More toys

Just a short update, since this blog hasn't been too active.

I've added a bit of hardware over the last few months, mostly sourced from craigslist (home of the occasional bargain). I managed to snag a D3200 with less than 10k clicks. Having 24mp is going to be fun, although the images I've taken so far have that Sony look of the D100 and D200. The shutter is pretty quiet, and the body is rather compact. The large file size puts a strain on my ancient Dell XPS 420, and forces me to use Lightroom (which is horribly clunky compared to ACR). After having used it a few times, it makes me re-evaluate the V1, as the D3200 is small enough compared to the D3.

I also added a 50mm f/1.8G and 35mm f/1.8DX. I couldn't resist the 50mm as it's the Df version with the chrome ring, bringing back the classic 70's Nikkor look. The 35DX functions as a portrait lens on the V1, and a normal on the D3200. More on these two lenses as I get to use them on both bodies. Drawback of the 50mm is the need for a 58mm filter, a size that's not in my kit.

With the arrival of the new body and lenses, I've been trying to sell my D2H and 50mm f/1.8 AF on craigslist, with very little success. It might be time to try eBay.






When is a parade not a parade?

When you don't have the time to attend a parade (because there's another event at the same time), you can just go to the location where the parade attendants are staging themselves before the parade. The St. Patrick's Day Parade happened to coincide with the Brides of March event a few weekends ago, so I ended up having enough time to take shots up to the point where the parade goers began to march.

 

The atmosphere is a little different. The kids are restless (as kids tend to be when they're forced to wait). The parade vehicles are being made up, and some people are practicing their routines.

 




It's also been some time since I've used the D3. The optical viewfinder is a thing of beauty after months of using an EVF. The 70-200mm VR remains one of the best lenses I've used, and it's unmatched for parades. It looks like my left forearm is OK as it didn't hurt at the end of the day (the major reason I switched to the V1). The right elbow is another story!

 


Complete set of photos are here.

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