The camera/photography thread

As a lot of you know, i'm pretty dorky when it comes to cameras and lenses... I also happen to know quite a few of you are too

I thought it might be nice to have a gear-based thread where we can all talk about what we are shooting on, what we want to be shooting on, and other fun, random photography based stuff. I'll get the ball rolling...

I happen to be a cannon guy... currently shooting on a 5d MkIII and 60D. My current lenses include canon's 24-105 f4 L, 100mm f2.8 macro L, 16-35 f4 IS L, 60mm f2.8 macro, tokina 11-16 f2.8, and sigma 35 f1.4 art. I also have a few led lights, camranger, rode videomic, zoom h2n, and a 4ft x 4ft lightbox.

I'll try to get around to posting a photo of my kit, but in the meantime, here are some photos from recent outings:











and, of course, the obligatory kid photo...



Alright, you guys are up...

I can't add anything on the geek front, but I will say that those are some incredibly beautiful, well framed shots Jon.

I'm a Nikon guy myself. Just a hobbyist trying to find more time.
Gear:
Nikon D7000

Wish I could get a sigma foveon sensor in a Nikon body with f1.2 50mm fixed lens

Untitled by lmaousrs, on Flickr

only change in gear I can say I care about is at some point I'd like to go ahead and get a new digital camera. It's been some years. I don't like dslrs; I wonder what a second hand A7r goes for these days.

Oh yeah for most of my time shooting I just did film and processed it myself. I guess I just wanted to be Ralph Gibson =/ Oh well, we all have our hangups.

That's a nice kit Jon. You've really stepped up your gear in the last few years. My current kit is a 5D3/24-105L/70-200 F4IS/35 F2IS. I've sold off a lot of gear in the last year. Right now in the " less is more" mode. I have had my eye on the new 100-400L.

Duckfat said:

That's a nice kit Jon. You've really stepped up your gear in the last few years. My current kit is a 5D3/24-105L/70-200 F4IS/35 F2IS. I've sold off a lot of gear in the last year. Right now in the " less is more" mode. I have had my eye on the new 100-400L.

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yeah... the addiction has indeed grown. That 100-400L looks stupid cool. I also really like the sigma art series... adding the 50mm 1.4 art soon... and considering the new 24mm 1.4. Love me some fast primes.

While we're talking about lenses...

well I guess you guys saw my macro lenses in the other thread, they are my favorites:



For those wondering the lenses pictured:
Zeiss ZF 50mm F2.0 Makro-Planar
Vivitar Series 1 90mm f2.5 Macro
Olympus OM 50mm f3.5 Auto-Macro
Olympus OM 90mm f2.0 Auto-Macro
Olympus OM 50mm f2.0 Auto-Macro
Leica 100mm f2.8 APO Macro Elmarit R
Leica 60mm f2.8 Macro Elmarit R
Nikon 55mm f2.8 Micro-Nikkor
Nikon 55mm f3.5 Micro-Nikkor

There have been others though, some of these are gone, some not:


I blew my first paycheck out of college to buy that M2 and ZM50P. Had a great time with it, eventually sold it to get the F3HP and ZM50P though.


This Rolleiflex was a big disappointment. Maybe I should have stuck with the Mamiya 7


I really don't like Nikon, but this lens was fun for a bit:


I mostly just buy 50s, but the 35 biogon was a sweet lens:


DR summicron, didnt keep this one all that long:


And these are what I ultimately settled on:


Also in case you're wondering what my favorite lens is it's none of these. It's the Pentax 6x7 System 105mm f2.4 SMC Takumar. If only the cameras had been tolerable... the lens does things. But because of the camera, this one went through the grinder as well.

I switched from Nikon FX and a multitude of lenses to a Fuji X100t and the 28mm equivalent conversion lens. I actually take my camera with me, now! I am still learning the camera (it's very, very different from a DSLR), but I really like it. I do still use my dad's FM2 (with a classic group of AI-S lenses) on occasion.

I shoot a D700 and X100, with primarily manual focus lenses. I have too many to list them all, but some favourites include my Micro-Nikkor 200mm f/4, Nikkor 105mm f/1.8, Sigma 50mm f/1.4, and Kiron 28mm f/2. 35mm is my focal length of choice though, so most often the 35mm f/2 stays on the body.

JBroida said:

yeah... the addiction has indeed grown. That 100-400L looks stupid cool. I also really like the sigma art series... adding the 50mm 1.4 art soon... and considering the new 24mm 1.4. Love me some fast primes.

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If you ever get a chance to shoot the 100-400 the reach is pretty stunning especially on the 1.6X body. I'm right there with you on the primes. The 35 f2IS has really turned the MKIII into a low light gem that is a pleasure to walk around with for me. I don't miss schlepping around with a bag full of gear at all.

I know some people are into speed. One day I'd like to get my hands on the Mandler Noctilux but there's yet another case of something you used to not be able to give away costing an arm and a leg.

Well, until then, I have these:
Untitled by lmaousrs, on Flickr

not exactly macro, but shot with a macro lens (100 f2.8is L)... sorry for the weird crop... they are for the slider on the front of our website

Well, here is my life story

As a student I dreamed about F80 but did not have the cash, than came to Germany for PhD. and bought Olympus C5060WZ (compact camera with shape of hand grenade). Then Minolta 7D followed (quirky but cool camera) and my wife bought Minolta & around the same time (and she still has it). But by that time the film bug bit me hard. My dream camera - Mamiya 6 - seemed too expensive so I went for a 4x5" camera - Tachihara 4x5 with few lenses along the road (Grandson N 75/4.5, Fujinon 125/5.6 CMW, Fujinon A 240/9, Osaka 400/8) what of course turned considerably more expensive. But I loved to use it - I even took it to our honeymoon on NewZealand (my wife must really love me to put up with that). Then Rolleiflex T followed (got one in perfect condition for 200€) which I loved to bits, but sold it to support the purchase of the holy grail - Mamiya 6 - which I still have. Later I added another 4x5 camera - Toyo VX125 (used, new costs around 5 grand) but barely used it. The it turned out that I am going to be a father so I sold all 4x5" stuff and got Rolleiflex 2.8E and Hasselblad X-pan. Little Nikon V1 takes care of family photos and videos.

For those who made this far - here are some favourite photos of mine - most are several years old:

Rolleiflex T


Olympus XA, New Zealand


Tachihara 4x5, Fujinon 125/5.6, ... now who could that be ...


Rolleiflex T


Tachihara 4x5, 1 big softbox (here is the setup)


Mamiya 6, 150/4.5


Mamiya 6, 50/4


Mamiya 6.75/3.5


Tachihara 4x5, Fujinon 240/9 I have printed 40 of these one by one as postcards.


Ricoh GRD III (stitched pano from our balcony)


Sorry for a long post, but photography is my main obsession so far ...

Matus ... lovely images and thanks for sharing. Jon your knife images are excellent as usual.

I had a similar progression in terms of photography. Dad had a Olympus OM-1 which I was always fascinated with. Bought a Nikon F100 /FM3a after college and jumped straight to a Toyo Field Camera with Scheinder Rodenstock 75mm / 90 mm / 210mm. Black and white developing and printing + Cibachrome printing etc The contact prints from large format film is just stunning.

Then the kids came and haven't touch the film camera and darkroom since. Now I mainly shoot to document the family. Stuck with Nikons. D200 then D700 and now with D800e. Have a 24mm T/S, 35mm 1.4, 50 1.4, 135mm DC and 105mm micro. Probably dabbling more into the video side of things.

I still have a few boxes of Polaroid P/N 55 which I try to shoot an image around their birthday each year.

Mastering photography has many similar traits to collecting and enjoying kitchen knifes. There is a technical side as well the art side to master. The Japanese and Germans feature heavily in both fields.

Polaroid Type 55 - one of the things I missed with 4x5. Found the price too high at the beginning and once discontinued the price of the remaining stock skyrocketed.

FM3a - there are days I still wish to have one. Large bright viewfinder - something most todays DLSRs are missing (with exception of the few high end models that are simply too large for my taste). I steel hope to get my hands on Contax 645 someday, but it seems like their prices experience continuos rise though.

Jon, those blade photos are cool - in particular the first one.

I think I'm going to get a camera one day and take some photos.

some fun shots from dinner tonight... 5d mkiii, 16-35 f4 IS L

So your allways interested by sharpnes on KKF :justkidding:

Jon,

In your first post, is the second shot a crop of the first? Its kinda hazy maybe a polarizing filter would help.

harlock0083 said:

Jon,

In your first post, is the second shot a crop of the first? Its kinda hazy maybe a polarizing filter would help.

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wasnt a crop, just a hazy day... i was actually shooting with a CPL filter that day

JBroida said:

wasnt a crop, just a hazy day... i was actually shooting with a CPL filter that day

Click to expand...

Gotcha, fyi the bokeh is very pleasing in your photos.

thanks

I mostly have pics of the 2 little ones.

marc4pt0 said:

I'm a Nikon guy myself. Just a hobbyist trying to find more time.
Gear:
Nikon D7000

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I like the grass one the most (all very cool) I'm not really sure why. Probably because the shoreline kinda leads my eyes back to the grass or something like that...

Some nice photo's on this thread. Cute kids too.

I'm really digging this thread. It's giving me an itch for YET ANOTHER expensive hobby...

brainsausage said:

I'm really digging this thread. It's giving me an itch for YET ANOTHER expensive hobby...

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Dude, back away. Believe me, it's another rabbit hole. Once you're in ... Well you know the rest.

Having said that, I love all my (many) cameras ...

Mute-on said:

Dude, back away. Believe me, it's another rabbit hole. Once you're in ... Well you know the rest.

Having said that, I love all my (many) cameras ...

Click to expand...

Yep. One of my oldest and closest friends is a very accomplished photographer, and long before I got into the knife thing she was bemoaning the cost, and geekery of cameras/gear. She's out in Jon's neck of the woods now. Haven't been around that level of photography in many years now... Ever since I got a phone with an ok camera I've been playing with the idea of taking the plunge and investing in a proper rig. After years of becoming accustomed to the look of camera phone pics, this thread really hammers home the drastic difference in character of images shot with an well picked setup, and an eye for the moment.

This is also another rabbit hole for me. i have D7000 with several prime lens but my fav is 105mm f2, 50 f1.2, and 60 macro for my food