When Nikon introduced their Nikon 1 cameras, I was terribly disappointed. The small sensor, the high price.
Like two weeks ago I got my hands on a Nikon J1 and I have used it ever since. The experience so far is quite enjoyable – not necessarily on an IQ-level, but in terms of having fun.
I will give you more insights in the next days. For now I’d like to direct you to my flickr Nikon J1 album.
Wolfgang
Another year goes by. There was hardly a day, when I didn’t take at least one picture. Looking through all the images I realise, it’s been quite a European year. Didn’t cross an ocean in the last 365 days physically and didn’t miss it.
Looking through the images I also realise, how many cameras I’ve been using this year. Some were cool (actually most of them were), some I couldn’t really relate to or get warm with and with some I fell in love as far as love for cameras can go.
I haven’t been writing a lot recently as you know. The reason is, after all that testing and reviewing I needed to take care of my photography instead of cameras and lenses. I found myself doing test-images and forgetting about the primary goal of this blog: the everyday, reallife-use of photographic equipment. I’ve been actually testing quite a few cameras and lenses in the meantime, but with an emphasis rather on their fun-factor than on their high ISO-performance or technical image quality. I’ll give you my impressions of such things as the Canon EOS 60D or the Sony SLT A55 in the next days.
For now I’d like to give you a short summary of which cameras caught my heart or mind and which ones didn’t. (Read on after the break!) weiter lesen
I’ve been a big fan of the Nikon D40 and D40x at their time. They had great image quality in 2007, were small and handy and it has always been a joy to use them. Their successors, the D60 and the D3000 never really caught my interest, since they didn’t improve very much over the older models.
Three years went by until Nikon introduced their new D3100 recently with an all new 14MP sensor, with full HD video and a couple of other improvements. You know by now, that I really grew out of big DSLR cameras, so the D3100 came in handy for a short review.
Before I got a review sample, I was handling the camera a couple of times at my camera store, but wasn’t too eager to try it. I have still a D3s laying around and the viewfinder of the D3100 was just too small to awake my lust to take a photo. Eventually I decided I’ll still give it a try. Here are my findings (read on after the break). weiter lesen
Life isn’t easy these days for enthusiastic photographers. Especially when you’re looking for the gear that perfectly fits you and your needs or wishes and try and keep the compromises as small as possible.
My name is Wolfgang Spekner and I’m a “the perfect gear addict”.
In analog times, the camera I did everything with and held dear for a decade (I still like it today), was the Nikon F90x (N90s). I started to do real photography, when I was 7, with an old Praktica and a 50mm f1.8 lens. Later, when AF-times dawned, I got myself a cheap Yashica AF200 with 35-70/3.5-4.5 and the 70-210/4.5 (I think). After using this camera for about ten years or so, the shutter broke and I bought my first Nikon, an F50. A couple of months later I upgraded to the older F-601 (N6006). Again a couple of months later I added a F90x. That was in 1996. I have used these two cameras until 2004 for almost everything I shot (I had also some compact cameras like the Yashica T5, Leica’s Minin III and two Olympus Mju coming and going.) My F-601 was gone in 2004, but I kept the F90x and still have it and maybe will never sell it, for it was my affordable dream camera at the time.
All that changed in 2004. (Read on after the break.) weiter lesen
I personally know a lot of Nikon full-frame photographers, who were hoping for a high performance wide-to-short telezoom for their FX camera. Eventually Nikon has introduced the AF-S VR 24-120/4G ED.
I had the chance to try the lens on a Nikon D3s, which by itself is an awesome camera, if you don’t mind the weight and its size.
The 24-120/4 isn’t exactly a small lens, but on a D3s or a D700 (both rather big and heavy cameras) it handles very well. It’s smaller and lighter than the 24-70/2.8 and I bet many will prefer the 24-120 over the 24-70 because of its weight, size and flexibility. I have produced tons of image samples during my 5 days with the lens and I can tell you, I would definitely miss it, if I owned a D3s or a D700. weiter lesen
When I first heard of the Sony Nex and the ability to use lenses of different manufacturers on it via adapters, I was thrilled. The original Sony lens choice for the Nex cameras is really small. And since Photokina was a big disappointment – Nex owners only got a lens plan, but no actual lenses – we have to rely on the offerings of other manufacturers for the time being.
BUT, after testing a couple of more and less expensive lenses with Nikon- and Leica-M-mount I didn’t feel all that thrilled anymore: I got more flexibility, but not that much of a quality improvement over the kit-lens.
(I still owe you my Leica M-Summarit 35/2.5 on the Nex, but that’s only, because I wasn’t amazed by the performance of this combo.)
That has definitly changed recently. I got the chance to use the now “old” Nikon AF-D 60/2.8 Macro on the Nex. To say the least, my hopes were rather modest. But this time I was proven wrong.
Here’s the master of the Nex! (Read on after the break.)
I’ve been an SLR and DSLR shooter for about 30 years now (I started when I was 7). Lately I’ve been using a Nikon D700 and a D3s, since I realised I just adore full format cameras for the flexibility I get, when it comes to depth of field.
More recently I have concentrated myself on small competent cameras as the Sony Nex, the micro four thirds offerings and the Leica X1. But everytime I get a hold of a great DSLR as the D700 or the D3s, I realise what great images they deliver in terms of sharpness, detail and ISO.
So when a friend of mine offered me the chance to try out two brand new Nikon lenses, I was very thrilled as you can imagine. I got my hands on the new Nikon AF-S 85/1.4 and the new Nikon AF-S 28-300/3.5-5.6 VR. As little time I had with these lenses I figured I owe you sharing my experience with you. This is NO scientific testing, just a couple of quick test shots. So here it is (after the break):
Since I got my Kipon Sony E-Mount to Nikon lens adapter I was eager to try out different lenses on the Sony. I did so recently with some Nikon lenses and basically felt pretty much disappointed (see for yourself here).
For a couple of days now Lightroom 3 is supporting the RAW files from the Nex and so I thought I’d give it another try.
This time I wanted to know how these lenses are performing on the Nex – Kipon combination at different aperture settings and how they compare to the Sony kit-lens, the 18-55/3.5-5.6 OSS:
Since I got my Sony Nex-3 a couple of weeks ago I have been eager to try lenses from other manufacturers on it. I really love using fast lenses and the original Sony E-mount lens selection didn’t serve me well in this respect.
A couple of days ago I eventually got two Kipon adapters: One to use Nikon AF-lenses on the Sony and the other to use Leica M-mount lenses on it.
After doing a couple of shots with my Nikon lenses (Nikon AF-D 35/2, AF-D 50/1.4 and AF 85/1.8), I was sort of disappointed, especially shooting wide open. So I decided to do some testing, not on test charts, but using a real world subject – the view from my living room.
Here are the results. I let you form your own opinion.
I will do some testing with “real good” Leica M-lenses in a couple of days and see if it gets better – I really hope so. So stay tuned and follow me on twitter to get informed as soon as the new test is online!
All pictures are from JPG:
First there’s a 35mm comparison between the Nikon AF-D 35/2 and the Sony 18-55/3.5-5.6 at 35mm setting.
Click here to download the 100% comparison at 35mm.
Then there’s a 50mm comparison of the Nikon AF-D 50/1.4 and the Sony Kit zoom at 55mm.
Click here to download the 100% comparison at 50/55mm.
Finally here’s a 85mm comparison of the Nikon AF 85/1.8 and the M-mount Konica Hexanon 90/2.8.
Click here to download the 100% comparison at 85/90mm.
I know neither the three Nikon lenses nor the Konica lens are the best lenses in the world. But the Nikons worked quite well on the Nikon APS-C and Nikon FX-cameras I’ve used. I never saw this sort of bad behavior wide open before. I guess it might be the Kipon adapter.
Eigentlich wollte ich ja eine Leica X1 und sonst nix auf meinen Familienurlaub in Kroatien mitnehmen. Aber ich kann sie mir im Moment (noch) nicht leisten. Deshalb nutzte ich die ruhigen Tage dazu, die D700 und die Olympus E-PL1 eines Freundes sowie meine Nex-3 mitzunehmen. Ich wollte mal sehen, wie’s mir mit den verschiedenen Formaten geht und ob die Bildqualität einer D700 ihr Last auf meinen Schultern wettmachen kann. Und ich wollte mit der Nex einige Zeit mehr verbringen, als bei meinem kürzlichen Test gegen E-PL1 und X1, für den ich bloß ein Wochenende Zeit hatte.
