Lens Review #3 - Bad and Brilliant standard zoom - Sigma 24-70mm f2.8 Macro

This large and fast Sigma is a strange lens.  On APS-C sensor cameras it is brilliant, but on Full Frame it’s not good at all.  On DX it is sharp all over from f2.8, and renders pictures nicely, and in fact it was my Dad’s copy for Pentax that really persuaded me that this lens was something to get, and soon after I picked up my own copy.  

On Full Frame however, at 24mm and f2.8 it has one of the most heavy light fall off in the corners of any lens I have ever used, as bad as the Kiron 28mm f2, which was my benchmark for terrible.   See Photozone’s Review for DX and also Full Frame, which is quite similar to my findings.

One thing I do like about this lens is the close focus.  While it is not a true Macro lens, it certainly does focus quite close, as can be seen by the picture of the rings below.

Eventually I sold it in a trade where I picked up the Nikon 18-200mm I have; and now I am looking out for a Nikon 24-70mm f2.8, which, while expensive, it is undoubtedly the best standard zoom lens you can buy for Nikon.

If you shoot DX, and specialize in weddings, it will be one of the best investments you make, and on the used market it’s only around $400 to boot.  For Full Frame though, spend the $1,600 and just go straight to the Nikon.

Lens Review #2 - Another sharp MF telephoto – Nikkor Q 200mm f4

Around the same time I got the Nikkor 300mm f4.5, I also came across this Nikkor Q 200mm f4.  As it was a non-Ai lens, it will only mount to the newer, basic Nikon DSLRs such as D3000, D5100 and others.  As I wanted to try it out on the D90 I needed a work around.  I mounted my Nikon PK-13 Ai extension tube to the camera, then tried to fit the lens to the camera, but no go.  I tried the Nikon PK-3 27.5 non-Ai between the PK-13 and the 200mm lens, but still no go.  The Ai auto indexing lever on the PK-13 wouldn’t fit around either the 200mm lens or the PK-3.  Then I tried the Nikon M2 1:1 extension tube for the Micro-Nikkor 55mm f3.5, and as this has a smaller diameter, it fit fine.

So here’s a couple shots with the 200mm f4 and PK-13 / M2 extension tube combination, lit with a Nikon SB-800 flash.

 These photos were either shot wide open, or at f5.6; and I am quite impressed with the sharpness and colour rendition of a lens that’s already had its 40^th birthday.  Check out the shots – you can easily see the dust on the camera and the glass apple in the full screen shots.

Of course, these fitment issues would not be a problem with an older Nikon film SLR like and F2 or F3,  an EVIL or video camera with an adapter, or even Nikon’s cheaper DSLRs which accept non-Ai lenses without any issues.

In summary, is it a lens worth buying?  Absolutely!  The later Ai and Ai-s lenses will get you around the issues that I had with the D90, but depending on your camera, this may be a non-issue.  These lenses don’t go for a lot of money, and are great fun to have kicking around.

Lens Review #1 - The sharp MF tele - Nikon 300mm f4.5 MF Ai-S

Pre-amble:  Over the next week I am going to post some reviews of lenses that I have kicking around.  My reviews aren’t particularly scientific - there’s plenty of other sites that do a good job of that ( I like PhotoZone and SLR gear), so my review will be based on impressions.

Not so long ago I picked up this tele Nikkor from Henry’s Outlet Centre to try out.   The condition of the lens is pretty good, no optical or mechanical flaws; and the focus is very smooth and well damped.

Initial impressions are very good.  Even wide open at f4.5, quite clearly it is sharp enough to easily out-resolve the D90’s 12 megapixel APS-C sized sensor, and it has a very even performance across the frame, typical of most good quality prime telephoto lenses.  There’s no distortion and I can’t see any light fall off.

Earlier in the Fall and with everyone lining up their garden waste bags full of leaves for collection, I decided to take the 300mm on a test run.  As the sun was dropping, I managed to grab some soft evening light on the rows of bags left street side.

Like all manual focus telephotos, focusing can be a little challenging to get right, as the depth of field is quite thin, even at 20 feet away.  There are two ways to help solve this.  One is by focus bracketing – ie taking a shot just behind, right on and just ahead where you think it is perfectly in focus.  This will certainly increase your ‘keep’ rate.  The other trick is to use a Nikon TC-16A teleconverter.  This 1.6x tele-con has an auto focusing element and can AF an MF lens.  Get the focus close-ish, and the teleconveter looks after the rest.  Disappointingly I found that it can be only used with cameras that meter with manual focus lenses.

Overall, the Nikkor 300mm f4.5 is a whole lot better optically than any of the 70-300mm consumer zooms out there, and it really feels like it’s been built to survive a nuclear war.  The “plastic fantastics” don’t feel like this nowadays.  

Back of Rotman

Old Buildings always look good shot in black and white, but old buildings in the city shot on the side reveal a lot more  than the beautiful frontal fascades show.  Here’s the side of the Rotman School of Management building at University and College shot on the NEX.  I used the Leica 50mm f1.5 Summarit, which adds an olde worlde flavour to the shot.

Simple

Sometimes simple shots are the ones that work.  Here’s a shot of a lamp and sky in Napanee taken with the D2X and Nikon 55mm f1.2.  The shot isn't that complicated, but as a photo it certainly works well, as the hint of wispy clouds balance out the lamp.

I make it a practice to remove as much of the clutter from a photo as I can, whether it is moving things out the way, or using a shallow depth of field to blur out the background.  Simple is good.

Mr & Mrs Straw and family visit the Plowing Match

You see strange people at public events, but this family was one of the strangest I’ve seen in a while.

This was shot at the International Plowing Match I attended in September, and I think they come from a by-gone era, perhaps when the below plowing matches took place.

Sunflower Poster

Here’s a quick snapshot of a street scene in the University and College area in Toronto.  The scene focuses on the poster and slowly blurs out other parts of the scene due to the shallow depth of field.  Shallow depth of field on street scenes to me conveys a feeling of mystery, of not completely knowing what is going on.  Quickly it leads the viewer to wonder, to ask questions, even speculate about what the scene is telling them.