Year end musings

As 2015 draws to a close, it's time for a short review of my state of the photo nation.

1. I'm down to three camera systems: Nikon FX, Nikon CX, and Fuji X. M43 has gone away, and hasn't been missed.
2. The D3 is now on its eighth year, and still going strong. The batteries are due for a replacement though, as they are at the end of life per the indicator, and don't hold as much of a charge.
3. The D5200 gets the occasional use when I need the extra resolution. I'm still not as impressed with the high ISO IQ though.
4. The V1 is gone, replaced by the V2. I haven't had much time to use this camera, and plan to save it mostly for surfing and video. There is already a flaw in the plan though as the Sigma 500mm won't work with the FT1. I don't know if this is a problem with the V2 or with the FT1 as  I upgraded the firmware on the latter. The firmware upgrade allowed the FT1 to do continuous AF with the V2, but it seems at a cost. I'm waiting for a response from Sigma to find out if there is a fix. If not, I'm stuck with the 70-200mm + TC-14E for surfing (756mm 35mm-equivalent). Still not a bad combination, but not quite the 1350mm 35mm-equivalent I'd get with the Sigma.
5. The V2 also has some weird restrictions when shooting at 15fps. There's an aperture limitation (no greater than f/5.6) in this mode. Nikon wants me to call them to discuss this, but I haven't had the opportunity over the hectic holidays.
6. The V2 IQ is a bit grittier than the V1. Looks like I need to work on my sharpening settings.
7. The Fuji X-E1 has been a great walkaround camera over the last five months. Yes, the AF is dog slow, but I've been mostly using it with adapted lenses, so that hasn't been an issue. The IQ from the camera has been very good though, and it's a good balance between the IQ of FX and the portability of CX. Nikon, where is your mirrorless DX body?

So overall things are looking good for 2016. No new hardware is in the cards, for now at least.

Ultron on the D3

I've been itching to see how well the 50mm Ultron does on an FX sensor, but unfortunately the flange focal distance of the M42 mount is a little over 1mm longer than that of the Nikon F-mount. Add the extra mm or so from a converter, and the Ultron turns into a macro lens. 

The adapter I bought did have a glass element to compensate for this, and it did give me infinity focus, but the IQ was really, really bad. So off came the glass element (well, more like hammered away). You would think that 2mm or so wouldn't make much of a difference, but the Ultron was barely able to focus to four feet.

I took a few photos, and that was that. Maybe one day I'll find a Canon FX body at a bargain price and give it another go.

 

The 52mm filter adapter for the Ultron from eBay finally arrived after a false start (wrong item shipped, had to get a refund and re-order). It's a nicely machined piece, and fits well into the B50 mount. The tabs are a bit on the thin side, something to keep in mind. I'm now able to mount 52mm screw-in hoods and filters.

I tried several hoods, and unfortunately it takes a pretty deep one to minimize the appearance of the rainbow flare. Note that it isn't totally eliminated; I don't have a 52mm screw mount hood that's deep enough for that. Adding the adapter and a hood on the lens makes it pretty big, and doesn't quite look right on the X-E1. I've also covered that nice chrome finish on the nose of the lens. Function over form.

Manual focus for sports

Make that for one sport. I snagged a trio of Nikon E lenses a few months ago (the collection is growing), and finally had time to give one of them a try. With the 100mm f/2.8E in hand (along with the 35mm f/1.8G ED), I did my usual tour of the city.

The lens is tiny, as are most MF lenses compared to their AF counterparts. It's a bit unbalanced on the D3, and would make a better fit on a DSLR without a vertical grip. Using the aperture ring on the lens to set the aperture brings back fond memories of the old days with my EM and Fujica film bodies. The focus action is smooth, although not up to the level of a Nikkor lens. The E lenses were Nikon's attempt at challenging the proliferation of third party lenses, and so don't have the same build quality and optical performance of their regular lens line.

Nikon 105mm f/2 DC and 100mm f/2.8E with HB-31 hood

As I wandered through the city, I decided to zigzag around Chinatown to look for some corners that I hadn't photographed before. I ran across several volleyball games going on at the Willie "Woo Woo" Wong Playground, and thought I'd try to take a few shots.

The only time I tried MF for sports was a painful 30 minutes trying to capture surfing with the V1 and Sigma 500mm. Painful because that combination results in very, very tight framing, and is unwieldy when you're trying to MF.

I did a lot better this time. Yes, I missed focus quite a lot, shooting at f/5.6 through the fence. Timing of course is an issue, but I never said I was a pro. Some of the shots have the player's hand right on the ball, making it look more like a basketball game than volleyball. It took me some time to remember that I was shooting action and switch to manual exposure to keep the shutter speed up.

But I did snag some keepers, leaving me pretty happy. 

More images can be found here.

Hit rate: 27/732, or 4%

First outing with the Nikon 35mm f/1.8G ED FX

After over a month of waiting, the Nikon 35mm f/1.8G ED FX lens finally arrived. I had already sold my 35mm f/2 AF, and have been making do with the DX version. Oddly enough, I hesitated on buying the lens when the sale started in February, and by the time I did buy it, the lens was out of stock. Snooze you lose.

So it's off to the How Weird Street Faire (my first time) with the challenge of using a 35mm lens instead of the usual 70-200mm. It's difficult for me to get that close to a subject when taking a photo as I don't like to be in your face, but it's good to push yourself every now and then.

The results weren't bad. There were a few times when I was too far for my taste, and I had to crop the images to get the result I liked. The lens didn't disappoint though, with nice sharpness, acceptable OOF, and spot on AF. I like the results better than the AF version.

Next step is to try it out on the V1.

In the meanwhile, here are some choice shots from the event.

DX on FX

I'm still waiting for my 35mm f/1.8G FX lens (yes Nikon, have a sale without adequate stock, that's a great idea). In the meanwhile, I decided to give the 35mm DX a try on the D3. I have used this combination some time ago, but more as a test. This time around it will be out in the field taking actual photos.

The results aren't that bad. Yes, there's a lot of light falloff in the corners, and visible barrel distortion. ACR does a good job correcting those problems, at the usual expense of cropped images. I can live with the results, as long as I don't apply an overly critical eye.

If you don't fix these issues, you're left with an image that can resemble one of those old-time photos with vignetted corners and the subject right in the center of the photo. I can see using this effect on some images, but not so much for casual shooting. It is something to add to the bag of tricks.

So while I'm still waiting for my lens, here are some shots from last weekend's Chinese New Year parade with the DX lens.

More images can be found here.

The D3 at ISO6400

I've had my D3 for a little over 7 years now, and I'm still amazed by its high ISO capabilities. I usually limit the auto ISO setting to ISO3200, which is easily processed by the noise reduction software that I use. Of course I'm still trying to sell it as it's just too big and heavy now (getting older is tough).

Shooting the Dia de los Muertos parade in San Francisco is a challenge as it's city streets at night. I went to my first one two years ago, and I decided to let the ISO go up to 6400 as I needed high shutter speeds to get sharp pictures with the 50mm f/1.8G. I still got some blurry shots (damn all that caffeine as a child!), but I am surprised at how workable the photos are for posting on the web. The colors are a little washed out, and there is noise, but not that bad. The lighting is a challenge, with the white balance dropping down as far as it would go.

I should have processed these images before attending the 2014 event, as I limited the ISO to 3200 last year. There's something to be said about being prompt in your processing (or at least chronological).

 More images can be found here

Hit rate: 28/130, or 22%

Karting

First outing for 2015! I've been a little lazy, and haven't gone on a photo outing since last year.

So for 2015, it's off to Sonoma Raceway (formerly Sears Point) for some go kart action. I tried the V1 with the 70-200mm VR and TC-14EII. A little too much reach, and AF tracking wasn't as good as the D3, but it's great if you want to get up close. The camera correctly reports the focal length with the TC attached.

The D3 lacks a bit of reach (I was too lazy to bring the Sigma 500mm), but playing with 3D AF got some good results. Panning is still not my best skill though, and the 70-200mm really doesn't like it when you're shooting into the sun.

A slow, but not bad, start to 2015.

The downside of digital

It's finally over. After almost two months, I've finished editing the final photo from the Bay to Breakers. I was there for five hours, which explains why I ended up with so many shots. Staying later means more photos of the party crowd. Not too many nude runners this year (or I missed them due to the crowd density).

The pictures came out nicely despite the sun coming out later in the day. The usual kit of D3+70-200mm VR+TC-14E. No flash this time. The usual case of eye strain after the event, and a hungry belly.

Complete set of photos can be found here

Hit rate: 566/2,510, or 23%

Now that the B2B ordeal is over, I can go back to my regular editing schedule, which puts me further back to September of last year. Sigh.

Popping the cosplay cherry

I've been to several comic book conventions, JPop festivals, and cherry blossom parades. But I've never attended a pure cosplay event. I managed to attend one last weekend, and it was a bit of overload. Lots of people in costumes, and lots of photographers milling around them. Some photogs even brought lighting setups with them. Talk about dedication.

I only managed a few shots, as most of the time I was just gawking and enjoying the view. Hopefully I'll be better prepared for the next one. I stuck to my favorite portrait lens (the 105mm f/2DC), and it didn't disappoint. There are times when I'm amazed at what this lens produces. It has a pop that's lacking in the 70-200VR. Hopefully Nikon will update it with an AF-S version so I can use it on the V1 and D3200.

On a side note, there was one photog using a view camera. It was interesting to watch him do the careful setup and focus required by such a large rig. It would be nice to see his results, given the care and time he put into his photos. Another one was using a medium format Mamiya, which was a surprisingly light rig. Large format rights would be fun to try, but my manual focus skills are pretty nonexistent, so it wouldn't be much fun.

Hit rate: 16/58, or 28%

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Full album can be found here

On another side note, I've been stuck trying to edit photos in a chronological order. So future posts will be jumping back and forth as I find albums that are more interesting or need more timely processing than others.

Jumping ahead

The World Cup in Brazil is coming up, so what better way to celebrate than with Carnaval SF. This year I had a scheduling conflict, so I went to the staging area instead of attending the actual parade (similar to the St. Patrick's Day parade earlier this year). It's a bit more fun as the parade participants are more willing to pose, and some actually practice their dancing.

I went with only one body and lens, the D3 + 28-70mm. I could have used a little more reach for some shots (not really the in-your-face type), and a little more FOV. Sounds like the 24-120VR would be a good fit for situations like this. I used the SB-800 for some shots, but I wasn't happy with the results (as usual).

Two issues: too many people taking selfies, and too many other photographers!

Hit rate: 261/1,059, or 25%

Complete set of photos here

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.

Hit rate: 66/243, or 27%