New Toys !!

heartyfisher

Well we know we love our "new toys"..

Tell us about your recent purchase and why you like it !! etc etc .. :-) or .. not ;-)

spraynpray

D850. Mostly I like it, but not as much as I thought I would. The noise performance is rubbish in comparison to my D750 and it's performance shooting macro is problematical, but that apart and forgetting the file size and memory bank related issues, it's OK.

There, you won't see many people come out like that about the D850. Score of 100 on DxO? I can't see that personally.

mhedges

D7200 for me. I like it, but I can’t say I really see any significant increase in image quality vs my 5500. As Rockwell says, the pictures are the same (ducks). But it certainly has lots of handy extra features. I appreciate having an actual physical switch for AF/MF. The biggest improvements to me are low light AF (which is much better) and the bigger, brighter viewfinder. I used to be seeing double for about 10 minutes after using the 5500 in dark areas. I have no strain at all after using the 7200.

framer

I started a thread about my new Epson P5000 printer, love it.

I also got a D500 a couple months ago and just took it to Alaska for a week. Man! It packs a punch. I put a Nikkor 300mm f/4 AFs on it for a light weight package.

framer

ggbutcher

AF-S DX Micro-NIKKOR 40mm f/2.8G.

Nikon refurb. Got it to get closer to flowers, and to set up for digitizing a passle of slides and negatives.

It was from a local store's tent sale; the salesperson worked on me to consider the 16-80mm sitting next to it, which eventually will probably be my next purchase...

nealmcdonald

After a year or so of really not doing much photography, i'm starting to get back into it and want to put a bit more effort into it. Focusing on mainly landscapes at present- i'm trying to get out and visit the lake district every 2 weeks. To be honest it feels like i'm starting from scratch!

Anyhow i bought a sekonic L858 light meter- mainly as i really wanted to change my approach and kind of force myself to assess and think about each scene while getting the most out of the camera's dynamic range. Its cool- i like it, although i must admit right now i don't feel confident in the process of using it. On that front does anyone know of any good books/videos or sites on using light meters? Sekonic have videos but i think they have just frustrated and confused me!

I have also ordered a Tamron 24-70mm 2.8 G2 as a general purpose lens. I have the nikon 16-35mm f4 but thats currently my only zoom- all my other lenses are primes. Trekking around all day up hills, a bag of primes has been too much. The intention is take the 16-35, 24-70 and probably one other with me in future. My next purchase will probably be the 70-200 2.8 G2.

Rx4Photo

Thank you @spraynpray for being very candid about your thoughts. I have toiled over getting a D850 but after all this time on the market I cannot make myself pull the trigger. I'm still shooting my original D800. ...... Now I need new tires on the car, so there goes THAT money : (

CaMeRaQuEsT

Just got a Panasonic G7 with kit zoom and 50mm equivalent as replacement for the D5500 I unloaded. Tiniest little things ever, almost Pentax 110 tiny, they make my D600 and my AF/D lenses look absolutely unwieldy. And prehistoric: I've got zebras, peaking, eye detect AF, pitch and roll levels, live preview, menus and playback review all in my viewfinder, with almost all controls and menus accesible to my right hand. Beautiful but not always intuitive menu that matches other Panasonic AV equipment. Fast, no lag response in almost all circumstances, unlike my previous Sony A7 or Fujifilm X-E2. Quirks? Can't control ISO directly with the idle command dial in A or S mode, and the best 2 ways to access ISO are both awkward dog legged moves of the thumb or trigger finger. Panasonic only does contrast detect AF, but it is so quick, the first time I saw it work in continuos AF for stills I thought the lens was broken as it goes in and out of focus in such tiny steps and at such high frequency it looks like the optics are trembling, like in a faulty VR mechanism. To reset the AF point you hit DISP instead of Ok, and there are no +/- buttons: you use the rear command dial to zoom in or out in playback and it automatically displays a magnified view of the center when you manually focus. And the ON/OFF switch works in reverse of what your fingers are used to. Bad points? This sensor is only 16Mp, so can't heavily crop, it's only 1/2 of a DX or 1/4 of an FX in size, so low light/high ISO performance suffers in commensurate order (though the "grain" quality is comparable to Nikon's, which is excellent, unlike Canon's). Long exposures with NR off are useless due to huge amounts of hot pixels in the shadows, even in RAW (maybe because the sensor gets hot from being on all the time? Never seen this happen with my Nikons). Feels really plasticky and toylike, even when compared to a D3*00 or D5*00, although it does have a metal chassis connecting the lens mount to the sensor, something that Nikon can not say about any of their current bodies except for the D5 and D850. For bespectacled shooters like me, the EVF has a very small sweet spot dead in its center where everything looks sharp, stray just a bit off it and the image looks out of focus. And the shutter hits hard. Best thing about it? No need for AF fine tuning, just like all mirrorless cameras! And continuous AF for video works leaps and bounds better than any Nikon to date. Oh, and the lenses have this very weird coating that is very slick and hard at the same time, which makes cleaning them an absolute joy to do. Overall, It makes me wish Panasonic did FF cameras, they sure would be doing a better job than Sony has to date.

Also got a Feiyu-Tech A1000 electronic gimbal for taking slick, smooth videos with my G7. Although it is only rated for up to mirrorless cameras, it does balance my D600+20mm 2.8 AF quite well, too. In both cases, a hotshoe mic can not be used, as the gimbal arms will hit the mic if I shoot camera down. It and the larger A2000 also do weird movements at certain angles that haven't been addressed on even the latest firmware. It is the most powerful gimbal in its size range, so I got to give it that. But as it stands, I can't really recommend it. BTW, although it is one of the lightest gimbals out there that are capable of running with 3 lbs of gear on it, using it for about an hour will give your hand and arm a real workout, my hand was shaking grabbing a drink after I finished shooting!

NSXTypeR

Rx4Photo said:

Thank you @spraynpray for being very candid about your thoughts. I have toiled over getting a D850 but after all this time on the market I cannot make myself pull the trigger. I'm still shooting my original D800. ...... Now I need new tires on the car, so there goes THAT money : (

Don't skimp on tires, they're the only thing keeping you on the ground, literally.

New-ish for me, but I've almost owned it for a year now. I bought a 10.5 inch iPad Pro 256 gig version with LTE.

I like OSX and Android phones, and honestly I would have preferred going for an android tablet if they didn't suck so much with updates. If I'm going to sink close to $1000 on a tablet, I better get decent software upgrades, which there isn't any guarantee with Android tablets.

Pistnbroke

You lot are giving me GAS

DenverShooter

Rx4Photo said:

Now I need new tires on the car, so there goes THAT money : (

I run Michelin summer tires and Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 snow tires on my daily drivers. And Michelin M/S LT tires on my Ford Excursion and Michelin Pilot A/S3 on my '89 Porsche 951.

I get exceptional tread life out of the Michelin's (including the relatively soft Pilot's) but I am OCD with maintaining proper tire pressure, suspension alignment and balancing.

Your life depends on your tires. Don't cheap out.

Denver Shooter

Pistnbroke

I think it said New Toys not new Tyres (Tires)

Killerbob

A double set off PocketWizards.

2 x FlexTT5 Nikon,
1 x MiniTT1-Nikon, and
1 x AC3 ZoneController.

Love that setup... With a few flashlights you can do almost anything...

Searcy

I think my favorite newish toy is my Peak Design straps. I bought two and love them.


https://www.adorama.com/pdslt2.html

sport

Killerbob said:

A double set off PocketWizards.

2 x FlexTT5 Nikon,
1 x MiniTT1-Nikon, and
1 x AC3 ZoneController.

Love that setup... With a few flashlights you can do almost anything...

Nice setup! I opted to use a SU-800 instead of the AC3 and also use a Sekonic L-358. Setups are easy and fast to adjust.

Ton14

@Searcy Combine that with the belt clip and you have a very save walk around setup.

https://www.adorama.com/l/?searchinfo=peak+design+capture

It gives you 3 benefits.

1. You take weight away from your shoulder. The most important factor for me, I walk around the whole day now with the D600 and the 70-200mm f/4 (the f/2.8. lens is also no problem). With this setup I drive around on my bicycle, no problem at all.
2. It is save
3. The Arca Swiss plate, always at hand for quick connection.

I also have the thin strap for lighter camera's and used it this way, but only for safety.

Searcy

Ton14 said:

@Searcy Combine that with the belt clip and you have a very save walk around setup.

https://www.adorama.com/l/?searchinfo=peak+design+capture

It gives you 3 benefits.

1. You take weight away from your shoulder. The most important factor for me, I walk around the whole day now with the D600 and the 70-200mm f/4 (the f/2.8. lens is also no problem). With this setup I drive around on my bicycle, no problem at all.
2. It is save
3. The Arca Swiss plate, always at hand for quick connection.

I also have the thin strap for lighter camera's and used it this way, but only for safety.

I have this Peak Design Clutch too. https://www.adorama.com/pdcl2.html That was the first thing I bought from them. After I dropped that lens last year and killed it I decided to up my strap and case game.

I'm thinking of getting one of those belt clips and that lens holder they have. https://www.adorama.com/pdlcn1.html

Ton14

That is a good solution, if, for example, you want 3 prime lenses with you, 1 on the camera and 2 on your belt, works good I think, but be very careful changing lenses, terrible to drop a lens. I insured them, saved me a € 2000.- lens and a repair, so I know how you felt then.

My camera is always attached to the strap. The connectors are tested for 45 kg, so the camera break first . Found out that the Clutch does not work for me.

retread

Interesting idea. I use a think tank holster and pouches on a belt. I don't like cameras and lenses exposed to the elements when I am not using them. When I use a strap I like the bosstrap. http://bosstrap.com/

Now if someone just made a holster for a griped body and a Sigma 120-300 sport I would be all set.

Pistnbroke

I bought a 15mm Lens cap lens for my Oly M5 …"holiday Cam" works great but I asked an opinion on a 4/3 forum before I bought it saying I thought the 9mm version was a bit too much for the 16mp sensor ..all hell broke loose inc moderator winding up the members to attack me ….don't you just love the calm of Nikon Rumors

snakebunk

I've only bought a polarizer filter for my Sigma 500/4 this last year. Think I have GSS (gear satisfied syndrome).

Capt_Spaulding

snakebunk said:

I've only bought a polarizer filter for my Sigma 500/4 this last year. Think I have GSS (gear satisfied syndrome).

Same here, as far photography goes. Unfortunately, a CZ Shadow 2 has caught my eye. After that itch is scratched, a bauble for the car will demand attention. The gods of GAS are insatiable.

Searcy

Ton14 said:

That is a good solution, if, for example, you want 3 prime lenses with you, 1 on the camera and 2 on your belt, works good I think, but be very careful changing lenses, terrible to drop a lens. I insured them, saved me a € 2000.- lens and a repair, so I know how you felt then.

My camera is always attached to the strap. The connectors are tested for 45 kg, so the camera break first . Found out that the Clutch does not work for me.

My old tactic at events was to use a little holster and swap between a 35mmDX and a 24-70 zoom about 10 times a night. My new strategy for most things is to just take one lens and stop swapping around all the time. Make a smart choice on gear to take to the event and adjust my shooting style instead of adjusting my gear all the time.

spraynpray

That's the way to do it. Even if you notice the difference between the prime and the zoom, the client certainly won't!

rmp

I to, have shifted to a single camera/single lens. A few years ago I used two cameras each with a different lens and switched camera/lens pairs. Over time I just sort of drifted to this one camera/lens set. No planning, just shifted.

Ton14

Here another one who does the same and for me the 24-70mm f/2.8 is the best lens ever the last 10 years, but the 70-200mm f/4 is catching up. Just to make photo's, that's what it is all about. (For me he.)