paul_droluk

We get to see quite a few double rainbows from our own backyard ~ Bonsall, CA

Christmas Morning View from my backyard ~ Bonsall, CA

Our first fire sighting of the 2019 season. From our backyard looking north to Camp Pendleton, where the Marines start numerous fires each year with their practice bombing. Nikon D810 - 70-210 f4 - ISO 400 - 1/13@f4.5

I have had a few of theses... some earlier pre-Automat models, as well as the Automat. I've enjoyed them all, but the Automat is special. Very well designed and quality built. Several lenses were available and I have one with a Zukio and one with a Sekor (which is sharper). This was taken with the Zukio which has a lovely bokeh...

My beautiful girl... 10 going on 11.

Just a wee bit of fog... After 13 years in North San Diego County, we're finally on track to receive our historical average of seasonal rainfall... about 11 inches for the year.

Was having the same problem that ultimately turned out to be a inaccurate 3-way bubble level from China. Wound up buying a 12 pack of them on the auction site, from which 5 were accurate... the remaining 7 were all inaccurate to varying degrees. Used to be you could buy these from quality equipment makers (Toyo, Mamiya, Horseman etc,) for $20-$30 and count on them being accurate, but that's no longer the case. Consumers opted for low cost ($2-$3) over quality... the better manufacturers couldn't compete and stopped making them, so now all we're left with is low cost junk.

Last used this lens in the late 90's for landscape work on a Nikon N8008s. I thought it was plenty sharp with high contrast and accurate color. Actually I'm sorry I sold it... been looking for a clean replacement to try out on FF digital.

Dustin's advise is spot on, but a trick that helps is to use the full moon at night for a focus target... truly infinity and easy to focus on with a loupe.

Five hand held images were merged in PS, then cropped for this pano composition.

Don't neglect the Nikkor AF-S 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED lens... especially if you can find a clean used version. Photozone.de has detailed reviews for the 17-35 and the two lenses you referenced as well. While an older design, (1996 but still in production) optically it is as good or better than the other two. And because it is an older design the build quality is SUPERB... the way Nikon used to build lenses. I bought mine shortly after it was introduced and it remains my most used lens.

From my backyard... a fire on Camp Pendleton, about 8 miles away.

I had one for a short while and enjoyed it quite a lot. I used a Voigtlander 28mm Optical Viewfinder which was quite accurate and made for an extremely small easy to use package. The lens had a lovely rendition, but was a wee bit soft in the corners even when stopped well down. I wish I had kept it, but I had/have far too many cameras.