10-20 Sigma or Tamron model. I know the Tokina is an f2.8 and I think the other two are in the f3.5-4.5 range, but I'm not sure if, on a super wide angle, it will make a whole lot of difference. Your thoughts, folks?

Overall, I think I picked up some nice gear, especially for my level (and probably a few levels above) of knowledge. No reason to go super high-end without the knowledge to know how to properly use it! :)

Aaron (Glowrock)

Congrats Aaron! Sigma also makes a 8-16mm now. I think it's a f4.5 but that might be enough for you. But I do like to have the added speed and shallow dof that a 2.8 offers. Plus the tokina is built rock solid. So definitely worth the money. But the sigma 10-20 is good too for nightshots. Sekkle has one of those and I know a couPle others that use it as well. Good lens. Nice flares.

I just put a quick review up for my new 50mm 1.8 Nikon, its pretty sweet, and year Aaron, cant wait to see some new photos from your sweet gear. Do you like your stuff so far, Im sure it beats the hell out of the old camera you had.

A 50MM would be good to pick up. very handy for portraits and low light situations. Pretty cheap for the most part too.

^
Yeah, I actually bought that because I saw how good the lighting was with your f1.7 at least I think it was a 1.7.

I've been playing with my new gear for a bit this evening, mainly just taking shots from my deck and on my street. I'm going to do a Wheeling WV shoot tomorrow, I should have a really good idea what kind of capabilities I really have when that's done! :yes:

I'm going to post a thread of some test photos for people to critique shortly. Please let me know your thoughts!

Aaron (Glowrock)

Yeah it's a f1.7. Really nice for low light. You can get Okay night shots handheld too

Ive decided Im going to buy a new macro lens. I used to have a Sigma 150mm macro. I dont know why I sold it, but that was around 6 years ago, I shouldnt have because I got some kick ass photos with that lens. But, I think Im going to purchase the Nikon 105mm f2.8 micro lens. Its pretty much the last lens Ill ever need because after that, Ill have all the focal ranges covered, up to 500mm. If I ever get a well paying job, I want to buy the incredible 600mm f4 Nikkor lens. But that baby us 10 grand, so that will be quite some time til I could ever afford that. Anyways, here the 105mm micro.

http://i1117.photobucket.com/albums/...-g-ed-lens.jpg
http://www.nikoncannon.com/nikon-fix...kor-f-2-8-g-ed

:previous:

i think you mean when you win the lotto :haha:

10k!!!! sheesh....

That thing better lock on to birds like a homing missile for that price.

Dude the 600mm looks like a missile, I have a friend who has one and it's the most kick ass thing ever and weighs about 18 lbs.

So it does lock on to birds :yes:

^
Yes lol

I just bought the 105mm Nikkor 2.8 micro lens and its amazing. I took it out for about five minutes after work today and Im pretty impressed with the optics so far, although the f stop changes on manual as the lens is focusing which isnt good and shouldnt be happening. So, Ill have to figure out whats wrong, never had that happen on any other lenses.

http://i1117.photobucket.com/albums/...rdboy1/fly.jpg

The bokeh is gorgeous with this lens.

http://i1117.photobucket.com/albums/k591/birdboy1/c.jpg
My Nikkor lenses, I have a few others that arent Nikon. But, most of the time, you just cant compare any other lenses to Nikon brand glass.

http://i1117.photobucket.com/albums/...dboy1/c1-1.jpg

-Nikon D700 - More than 8,000 photos so far, and I'm pleased with it.
-AF Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 - picked it up used for $100 - good sharp lens
-AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 D
-AF Micro Nikkor 60mm f/2.8 D
-AF-S Nikkor 70-300MM f/4.5-5.6 VR
-Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 IF XR Di LD Macro - Good walkabout lens

-rarely-used Nikon SB-600 flash
-Gitzo basalt tripod - lightweight for travel
-vintage 1979 Bogen tripod, built like a tank and heavy like one, too.

-Nikon Coolpix S700 for when I want to travel light and be inconspicuous.

^^a versatile kit, only one slow lens in the bunch, nice!

My updated equipment list.

Cameras:

Nikon D90
Nikon D50

Lenses:

Nikkor AF-S 16-85mm f/3-5-5.6G ED VR DX:
Sharp, versatile, an awesome lens as long as you have daylight.

Tokina AT-X Pro SD 12-24mm F4 (IF) DX:
Zooms in enough that it's useful to walk around with this and a couple longer primes.

Nikkor AF-S 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED IF DX VR:
Actually a fine lens, but I never use it because it feels like crap compared to my other lenses.

Nikkor AF-S 35mm f/1.8 G DX:
No complaints.

Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 Ai-S:
Super fast, super sharp. I installed a cpu chip in this lens so all the automatic functions of the camera would work with it.

Nikkor AF 85mm f/1.8 D:
No complaints

Nikkor 105mm f/2.5 Ai-S:
One of the all time greats. Swapped the Ai version for the newer Ai-S and added a cpu chip. Better control of CAs, smaller and has a built-in lens hood.

Nikkor 200mm f/4 Ai-S:
Not that fast, but faster than telephoto zooms and sharp at f4. The strong point about this lens is its very small size for such a long lens. I added a cpu chip to this one too.

Other:
Induro tripod
Polarizing filter (unfortunately doesn't fit on my 16-85 or 12-24)
Cheap Chinese extension tubes
Reversing ring
Remote shutter release


I'm loving the primes and have almost everything I want. Maybe a dedicated macro lens or a wide angle prime. Or a full frame camera with big bright viewfinder and high ISO capability, perhaps.

got a couple new goodies to add to my gear bag.

First up is my new Minolta 28-85mm f3.5-4.5
http://www.carmarthencameras.co.uk/s..._123412091.JPG

Pretty decent lens for the cost ($56 total on ebay)

Decent sharpness. Nice bokeh and killer price. Really just a temporary fill until I can get enough money together to get the 28-75 f2.8 tamron I want.

Test shots coming soon!

I also got an 8gig memory card and a battery/trigger grip.

The trigger grip is my favorite of the new things. I does seem like much at first but it makes a big difference to the over all functionality of the camera. It gives it a nice pro look and makes it balance a little better. Plus with the added trigger makes taking shots in portrait mode is much less awkward then before. Down side is it does make the camera significantly heavier.

Picked up some new glass to add to my kit today. Went in looking for the 85mm f/1.4D but it was out of stock and requires a special order with a 2 month wait. I wanted to go home with something today so I picked up my second choice, the 105mm f/2.8 Micro.

Had a quick play with it, but the strong winds were not conducive to macro photography. Have not used it as such, but I suspect this lens will make a great portrait lens as well.



Few shots with it:

Well here is my official list:

Nikon D80

Nikkor 18-55mm kit lens

Nikkor 35mm f/2g AF-S Lens

Nikkor 50mm f/1.8d AF Lens

Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6g VR Lens

Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC HSM OS Lens (not sure yet if i'm gonna return it and keep the 55-200mm or keep it and return this one) EDIT: I decided to keep the 55-200mm since its quality is better.

Accessories:

16gb SanDisk memory card

62" Dolica Tripod & a shutter remote

3 piece Hoya filter set

2 extra batteries :D


Unfortunately I've been sick for the past week and a half and my 7-day unlimited cta pass is now expired plus I got a few exams coming up during the next 2 weeks so I haven't been able to actually test anything out yet :(....