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DB_Gallery

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DB_Gallery last won the day on January 21 2015

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  1. I borrowed the 180-400 F4 from NPS last year for a job, used it adapted on my Z9 and it was really, really nice. The handling was great and the "hot-swap" 1.4X was very much appreciated, it makes for a very productive combo. But...it is heavy and I imagine that at some point, Nikon will come out with something in the Z mount that will build on the F mount version's strengths. For now, I have replaced my 100-400 S with the new 180-600 and overall, it is noticeably sharper and likely on par with the F mount 180-400 even if a fair bit slower in light gathering. I figure the 180-600 will get me through while I wait to see what Nikon does next. But I too have been captivated by the "reasonable" prices on the otherwise five figure 180-400.
  2. Mine is a couple hundred higher than that serial, great lens so far.
  3. I put an NPS order in for it last Tuesday via B&H and t has shipped already, I get it Wednesday. I have the 100-400 and like it a lot, like to pair it with my 24-120 for all day on the ski hill shoots. But miss that extra reach sometimes so I thought I would give the new 180-600 a try, sure can't beat the price. By the way, Kirk has a new Arca type collar for it on ready for pre-order, not sure if I will get it but I know some were looking for it: https://kirkphoto.com/replacement-collar-for-nikon-z-180-600mm-f-5-6-6-3-vr.html
  4. It mounts to things like a pan-tilt handle for full control while doing motion work. This is super handy, I am sure I will be getting one.
  5. I have and use the 24mm PCE and 45mm PCE lenses with my Z cameras and they work exactly the same as on an F mount body. I don't mind the adapter, especially the new one which allows more working space between the controls and locks. Nikon knows that in order to sell a Z mount version of a T/S lens, it has to be a good optical improvement over the current ones. I have no doubt they are well on their way to announcing one or more for the Z mount.
  6. I just contributed my new 50mm 1.4 AIS serial number to him, it is a bit higher than his last noted. I also told him my 28mm F2 AIS bought new in about 2005 is SIC coated. He states that SIC for that lens started at 6134XX and mine is 613367. I had to send my F3HP off to Midwest this week as the shutter speeds lower than 1/125th are sluggish...hope it is not a bad board. I will send the 28mm 2.0 off a bit later but I did a great CLA to my 105mm 2.5 on my own and it is now flawless, it's a late model one that is within 1400 of the last SN he has recorded. This site along with youtube videos are super helpful with doing your own CLA although I am not brave enough to tackle the 28/2 with CRC, too many moving parts to muck up. Now then...you have been a bad / good influence on me. I just ordered a new 20mm 2.8AIS from B&H, a lens I used for years in the beginning of my career, love how small it is. Another lens I used a ton was the 180mm 2.8 EDIF AIS, if I find a mint late SN of that one I will have completed my nostalgic Nikon kit. I might sell my F100, 85mm 1.8G to offset this new fetish I seem to have...I have a ton of gear, the 85mm never gets used since I got the 105mm 1.4.
  7. Not sure how I missed your reference to Midwest Camera Repair but I will likely send off my 28mm F2 and 105mm 2.5 to them. A quick question, how did you find out the last serial numbers on the 20mm and 35mm? B&H still has 3x of the 20mm 2.8 AIS, 2x 55mm 2.8 AIS and now just one 50mm 1.4 AIS left....I ordered one thanks to you! I have a super clean F3HP it will live on.
  8. AIS glass on my FM2 and F3HP's in the 80's were a golden era of photography for me, still have an F3, FM3A and a few of the lenses. On that note, where does one send in AIS glass to get a CLA these days?
  9. A buddy and I went to the pistol range on Sunday and I was wanting to try this but it was too busy. I figured this would be the outcome, 1/32,000th is pretty short.
  10. Sea Turtle in holding tank at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Nikon Z6, 24-70 2.8.
  11. If that were true then other high demand products would "fail" if they were in short supply for the first few months and that rarely proves to be the case. And it happens with a lot of consumer electronics products on launch, iPhones for example go for stupid money for a couple of weeks until everything settles down. I think it actually does the opposite of hurting a company, it fuels pent up demand. Now to Ford's credit on the Lightning, they are putting controls in place since they had to cease taking anymore orders for the truck for 2022.
  12. The new 24-120 is truly a great lens where as the F mount version showed it was a lens of compromises. I can get critical sharpness at any focal length in the corners on my Z7II and now the Z9 with ease by F8. As far as size goes, it is in between the 24-70 F4 and 24-70 2.8 as one would expect so while not tiny like the 24-70 F4, it still feels compact. As far as the Z9 goes, I have had it just under 24 hours so I am putting it through it’s workups and expect to do a job with it this week. It’s fast at everything, is as small as a grip integrated body can be and still be ergonomic. It’s really good to have dedicated buttons back, it is freeing up the “i” menu which in turn frees up the “My Menu” slots. Did I say it is fast? Because it is ridiculously fast at everything. Also, shooting under LED lights that used to cause bad banding no longer does at any shutter speed, huge improvement there. So far, I think it’s a winner for me.
  13. I think Nikon is doing as good as one can expect any company to be doing right now given the short and long term effects of the pandemic. The fact that they put so much focus on the Z9 and have thus far, successfully put out a full blown pro mirrorless product that justifies that focus is 100% where they need to be right now. Also I feel the lens prices are not too bad considering the more than modest to truly stunning upgrade in optical performance over their F mount counterparts. Heck, the Z9 came in at a grand less than the last couple pro F bodies. The 400mm 2.8 FL is sitting right around $12K with no built in converter. To assert that the Z mount 400 2.8 will be closer to $17K (E15K) is a bit of a reach in my opinion, Nikon has always played the long game and that pricing is not long game strategy. I'd say take a wait and see approach on that, I personally suspect it will not top $14K. I have almost always been patient with Nikon since the products I choose to use have helped me play my long game. There are more great lenses and cameras to come and that glass is a lot more than half full. As for DSLR's, given how many formats and systems I use, I doubt I will use DSLR's again with mirrorless nearing full strength. I no longer own one.
  14. Out of 60 days on location in the Faroe Islands, 43 were rainy to very rainy, often with 15-30mph winds that did wonders for mixing salt air with the rain. Among things like medium sized plastic bags, the rain cover and 3-4 terry cloth hand towels, I also carried a black shower cap. The shower cap did two things, it was a very fast deployable cover in using shorter glass for when I was getting the dedicated rain cover out and it also served as a light block for when there was direct light hitting the dark slide side of the film magazine during long exposures. But by far the best piece of rain gear I had for my camera was the dedicated rain cover. My Hasselblad lived in it, I was able to swap film backs under it and just keep on working. In my opinion, if you feel a dedicated camera rain cover is too much of a pain in the rear to use...then you ain't truly working in the conditions that it is made for.
  15. Getting good snow these days. Here is a recent white out at 11,000 feet. Nikon Z7II, the new 24-120 F4 at 29mm F9, ISO 64 @ 1/125th with a Godox AD200 Pro off camera from underneath...
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