justthings

<p>I was afraid that I wouldn't be happy with the 16-50 lens either, but give it a whirl as you may find that its 'decent' for what it is. I think it gets a worse reputation than it deserves. It is slow and I fight with the power zoom button at times, pushing it inadvertently at the wrong moment can be annoying. It vignettes like crazy at the widest end and has lots of barrel distortion, but these are generally easily corrected in post (lightroom recognizes the lens and has automatic adjustments for vignette, distortion, and CA).<br> But, its seriously compact, pretty sharp especially in the center and it seems to deal with sun in the frame reasonably well. I've been pretty pleased with my kit since i got it - here is a flikr album of some of my pictures with this camera - most of them are taken with the 16-50 - https://flic.kr/s/aHskneMY3s - you can also search flickr for that lens/camera combination and see if you like what you see which i think is more important than reading words about something designed to make images. A lot depends on what and how you shoot, and what you intend to do with the pictures you take.<br> And here is a picture from that album - there is a lot of fine detail there and though I haven't yet had a print made of this i'm sure it will enlarge pretty well.<br> <a title="ForestHillPark-5" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/outwithmycamera13/22450645845/in/album-72157659840332838/" data-flickr-embed="true"><img src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/727/22450645845_d135579c2b_z.jpg" alt="ForestHillPark-5" width="487" height="640" /></a></p>

<p>Laura, its an amazing sound. I really want to be able to see one of these creatures but thus far they have eluded me. Its interesting to me because growing up in the Pacific Northwest I don't believe we have these frogs and so I've never been in woods where there was this sort of noise.</p>

<p>This is from a local park system, this area designated simply as 'the wetlands' for obvious reasons. The sound of 'peepers' is almost deafening here, and among many other birds there were pileated woodpeckers drumming and calling as i wandered this area on an evening hike after work last week.<br> <a title="wetlands2" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/outwithmycamera13/25728535665/in/dateposted-public/" data-flickr-embed="true"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1605/25728535665_bc6014d817_z.jpg" alt="wetlands2" width="640" height="427" /></a></p>

<p>From recent wanderings in and around Richmond, VA with my a6000<br> <strong>Sunset at Robious Landing</strong><br> <a title="Robious Landing sunset" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/outwithmycamera13/25702462836/in/dateposted-public/" data-flickr-embed="true"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1648/25702462836_5508c99631_z.jpg" alt="Robious Landing sunset" width="640" height="308" /></a><br> <strong>Flooded</strong><br> <a title="reflect" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/outwithmycamera13/25702465346/in/dateposted-public/" data-flickr-embed="true"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1598/25702465346_f78205232e_z.jpg" alt="reflect" width="640" height="462" /></a><br> <strong>against the flow</strong><br> <a title="canoe" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/outwithmycamera13/25427809240/in/dateposted-public/" data-flickr-embed="true"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1660/25427809240_8c1181c544_z.jpg" alt="canoe" width="640" height="474" /></a></p>

<p>One of the things you might try is searching flickr for that lens and camera combination and perhaps reach out to people who have it from there Here is a search that i did:<br> <br> Good luck and report back if you make this purchase!</p>

<p>I don't think the NEX cameras have in body image stabilization, for that I think you need to look at the micro-fourthirds bodies from Olympus and Panasonic.</p>

<p>Jonathan Livingstone came by for a visit.<br> <a title="JLS" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/outwithmycamera13/25483250145/in/dateposted-public/" data-flickr-embed="true"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1641/25483250145_21e3dacfa9_z.jpg" alt="JLS" width="640" height="396" /></a></p>

<p>Sony a6000, e 55-210 f/4.5-6.3 and playing around with af-c/zone focus tracking, and high frame rate settings.<br> <a title="JLS" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/outwithmycamera13/25483250145/in/dateposted-public/" data-flickr-embed="true"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1641/25483250145_21e3dacfa9_z.jpg" alt="JLS" width="640" height="396" /></a></p>

<p>No National Park for me but I spend a lot of time wandering various urban trails in the greater Richmond area, this taken from along the floodwall build by the Corps of Engineers to help contain the James River when it is feeling exuberant. The water levels are up but the geese don't seem to mind a bit. </p><div></div>

<p>Last...</p><div></div>

<p>And another.. </p><div></div>

<p>Late entries today, on Wednesday I took delivery of a new sony 55-210 zoom for my a6000. Then the tornadoes hit Virginia and I had to wait until Sunday in order to be off work and spend some time with my new lens. The lens may be slow but it is really pretty darned sharp and its so small makes for a light weight walk around kit. </p><div></div>

<p>Andy, i sense a bit of tongue in cheek, but the adapter is also made for Canon mount Sigma lenses... curious that they wouldn't also make it in a Nikon flavor, but maybe that is just them testing the waters.</p>

<p>A couple of offerings the last couple of days may prove of interest to those with e-mount cameras. Two new lenses, one of which is a 35 f/1.4 for the APS-C format. A fast f/1.8 50-100mm lens announced at the same time doesn't come in e-mount flavor. However the announcement of a new e-mount converter created by Sigma for its Canon mount and Sigma SA mount lenses could open up the availability of that and other Sigma lenses to Sony e-mount owners. I am not sure if Sigma making an e-mount converter specifically for its lenses is a necessarily good thing but it seems like a good idea at least.<br> http://petapixel.com/2016/02/23/sigmas-50-100mm-f1-8-art-lens-first-telephoto-zoom-constant-f1-8/<br> http://www.dpreview.com/news/0677575467/sigma-mount-converter-mc-11-adapts-sigma-lenses-to-e-mount-cameras-supports-autofocus</p>

<p>i committed a faux pas as i posted this image this morning to last week's MiN thread. This from a few days after the big snow in January that brought about 15" to Richmond and record breaking snowfall in numerous other parts of Virginia and parts north.</p><div></div>

<p>Another from the same walk in the woods.</p><div></div>

<p>These were taken after the big snowstorm that hit Virginia and parts north in January. Because I work in an emergency operations center during such events I am never able to get out and enjoy the results of a big snowfall immediately, these were taken a few days after the snow and most of it had melted.</p><div></div>

<p>Thanks for the observations, you are all correct - this isn't designed for camera equipment, which I actually think is a positive. For me, I've never been too concerned about having padded dividers to protect my gear - there are always solutions to that particular problem, and I've hauled gear in a lot of rough conditions. Ultimately, this bag seems to work for me as it carries better than bags designed for cameras that I've used or tried in the past and isn't nearly as bulky. And for me it offers a good mix of functionality between a backpack (for support and load distribution) and a messenger style bag (for ease of access). Like most things these are pretty personal choices that balance a number of compromises. I won't carry a lot in this bag but for a compact system with a 2-3 lenses and other accouterments I think this hits a sweet spot. As for the G19 and extra AR mags, I'll let the LEOs worry about that. As usual, YMMV.</p>

<p>I recently took delivery of a bag called the Rush MOAB 6 from 5.11 Tactical. i'm not affiliated with these folks at all but really like this bag and wanted to share for folks who might be interested. This company makes gear primarily for law enforcement and first responders and the emphasis is on durable, highly functional equipment. A colleague of mine showed up at work one day with this and it caught my eye and after having a closer look at it I immediately started coveting it (this is like breaking the 11th commandment i think..) so I ordered one for myself.<br> The MOAB 6 is a sling style bag (you can see it here: http://www.511tactical.com/rush-moab-6.html) that has a single main compartment with a front pocket and lots of built in storage compartments. Because its a marketed as a 'tactical bag' it has a velcro opening between the front pocket and the main compartment that is intended for concealed carry of a handgun, but i put things like handkerchief and other stuff in there that i want easy and ready access to. I've only had it for a little bit but so far I am loving this bag. It is small (compact may be a better word) but carries all the stuff I want and is very comfortable for hiking around with in either urban or more natural settings. I regularly carry binoculars, a 10" tablet, a book, my a6000, mini mag flashlight, small notebooks (moelskine style) and there is plenty of room for other accessories you might need during an outing. It wears very comfortably and is easy to slide around to access stuff when you need to. It has a lot of ability for attaching accessories (like a water bottle holster) and is thus expandable/modular to a point. I'm not sure you could put a DSLR with more than its attached lens in this bag but for compact systems I think this offers a lot of capability.</p>

<p>A scene i'm playing with, not sure I'm done yet. The same scene posted in the mirrorless forum shows two kayaks heading towards the mist, gives a whole different feeling to this.</p><div></div>

<p>A couple of kayakers heading into the mist on the James River in Richmond. Sony a6000 and 16-50.</p> <p><a title="FoggyRiver" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/outwithmycamera13/23037955149/in/dateposted-public/" data-flickr-embed="true"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5824/23037955149_c2a6a93633_z.jpg" alt="FoggyRiver" width="640" height="367" /></a></p>

Thank for the responses, I've seen some references to low quality images in blurb but those seem to be pretty low frequency. I will take a look at the Minooka offering and see what that looks like. David, since you are a blurb user I am curious if you size your images specifically for the page and container they are intended for or if you just let LR or blurb take care of that? I imagine that question I could ask of any of these services really.

<p>I'm putting together a collection of photos to be used in a photo book that I will give as presents to friends and family this year. Initially I am looking at Blurb, in part because the lightroom plug-in that makes this a relatively seamless process, though I am still exploring how that all works. I am curious though about other people's experience using not only Blurb but other services for printing photo books. If you have created photo books what service did you use, what were the limitations you experienced, what tips or tricks would you suggest? Especially useful would be if you have used more than one service, how would you compare/contrast them? Thanks for your input!</p>

<p>I used some manual Nikon mount lenses on my D80, it works but not conveniently. Because you can't meter with manual lenses on the D80, getting exposure is often a guessing game (educated to a point) with incremental adjustments made after chimping the screen, so it is not exactly a 'fast' workflow' unless you are shooting pretty unchanging conditions. I think the d90 had better capability to meter with older lenses but I didn't have that so can't say really. I had a Nikon 24mm AIS that was utter crap on my d80, reasonably but not exceptionally sharp in the center but horrid towards the edges with really bad smearing. I also had a Vivitar Series 1 105mm f2.5 macro that was a pretty nice lens. The point being that just because a lens might have been good on a film camera it might not be so good on a digital I think. I never had a lot of issues with focusing but I could see where it might be a problem in dim light. Overall, i wasn't thrilled with how the manual lenses worked on my D80 so tended to keep to lenses built for DX bodies.</p> <p>Taken with Vivitar Series 1 105mm macro on a D80</p> <p><a title="Flower1" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/outwithmycamera13/8317243874/in/album-72157632371654541/" data-flickr-embed="true"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8077/8317243874_aa844c7c28.jpg" alt="Flower1" width="335" height="500" /></a></p>

<p>Post-storm atmosphere from last Thursday.</p> <p><a title="Aftermath" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/outwithmycamera13/22882481260/in/dateposted-public/" data-flickr-embed="true"><img src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/602/22882481260_8218c48df9_z.jpg" alt="Aftermath" width="640" height="403" /></a></p>