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B&H has the Nikon 70-300 for DX WITH VR for $139, Nikon USA factory refurbished.
Nikon AF-P DX NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3G ED VR Lens (Refurbished by Nikon USA)
Same lens new runs ~$350-$400.
https://www.amazon.com/Nikon-70-300mm-4-5-6-3G-ED-VR/dp/B01KJ8UMKK
Obviously at that price you won't be getting a top of the line lens. Mostly though the cost savings are in the construction materials. The AF-P is faster than their AF-S and almost silent. It's a great little lens for knocking about and covers a good bit of telephoto range.
I have the non VR version and am thinking of spending the money just to have basically the same lens with an extra feature I may find useful someday. Might try to unload mine just to get a little something back as well. Hey, I've done dumber things with $150 before, lol.
Nikon AF-P DX NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3G ED VR Lens (Refurbished by Nikon USA)
Same lens new runs ~$350-$400.
https://www.amazon.com/Nikon-70-300mm-4-5-6-3G-ED-VR/dp/B01KJ8UMKK
Obviously at that price you won't be getting a top of the line lens. Mostly though the cost savings are in the construction materials. The AF-P is faster than their AF-S and almost silent. It's a great little lens for knocking about and covers a good bit of telephoto range.
I have the non VR version and am thinking of spending the money just to have basically the same lens with an extra feature I may find useful someday. Might try to unload mine just to get a little something back as well. Hey, I've done dumber things with $150 before, lol.
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wow, and double wow, There are some really beautiful pictures here on this thread. I have an old Nikon D60 that I bought at a pawn shop years ago. Yesterday I took it on my daily walk for the first time. This picture is taken on the road down a ways from my house. I go for a walk everyday with my four dogs, Rollo, Sadie, Rosco, and Scrappy.
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Okay, a bit of a rambling post about flash photography. I got to messing with flash during the winter and accumulated a good bit of gear. I went the less expensive route and settled on speedlights. Pro's use much larger and more expensive gear but this was enough to get my feet wet. One of the pieces of equipment that I bought is a softbox that holds 2 speedlights. Westcott octabox pro duo I think it's called.
Anyway, it's summer now and finally things are starting to open back up as far as events that had all but come to a stop due to the COVID. If you've followed my posting you know that we have an equestrian facility nearby and they have some sort of indoor horse show almost weekly. barrel racing, breed shows, reining horses, gaited horses, hunter/jumper.. you name it, they got it.
I'm not a "horse person" per se, more a horse person "horse person". I find the people and the action interesting. However all of this takes place indoors and most under poor lighting conditions, at least for photography so I've struggled to get good quality photos. The devil is in the exposure triangle of course. Wide open shutter is needed to obtain auto-focus but gives a very shallow depth of field which when shooting fast moving subjects can lead to a lot of misses. Cranking up the ISO leads to grainy/noisy photos. Slowing down the shutter speed leads to motion blur.
Most of these events have a contracted professional photographer there and they all use expensive flash gear. Big honkin' rigs set up in the rafters that eliminate all the issues I mentioned. The flash freezes the motion and provides enough light that they can use a smaller aperture and low ISO.
So I got to looking at my flash gear and came up with my own rig. Two 60 rated speedlights firing at the same time. Here's a picture. I used the two light bracket from the softbox with a single trigger and a sync cable between them.
So now I think I have a rig that's really portable and capable. I took it outside tonight just to play with it and here's my results. First one is pitch black because I took it with no flash just to establish a base point. Next one is at full power on the flashes, shutter speed 1/250, ISO 100 and aperture f10. Next one is all the same except aperture is f2.8. The building is probably 30-40 feet away, I was using an 85mm lens so it's zoomed in a bit and the DX crop factor makes the shot even tighter.
Anyway, I think I have more than enough light to go to the horse barn and play now. Many of the shows just outright canceled this year so there's not nearly as many opportunities coming up as there were before but hopefully in a few weeks I'll get to really try this out and then have a few more chances to dial it all in during the summer. Wish me luck!
Anyway, it's summer now and finally things are starting to open back up as far as events that had all but come to a stop due to the COVID. If you've followed my posting you know that we have an equestrian facility nearby and they have some sort of indoor horse show almost weekly. barrel racing, breed shows, reining horses, gaited horses, hunter/jumper.. you name it, they got it.
I'm not a "horse person" per se, more a horse person "horse person". I find the people and the action interesting. However all of this takes place indoors and most under poor lighting conditions, at least for photography so I've struggled to get good quality photos. The devil is in the exposure triangle of course. Wide open shutter is needed to obtain auto-focus but gives a very shallow depth of field which when shooting fast moving subjects can lead to a lot of misses. Cranking up the ISO leads to grainy/noisy photos. Slowing down the shutter speed leads to motion blur.
Most of these events have a contracted professional photographer there and they all use expensive flash gear. Big honkin' rigs set up in the rafters that eliminate all the issues I mentioned. The flash freezes the motion and provides enough light that they can use a smaller aperture and low ISO.
So I got to looking at my flash gear and came up with my own rig. Two 60 rated speedlights firing at the same time. Here's a picture. I used the two light bracket from the softbox with a single trigger and a sync cable between them.
So now I think I have a rig that's really portable and capable. I took it outside tonight just to play with it and here's my results. First one is pitch black because I took it with no flash just to establish a base point. Next one is at full power on the flashes, shutter speed 1/250, ISO 100 and aperture f10. Next one is all the same except aperture is f2.8. The building is probably 30-40 feet away, I was using an 85mm lens so it's zoomed in a bit and the DX crop factor makes the shot even tighter.
Anyway, I think I have more than enough light to go to the horse barn and play now. Many of the shows just outright canceled this year so there's not nearly as many opportunities coming up as there were before but hopefully in a few weeks I'll get to really try this out and then have a few more chances to dial it all in during the summer. Wish me luck!
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Oh, and here's a sample from last week's reining horse schooling show. Would be a lot better if it weren't so grainy. One of the disadvantages of flash though in these sorts of venues is that the light isn't modified or softened at all. It's just bare flash which isn't terribly flattering. I wish it were possible to shoot indoors with just available light but I'm going to give the flash a try. Who knows, I may not like the results.
EDIT: This was taken at f2.8, 210mm, 1/1,600s and ISO 8,000. Crazy.
Anyway, horse lady.
2nd EDIT: Just for reference this is the image before I tinkered with it.
EDIT: This was taken at f2.8, 210mm, 1/1,600s and ISO 8,000. Crazy.
Anyway, horse lady.
2nd EDIT: Just for reference this is the image before I tinkered with it.
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I bought one of those refurbed 70-300mm Nikon lenses, it was on my doorstep when I got home from a trip to the zoo yesterday. Once I got my things put away I stuck it on my D7500 and took a couple of shots here in the house. Zoomed to 300mm and shooting at one of my fish tanks I was able to take reasonably sharp pictures at 1/30s. I still don't know what I'll use the feature for but nice to have.
So about that trip to the zoo... I spent 4 hours walking around on a bright, bright sunny day. The place is heavily shaded with trees everywhere but there's also large open areas and of course sunlight streaming thru holes in the trees. Makes for really contrasty pics unless you're just totally in the shade. Not real fruitful from a photographic standpoint.
Towards the end of the afternoon I was sitting at a picnic table watching some gibbons in the trees and hoping for a passing cloud to give me a little better light when I felt something drop into my lap. It was my camera battery. I looked at the camera and somehow, somewhere during the day the little battery compartment door had fallen off and vanished. I haven't had any issues with my Nikon gear up to this point so I kinda freaked and called my camera guru. He said he's had it happen before and that if I could find it it should snap back in easily. Well, finding it was not going to happen but I got on the phone and found one at Nikon parts for less than $4. Shipping and tax was another $10 but hey, replacement is on the way!
I think with a good post processing software some of the pictures I took are probably salvageable but I don't have that, nor the skill or patience for messing with snapshots of a zoo trip. Anyway, what would be a photography discussion without at least one picture, right? So here's a giraffe.
So about that trip to the zoo... I spent 4 hours walking around on a bright, bright sunny day. The place is heavily shaded with trees everywhere but there's also large open areas and of course sunlight streaming thru holes in the trees. Makes for really contrasty pics unless you're just totally in the shade. Not real fruitful from a photographic standpoint.
Towards the end of the afternoon I was sitting at a picnic table watching some gibbons in the trees and hoping for a passing cloud to give me a little better light when I felt something drop into my lap. It was my camera battery. I looked at the camera and somehow, somewhere during the day the little battery compartment door had fallen off and vanished. I haven't had any issues with my Nikon gear up to this point so I kinda freaked and called my camera guru. He said he's had it happen before and that if I could find it it should snap back in easily. Well, finding it was not going to happen but I got on the phone and found one at Nikon parts for less than $4. Shipping and tax was another $10 but hey, replacement is on the way!
I think with a good post processing software some of the pictures I took are probably salvageable but I don't have that, nor the skill or patience for messing with snapshots of a zoo trip. Anyway, what would be a photography discussion without at least one picture, right? So here's a giraffe.
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Absolutely gorgeous picture of the giraffe. Last time I went to the zoo I had a three year old in tow with me and it was her first time to go. She is my grandniece, the apple of my eye. She has the largest most beautiful blue eyes, and she knows how to use them. When we where in the gift shop she grabbed two stuff toys and asked me to buy them for her. I told her only one, then she flashed those eyes at me, and will she went home with two large stuffed toys. I'm just an old softie.
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My little Wal-mart bracket showed up so now I've got TWO dual flash units. I did some math just based on the guide number(s) of the speedlights I have and I THINK I have some idea of where to start. There's a little horse show scheduled for this weekend in the actual coliseum, not the poorly lit horse barn/arena, so I'll get a chance to find out. Having better ambient light is something else that will likely play into my results. Based on my rough calculations I can shoot at 1/4 power, ISO 800 and probably around f3.2 which I think will give me decent recycle times and not drain my batteries quite as quickly. Oh, batteries. This whole rig uses 22 AA NiMH to power everything, lol. I have no idea what the life of one of these is but they're not cheap so they better be good for more than a couple of charges. Wish me luck!
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Well, I went to the horse show anyway and got in with no problems. I didn't stay long and it wasn't a complete waste of time but hunter/jumpers + amateurs = no flash zone. I was able to set up and snap some test shots between riders but I'm not sure this is something I want to pursue. Bare flash is just such a harsh light and while I know that folks buy those pictures the pros take, I'm just not a fan at this point. I may still play with it some more just to be certain, there's barrel racing on the calendar in a few weeks and they don't care much about flash so it's another opportunity.
Anyway, I took a trip to a cemetery here and wandered around trying to create something interesting. Still looking at what I took but here's a couple that I like initially. Also, I think it's an unwritten rule that cemetery photos are to be done in black and white.
Anyway, I took a trip to a cemetery here and wandered around trying to create something interesting. Still looking at what I took but here's a couple that I like initially. Also, I think it's an unwritten rule that cemetery photos are to be done in black and white.
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Still perusing the shots from the cemetery and man, some of the statuary, particularly the really old stuff, was incredibly detailed. Almost makes me wish I had a macro lens so I could do some detail shots. Then again, I don't know how they'd do taken out of context. Here's one of a lady who, it looks to me like, has used the bottom of her shawl as a sort of basket and gathered flowers (roses?) for her beloved. The frills/embellishments on her garments are really mind blowing to me. Granted I know nothing about the art of casting these markers but someone had to create the original.
This one is just a creepy angel lady as viewed from the tenant's perspective.
This one is just a creepy angel lady as viewed from the tenant's perspective.
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Getting a bit bored so I decided to go back and play with the off camera flash again. I took "Monica" outside for the first time, in the shade on the patio with the pond and parking lot in full sun in the background. This is at ISO 200, f5 and 1/6400s. 2 speedlights, HSS. Not great but more a proof of concept and to get some idea of the limitations of my gear.
This is with just the available light, same settings but shutter speed at 1/60s.
This is with just the available light, same settings but shutter speed at 1/60s.
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Back to messing with the off camera flash again and I may have found a live model. I was at the zoo and a female security person struck up a conversation that turned to photography. Turns out she has done some modeling in the past and may be willing to trade her time for pictures. We shall see! Anyway, trying my hand with a "beauty dish" as a key light and a soft box for fill.
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Horse shows are starting to happen with more regularity and I'm still curious to know if I can get decent results using the speedlights I have. Verdict is NO. Just not enough power and pointing them straight at the subject gives harsh, harsh light and amazing shadows. Oh well, it was just a thought.
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Back to the horse barn this weekend, last show until Fall. Last year there was something almost every weekend but this pandemic has forced a lot of cancellations around here. We had the Texas Senior Pro Rodeo folks in town and they had a good time. I tried something a little different this time, I went with high shutter speed and high ISO. Just wanting to freeze the action and not really caring too much about noise/grain. I took what I got and converted them all to B&W figuring maybe that would hide some of the ugliness. I mostly shot the barrel racers yesterday morning and got at least one picture from each ride that I saved to make a print of. I'm getting them all printed, 85 total, from Wal-Mart. Cost $12. They'll be slow getting here but I'm in no hurry and I AM cheap! The plan is to stuff them all in an envelope to the group and gently hint that I live here locally and that if anyone is here and wanting a portrait done I'm willing to talk. We'll see. Shot in the dark sort of thing but hey, very little ventured.
Anyway, here's a shot from the calf roping, I did take a few shots of that right before I came home for the day. Cowgirl making money the hard way.
Anyway, here's a shot from the calf roping, I did take a few shots of that right before I came home for the day. Cowgirl making money the hard way.
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I picked up a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi back around 2007ish. That and a 50mm f/1.8 lens. A coworker who was really into photography saw my eye developing and invited me out for beers. Over beers he slid a Mamiya C330 twin lens reflex film camera across the table. That camera changed my life. I learned real photography on that camera.
I still have it. Sometimes I still use it. I mostly shoot digital now. Mostly on the Fuji X platform. But I have many vintage manual focus lenses from my adventures, so I have a Sony A7ii body for use with those lenses. I haven't invested in any Sony native lenses, so that's really just for the vintage lenses.
Getting good at film photography has made me a better digital photographer, I think. It's slowed me down, helped me to appreciate the push & pull of exposure settings and how to craft the final image.
I did manage to capture the moment that old Mamiya was introduced to me, if you were wondering what it might look like. It takes 120 or 220 medium format film, and shoots square 6x6cm images. You compose the image in a ground glass through the periscope up top, looking down into it. The image in the ground glass is flipped backwards left-to-right. And you're composing through the top lens. The image itself is taken through the bottom lens onto film, and the shutter is inside of the lens, so it's pretty quiet. No mirror slap. Just a subtle "snick".
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My first camera was the family hand-me-down Yashica twin lens. I don't think I ever shot color film in it, too expensive for a teenager, lol. The negatives were great, large enough that 8x10 was not a stretch. Bought a used enlarger for $100 from a classmate and turned my mom's bathroom into my darkroom a few times a month. Mowing yards and throwing a paper route I could afford the paper and chemicals to work with b&w.
B&W film was always a great way to do film photography on-the-cheap. You could make developer chemistry with coffee grounds and a little ground-up vitamin C (Google: "Caffenol-C"). Once I realized you didn't need stop bath (for film), I just used water and it worked out OK. I never did work out a cheap replacement for Fixer. But I did get a hold of some indicator to show me if my fixer was still reusable or not. After it was used too many times, you can use the indicator to get silver blobs to precipitate out of the fixer.
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A few photos from around the area with the Nikon D7200 and 12-200mm lens. With all the wildfires in Colorado I haven't been able to get outside much recently to do any photography. The smoke is so bad around here. The 25,000 acre Grizzle Creek fire is only 15 miles away. Pine Gulch fire at 80,000 acres is further west and currently the largest fire in Colorado history. The Williams Fork fire is 50 miles north at 7,000 acres and the Cameron Peak fire is now at 8,000 acres. Anyways enough about the state of Colorado burning down, here some picks before the state got covered in smoke.
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Are the fires the state's response to the bubonic bunny rabbits? Seems a bit extreme if so.
Seriously though, I'm sorry to hear about the fires. I remember visiting CO when I was a kid during the mid-70's and the area we were in then had been ravaged by fires badly not long before. Nature heals eventually but the manmade things often don't. Hang in there!
Random Great Topic!
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