Albins images

Over Xmas holidays, I bit the (financial) bullet and bought the Z6II with Z50/2.8. To complement my D800, with AFS and AIS lenses. A cheap second hand F>Z adapter made sure that now I have 2 camera's that: - can use all my old(er) lenses - use the same SD cards - use the same batteries - use the same flashes

;) 'Classical Digital Cameras' And after 1,5 weeks jumping around with one (mm mmm.. only one) of the D800s in Montenegro, I can only again conclude that it still makes me happy with its outputs and handling. Only the AF could sometimes cause irritation.

I've similar experience with 400/3.5 .. on slide-film AND still on D800 occasionally. Even with historical anecdotes about the TC14B not ideally matched with this lens, it is very mu useable. And I have used both TC301 and TC20E with this lens (..must've filed off the tab at some point, like Shun mentioned.. don't even remember!), which works well enough and they seem indistinguishable IQ-wise. Mannually focusing is another thing to be mastered!

Just watched the 'reveal' of the first James Webb Space Telescope images... ..start of an era, for sure! And this message (on a somewhat different scale) fits into the 'end of an era' category.. :( So many great F-mount lenses and SLR's made so many great (and even more mediocre) photographs! ...and I will be continuing doing that (see my last post) for a couple of years more.. Then retire my gear next to where my F3T and Nikkormats are catching dust.

That was good service, Mary Doo! And in general I need to add, that although I take my photography (sometimes not too/) seriously, and at a few times over a long period earned a little money from it, I am definitely not a working professional now. Which obviously allows me to nostalgically cling to good-things-that-work (D800, 400/3.5, 105/2.8 AIS etc ..), and not pushes me on a pursuit for the best-and-brightest. Good thing for brand-loyalty, for the Earth in general .. and for demonstrating in this case that 'digital photography' has grown up* and reached a point where second-hand camera's can be attractive tools. ...Now let's wait until the second hand car market for electric- and hydrogen-vehicles reaches that point! * ...at which point the trusted mirror-and-prism started to get replaced by mirrorles.. :eek:

...And yes: I probably missed/miss out on that greatest-one: the D850! Or I should just buy it.. ..in 10 years time? But then something similar might happen as with the F5 (and F6).. I never snatched one when they were massively dumped around, say, 2006... And now these are rare too.

Allow me a short celebration of the last F-mount -camera I probably bought!:) 10 Years ago in 2012 I bought the D800 new.. after a sabbatical year in Africa with D200 and D300, where I just missed out on finding a good D700 before departure. And I have been happy ever since! Yes, my modest smartphone has become my 'compact camera' in these 10 years. But every time I pick up the D800 I am amazed with how faithful it has been serving me with good quality photo's, and that it is so greatly complementary to that 'compact camera'. And yes: I still have a number of AI/S lenses, extension rings, the works.. ..and work with Nikon CaptureNX2 software.. But since abovementioned D200/300 are effectively catching dust, there obviously remained the wish for a second camera, or backup. A few weeks ago I found a second D800 low-clicks-fine-condition for less than 1/6 the price I paid in 2012. Is that a choice that you would make? Getting a second camera of the same year so much later .. for the simple fact that the model serves your/my purposes?

A quick glance at this thread leaves the impression: with the D800/D810 and the D750+ camera's and later, the digital camera evolution did reach a plateau! Before that: every camera was almost a revolutionary step, a most useful upgrade. Since then, it became more a question of more specific needs (video? fast AF? ...). ...Myself happily using my D800 from 2012, back then upgrading from D200 and D300, and now 9 years later still not really needing a stills-photography upgrade!

That is a fun comparison! and both combinations look monstrous.. And I would find both results acceptable, really. At some point I lusted for a 105/2.5.. but ended up with adding another 105/2.8 AIS micro.. which has sort-of-OK bokeh, but can get SO MUCH CLOSER than the rest.

:)Don't worry! yes: the lens was set @f/5.6, but the effective aperture was indeed two stops darker.. And to me it was just a reminder that I should do this more often! even though it's always a hassle, bringing the heavy tripod and big old lens.

Thanks! ISO1000 1/200sec@f/5.6 at about 3 meters distance.. manual focus, obviously. ...That particular bird is now probably back on it's way to Scandinavia now! (Denmark..Sweden..Norway..):)

Cents? Two perhaps? Irrelevant comparisons perhaps? Allow me... See below: European Robin only 1,5 months ago. D800 with 400/3.5 + TC301 and a little extension, on somewhat wobbly Sirui baseplate on rather sturdy Sirui ballhead and very sturdy old Gitzo 500-series clunker (weakest-link and such...)..

My late-to-chime-in-2-cents contribution here: From the film-years, doing some fashion shows manually focusing in dim lighting, I found that the F801 screen was the most convenient! Which seems in line with the comment above from John Seaman. I preferred that focus screen much above that from the F3/T (even after replacing the matte screen in that one with a brighter alternative. Otherwise a most reliable camera, with terrible TTL flash..) and the F4 (always a bit fuzzy, probably because of the diopter adjustment? ..an with terribly fuzzy film changes.. aargh...)

Coming from the 10-12 Mpx era (D200-D300) that Nikon got stuck in for quite some time.. I did a LOT of landscape stitching with those cameras in 2011-2012 during an Africa trip and became addicted to high-res images. After that I bought a D800 in 2012 and I'm still in love with it. Even stitching landscapes. High-res is simply sensational and goes beyond a simple 'need/enough' reasoning. I'm in awe and thankful for that .. and almost feel guilty that so many images I make these days are done with a mediocre smartphone..

The best cure for NAS* is to start collecting jazz vinyl records, I found out :eek: * the often discussed but rarely treated 'Nikon Acquisition Syndrome'

Now after all this talk.. you dear people DID it ;-) ..I put my old AI-converted pre-AI 24/2.8 on my (less) old D800 and walked the dog in the forest... Some bark and brown leaves further, I'm actually rather in love with the lens again. No corner drama's, no (un)sharpness drama's, lovely small package.. 'what's not to like'?

Shocking progress! :eek: ..'though I suspect the Japanese were concerned with the issue long before it reached 'The Western World' (yet another '60s-'70s construct ?) .. and the photography discussion fora o_O

That was(/is) my favorite camera ever! Now collecting dust .. and although I'm 'back' to vinyl jazz records these days .. it's still uncertain when I'm going back to analogue photography.;) mark4583|1, your post triggered positive vibes, melancholy and memories!

A couple of years ago I got infected by the typical 'medium tele' craze.. explored the 105/2.5 (which I then couldn't find) and ended up with a second (2nd..!) 105/2.8 AIS. Yes: the older micro lens, not famous for brilliant bokeh.. but not disturbing enough to dismiss it. And then: CLOSE FOCUSING! If there is one thing that I hate about older standard lens design is that 50mm lenses stop focusing closer than (say) 50cm.. 85mm lenses not closer than (say) 85cm .. etcetera! I LOVE close focusing lenses so much that my older 60/2.8 AF is now my standard lens. And I still really like those 105 micro's. I have the 85/2.0, which is super smooth in operation as well as background bokeh.. overall sharpness is non-remarkeable. I have the 100/2.8 E .. which is less smooth (operation).. but admittedly I've rarely used it (not entirely sure about bokeh)o_O AND the new twist is: last two months I've rediscovered my Mamiya 645 lenses. Both 45/2.8 and 80/1.9 perform lovely wide-open on D800 with adapter. The 80 perhaps still hasn't the smoothest bokeh ever, but it is a dear revelation after all. In addition: both the lenses focus somewhat closer than is typical for their length :cool:

Thanks Joe! I do have a Nikon bellows collecting dust, so that is good motivation to un-dust. And also thanks for taking the trouble to post your comparison images. :cool: You are right: for (my) practical applications in the field (= non-flat natural objects) a mid-range enlarger lens could work just fine.

Since we're going all over the place with this thread, and the OP seems long-gone.. allow me to ask the subsequent question(s) to rodeo_joe|1 on-topic/off-topic (depending on your starting point): 1) ..I see Rodagon 50mm's on offer for € 60-80 here in the Netherlands (2.8, 4.0) .. is there a must-have/best-avoid advice there too? 2) ..and (lazy question): how do I connect an enlarger lens to a Nikon F-mount?

This is good advice Joe! Although I've heard about the merits of enlarging lenses for years, they never (nor appropriate adapter rings) found their way into my magic drawer. Admittedly: above advice would make many an item in the drawing truly obsolete .. my flirting with the Laowa/Venus Optics offerings might do the same.

Mamiya-shift Joe.. :p that's a lovely gem! You do ! :cool: (see above, haha!) Well, admittedly, my drawer has fixed dimensions after all, and so is the content of affordable Nikon (..and these two Mamiya) lenses and adapter/extension rings collected in my twenties and thirties. But they make for great puzzling .. also for stacking combinations trying to figure out the 'best' micro-photography set-up. ..And meanwhile Nikon is going broke, because I'm so content with all the backward-compatible gear that still works.. Spending my money on second-hand jazz records, instead of new-and-shiny Z-somethings or a D850 ;)

I discover old lenses in my drawer regularly .. which is pretty close to the 'free' experience! :p ..Like I now in recent months have my 45/2.8 and 80/1.9 Mamiya lenses on my D800 .. they're excellent wide-open! really no complaints. And the adapter to mount them adds that little extension to allow them to focus to infinity AND somewhat closer than their Nikon-peers would have (remember they were designed for the pretty large mirror box of the 645 camera's). :)Enjoy! OP gone or not.

Exactly the one (well: not exactly.. non-D) that is on my D800 most of the time!