Random Thoughts... [Photographic Edition]

Continuing with my lens story: something's definitely wrong with it, and it's probably VR. I haven't had that much need to look into one so far, but now I kinda need one for my uni project.

I'm currently debating whether to buy a camera lens from eBay or from classifieds. Classifieds are cheaper and you can meet the person, and it's pretty much an instant purchase then, but it's also a bit risky. On the other hand, some sellers even offer 12-month warranties on eBay, and I've heard good things about eBay's buyer protection system. Still, you have to wait a bit more, there's a chance of package being damaged in transport, and of course, it's still somewhat risky.

I don't have money for a new lens, though, and I'd just get the same as I had, but working. Does anyone have experience buying second-hand camera lenses here?

Oh, and as for which lens it is exactly, AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55 mm f3.5-5.6 VR is what I had, the local classified ad is for a AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55 mm f3.5-5.6 VR II. Does the VR II part make it better/worse? It's being sold for €80, whereas on eBay, they go for around €95 shipped. Is that eBay seller warranty worth the extra €15-ish?
 
My camera got knocked off a counter a few years ago, part my fault, part my fathers. A new lens was going to be $800. Neither one of us wanted to pay our half so I bought a grey market import. It was bout half the price of new. Honestly, I can not remember if it was off of eBay or Amazon, but it showed up in a couple days and was exactly like the one that got broken.
 
Tram said:
I don't have money for a new lens, though, and I'd just get the same as I had, but working. Does anyone have experience buying second-hand camera lenses here?

Oh, and as for which lens it is exactly, AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55 mm f3.5-5.6 VR is what I had, the local classified ad is for a AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55 mm f3.5-5.6 VR II. Does the VR II part make it better/worse? It's being sold for €80, whereas on eBay, they go for around €95 shipped. Is that eBay seller warranty worth the extra €15-ish?
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I just got a new lens to use with my pre-ordered Nikon Z9 when it eventually arrives, a 28-300mm full frame lens because my old DX lenses would be of little use. There's not much to buying used lenses at this level, what you see is what you get and they aren't complex enough to hide too much. You want to check the following when you go to see it:
  • Front and back optics for scratches.
  • Dust inside the lens (a little is expected but note what dust (if any) is visible inside your existing lens.
  • There should be no fungus on the aperture iris, it can grow is the lens is kept in damp conditions.
  • Try it on your camera to check the AF and VR works. If it looks well used (text/markings wearing off, scores on the mounting ring, worn looking rubber zoom ring are good clues) but the seller says it's barely used then they're probably lying.
Obviously it's sold-as-seen so you want to be sure it works before paying, otherwise eBay covers you better for issues the seller didn't describe. I got my lens online, it was boxed, in mint condition and had all of the specifics listed on the website I bought it from. It's exactly as expected but was still only about 65% of the new price. I bought my old 55-200mm used on eBay and the VR in that started to go wrong after a year or so.

The VR II is generally better than VR, it's the updated version. I don't know the exact differences, Ken Rockwell's site is a good place to read about the differences between the two lenses.
 
This has to be the fanciest filter box I’ve had the privy to hold. It’s for my polarizing filter.

6F7ABE57-FE01-4BCE-8EEB-A0C457688CBA.jpeg
 
Is that a plastic window or a hole in the case? Seems awfully risky to have any of the filter exposed while in the case.

Last night I had a dream that I had finally received my new camera, although it had changed from a Z9 to a D850 and came with a free pair of binoculars. :LOL:

I could cancel the order at any time, it's a lot of money.
 
I finally have a photography class at my uni this semester, it's a digital photography class, and it covers the basics of digital photography. It's fun and all, but me being me, I couldn't help but to think step ahead.

And that step ahead is doing analog photography. My dad has a Canon AE-1 and three lenses, and all of that is just lying around collecting dust. Now, I'd probably some tutoring on how to put film inside the camera, roll it and whatnot, but I guess that shouldn't be the hardest part. The hardest part would be getting the film developed and the photos printed.

I kinda want to do it, anyway. Not right now, as my schedule's too tightly packed, but during the course of summer, I might try it. Also, did I do my math right or is B&W analog photography more expensive than color analog photography nowadays?

Oh, and watching this video on Polaroid cameras last night certainly didn't help my desire to do analog photography. I need to curb my urge to get such camera from the flea market. :D
 
I know @MXM did B&W analogue photography and I think @public did too so they would be good people to ask. I think MXM might be on Telegram. Not sure if they did home development. Analogue isn't really my thing, although it is really interesting.

If you haven't already seen it, I would recommend the Technology Connections' videos on the subject. Particularly this one about developing as that's rather relevant. :p


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpgsITqoDXQ
Edit: This one too:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQC2WsvHdqw
His latest video is even better for a student of photography but won't help you with a 35mm camera. Personally I'd rather mess around with pinhole than Polaroid, if the picture is going to look crappy due to the camera I'd rather it was more interesting!
 
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Took a look at the Leica-section of the largest photo store in Oslo yesterday, and I found this:

tempImage14SeBg.jpg


A laser cutaway of the Leica Summilux-M 90mm f1.5 ASPH. No plastics or electronics to be found here, just metal and glass.
 
I’m again pondering getting a 35mm F/1.8 prime for my Nikon D5100. I don’t exactly need it per se, but there’s one in the classifieds for quite cheap (€80) and I’m wondering if I should grab the opportunity.

It’s not my top priority to get that lens, but this seems like an opportunity. Or is it not?
 
Tram said:
I’m again pondering getting a 35mm F/1.8 prime for my Nikon D5100. I don’t exactly need it per se, but there’s one in the classifieds for quite cheap (€80) and I’m wondering if I should grab the opportunity.

It’s not my top priority to get that lens, but this seems like an opportunity. Or is it not?
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A fast normal prime is always a good tool to have in the bag.

However, personally I'm not too keen on the 50mm equivalent, I prefer a wider field of view. Since I'm on mFT I have a 17mm f1.2 lens for that.
 
Tram said:
I’m again pondering getting a 35mm F/1.8 prime for my Nikon D5100. I don’t exactly need it per se, but there’s one in the classifieds for quite cheap (€80) and I’m wondering if I should grab the opportunity.

It’s not my top priority to get that lens, but this seems like an opportunity. Or is it not?
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All dSLR glass is being sold at a great discount by owners who are migrating to mirrorless.

If you think it's a good price and not buying it with loaned money then I'd go for it and enjoy.

If you later find yourself unhappy with it then try to unload at the price you bought it for.

The price difference you sell it for I would classify as "rent expense".
 
I meant to reply yesterday, I have the 35mm F/1.8 DX in my collection. Not a massive amount of use on the Z9 but I suppose I can use it on crop mode. Always a handy lens to have around, it takes up very little space and doesn't weigh much.

Gives you lots of scope for experimenting, if you don't have a fast lens already then I'd say go for it.
 
Matt2000 said:
The GFX 100 is £10K. Nikon just had to go and come out with a mirrorless camera that's mighty impressive for around half that, one that records 8K video and 4K 120fps video too.

ANIKOCM175374883.jpg


https://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-products/product/mirrorless-cameras/z-9.html

:drool:
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I'm not a b0t. I am hotlinking camera SKUs for easy research for readers.

Check the 2021 Fujifilm GFX 50S II. It's priced at 2020 Canon EOS R5 range. I wrote up a purchase study on the FujiFILM GFX system.

An interesting observation I made of the 2021 Nikon Z9 is its 1340g body weight. It is as heavy as a 2009 Canon EOS-1D Mark IV when the 2021 Canon EOS R3 is 1015g.

One of the selling points of mirrorless is size & weight reduction as compared to their dSLR predecessors.

=============

Back in 2017 I was approached by a start up photo studio to buy my EF system that was relevant to them. In hindsight I should have taken the offer to by my gear as a single lot as less than a year later the RF system was announced.

Had I accepted the unsolicited offer I would have avoided sudden depreciation from the transition to mirrorrless system.

From 2009-2014 I was photographing birds & other subjects at an average of least 3 days of every week. This includes public holidays. So the utilization of the gear was very very high for a non-professional. I basically had no social life with single women instead I was hanging out with people older than my dad. o_O

From 2015-today I use it 1x every 2 years.

The last body I would have liked to have bought was the 2009 Canon EOS-1D Mark IV.

A dozen year gap before buying the 2020 Canon EOS R5 & 2021 Canon EOS R3 is ideal in my mind if I was shooting at an average of at least 3 days of every week today. I may be even more prudent to just wait for the rumored 2023 Canon EOS R1 that would be released 6-9 months prior to the 2024 Summer Olympics in July.

Pricing may go either way.

- take over the $6.5k price point currently occupied by the 2021 Canon EOS R3 then the older body being repriced to $4k-4.5k.

- 2021 Canon EOS R3 maintains its $6.5k price point and the 2023 Canon EOS R1 will be priced at near $10k like the 2019 Fujifilm GFX 100 that was superceeded by the $6k 2021 Fujifilm GFX 100S.
 
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I've been googling terms such as lomography recently, and I wanted to try it myself. Generally, what I like about the idea of "lomography", "lo-fi photography" or however you want to call it is that it's about just having fun. Shooting with a DSLR is fun in its own way, but at the same time, I kept stressing if I got the composition right, if the image is underexposed (or overexposed), and generally if it's any good. And as much as I want to improve my shooting skills with a DSLR, sometimes I just want to wind down and have some fun with a camera.

That's why I went to the flea market on Sunday morning and got myself a Kodak KB 10 for less than €3. Funny thing, I bought it because it had a roll of film in it, but I soon realized somebody already used all the shots on that film. (I even kinda want to get it developed just to see what's on it, although that is a slightly creepy thing to do). Anyway, it seems to be fully functional and I'm kinda looking forward to using it.

Today I bought some film, Kodak Gold 200 135-36, planning to use it in the camera. However, I'm now pondering if I should load it into the Kodak or wait until the weekend to meet my dad and load it in his old Canon AE-1. Of course, I want to try the AE-1 as well, but I just don't feel my photography skills are sufficient enough to make good use of that camera at the moment. But then, I don't know anything about film, and if this isn't the cheapest, bottom-tier stuff then maybe I don't want to waste it on the point-and-shoot. I'm undecided.

FD6664DE-B0BA-43C0-B39E-D24D70CCCEC4.jpeg
 
They're apparently still producing that film, so it isn't a rare item and 'wasting' it wouldn't be a crime. If anything, buying a roll to use in the point-and-shoot and then another roll for the SLR plays a small part in giving Kodak a reason to keep producing it. I read that it's a good amateur level film that's forgiving, so ideal for a point-and-shooter or novice SLR user alike.

Of course how much you value the shots taken is going to depend on how much you paid for the film. I found lots of shots taken with it on the Lomography.com site. It's the first time I've heard that phrase, I don't like it. It implies that film shots are low-fidelity and that's completely untrue. As the site shows, film can produce excellent results when used correctly and I disagree with anyone who assumes that film photos are supposed to be crap. I saw a few on the site and there wasn't much interest. Maybe this works with Polaroid but to me a bad photo is a bad photo. :dunno:

There are examples of people using the mechanical nature of a film camera to get double and split exposures though. I like those. I don't really see what else a digital camera can't do in terms of 'fun'. :p

You're selling yourself short on the SLR, you understand the controls of aperture and shutter speed. You understand ISO and know you're stuck with ISO 200. While you won't know exactly what the result will be in any situation, you can get a good idea. If you're wanting good shots to keep, maybe it would increase the satisfaction if you had the DSLR with you to help set the SLR up. That's something I would do, but then are you just back to your original situation with the DLSR and wanting to be technical.

I used to shoot full manual, but after I starting focussing on wildlife I saw that was pointless and I mainly use aperture-priority now. Maybe you need to give some control back to the camera. I do change the auto-exposure weighting around quite a lot depending on scenes.
 
Matt2000 said:
I used to shoot full manual, but after I starting focussing on wildlife I saw that was pointless and I mainly use aperture-priority now. Maybe you need to give some control back to the camera. I do change the auto-exposure weighting around quite a lot depending on scenes.
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Personally I use the different mods depending on the shooting situation and if I want to deal with it.

So long as you understand how a certain mode behaves then no problem.

I am thankful for the introduction of Auto ISO.

As for film I look at it as something different to smartphones hence the appeal.
 
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