With the lack of option on Canon consumer models and budget for its pro models, I looked at it's Nikon alternatives namely the Nikon D70 and Nikon D100. I was actually set to buy the former but having the chance to hold and use the latter, I fell in love! And just like that, I am now part of the dark side...
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| Photo from dpreview.com |
Nikon D100
- if we talk about my all-time favorite cameras, this has got to be it
- pound for pound it was the best camera of its generation and its ergonomics has no equivalent
- I had to replace it due to a tear on one of its shutter blades which scratched the sensor as well
Nikon D2H
- being used to the semi-pro features of the Nikon D100, the Nikon D70 didn't appeal much to me thus I decided to get this despite a lowly 4MP sensor
- the low MP didn't matter much as the images that came out of it just have that "pop" to it which I didn't see in my former camera bodies...the built was something to behold as well
- this unit made me realize that it's not all about MPs if I want the best IQ
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| Taken with a Sigma 10-20...had to do some heavy duty correction of distortions though |
- talk about ultra wide!
- it served me well on my trips to Europe and our adventure trip in Cagayan/ Bukidnon but surprisingly, I utilized it where it is not really intended to be used...architectural photography.
Nikon AF-D 18-35 f3.5-4.5
- ever since I made the decision to jump to Nikon, this was my "must have" lens and it delivered
- paired with my D100, it became my all around lens
- looking back, it performed as well as my more expensive lenses...you really have to pixel peep to see the difference
Nikon AF-S G 24-85 f3.5-4.5
- my supposed all-around lens but it's range was just not that ideal in a DX format
- it has decent optics though and the AF-S was a welcome experience back then
- this lens, while having decent IQ, became an expensive paper weight for me
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| I was only able to do macro as this insect is dead. |
- my first macro lens...super sharp and is everything I could ever want in a macro lens
- only issue is that I found the range to be too short (my excuse to the fact that I don't have the patience for macro photography)
Nikon AF 70-210 f4-5.6
- as i splurged my budget on the Nikon D100, Nikon AF-D 18-35 f3.5-4.5, Nikon AF-S G 24-85 f3.5-4.5 and Nikon SB800; my budget for a telephoto zoom is now pocket change
- I bought this thanks to Ken Rockwell who Nikon should regard as the best salesman for this lens
- optics is not that bad and the push-pool zoom barrel was a welcome change...auto focus speed leaves a lot to be desired though
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| Photo of my dad taken with a Nikon 80-200 f2.8 |
- as with me getting the Nikon AF-D 20-35 f2.8, I got this lens to replace my Nikon AF 70-210 f4-5.6
- WHAT A LENS! super sharp...amazing bokeh...I loved it!
- if I wasn't short on cash when I needed a super telephoto lens I would've kept this
Nikon AF 105 f2.8 Micro
- since my Nikon AF-D 60 f2.8 Micro is too short for Macro, I got this lens
- it was as sharp as it's shorter sibling...really nothing to complain about except for its built that is quite plasticky
- unfortunately, I didn't find macro photography to be that much easier even with this lens...I just had to accept that fact that this is not the field for me
Nikon AF 300 f4
- I got this lens because it was offered at a good price and what a pleasant surprise!
- super sharp...amazing bokeh...only issue is it's focusing speed and minimum focusing distance
- this lens together with the Nikon AF-D 80-200 f2.8 was just too much for my back...and I don't have much use for it.
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| Ambient lighting and SB-800 mounted on my D2H |
- my first proprietary flash unit
- coupled with the Nikon D100, it was like hot pandesal and coffee...unfortunately Nikon made this almost obsolete to use with the later models.
Tamrac Pro 8
- with my gears rapidly increasing in number, I had to find a bag to fit them all and provide easy access
- my experience with a backpack bag swayed me to get a shoulder bag instead
- it served it's purpose in terms of housing my gears but portability wise, it's not the most ideal
Film Again!?
With my lust for gears and some nostalgia settling in, I invested on a Nikon film camera and a couple of AIS lenses. It fulfilled my lust of playing with a high-end (make that semi) classic manual camera but that's just about it. After taking it on a trip to Batad-Bangaan I immediately sold it.
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| Photo from kenrockwell.com |
- one of the rare times I can say classic yet sexy in one sentence
- if I have a lot of cash to spare I would've kept it as a collection
Nikon AIS 25-50 f4
- a very rare and capable lens
- output from the camera is so-so but I would blame it on the developer (yeah right!)
- used on a D2H, results are not that good...reason why I'm blaming the developer
Nikon AIS 135 f2.8
- was expecting better bokeh but then again, the film developer screwed my photos
- used on a D2H, it's super sharp...bokeh is not bad but not great either.
Bridge Camera
As I am still an avid outdoorsman during this time, I noticed that I cannot bring my camera and lenses as the weight of my outdoor gears is heavy enough as it is. Instead of streamlining my equipment, I invested on a point and shoot with a long optical zoom lens. It was probably the best decision I made as this made me realize that I need not have all these gears with my way of shooting.
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| View from the peak of Mt. Ugu |
- it was the most highly regarded bridge camera at it's time and it certainly lived up to the hype
- image quality up to iso 800 is workable and the long optical zoom is a big plus
- only issues i had with it was the long "lag" in reading/ processing images and a foreign raw file that can only be converted using Fuji's proprietary software
Preview to Part 3
Strobist lighting became the in-thing and I got married. Something has to give...or does it?
Preview to Part 3
Strobist lighting became the in-thing and I got married. Something has to give...or does it?
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