crappyjones123

I've always wanted to do stuff at the beach/pier early in the mornings or late at night with long exposures but the little Joby Gorillapod was not stable enough and was too low to the ground for my comfort. It's great for wrapping the camera around a tree for a quick shot or even longish exposures but not for the beach. I don't foresee having any stability issues with the Induro but the last time I was taking pictures at the beach with a friend's not so great tripod, the waves kept digging it deeper into the sand as they receded leading to blurry images. I don't expect it to have any issues on solid ground but since the beach is where I wish to be whenever I get a break and essentially the reason for purchasing a tripod, I want to make sure it is stable there. Although, I do see myself being unfair in judging the legs when I am not giving them a stable platform to rest on. Hence the, "we shall see how stable it is." I am not going to be shooting anything longer than the 135mm lens I have as anything longer costs too much and it is also my heaviest lens. The Sigma 35 is heavy but not Zeiss 135mm heavy. Might spring for the inexpensive Rokinon/Samyang 14mm to try some night time stuff. Julie's sister lives waaaaaaaay out in the middle of nowhere and there is considerably less light pollution compared to where I live - 15 miles from FLL airport. I don't think that lens is heavy enough to cause trouble either.

Chris, I fear the Gitzo might be too expensive depending on the model which is why I didn't even approach you regarding it. Which Gitzo is it? Thanks for using the phrase, out of curiosity, Haj. Now I can't use it.

The Feisol 3342 isn't available via Amazon Prime so it's out (I have a substantial gift card balance with Amazon that I would like to use). After reading some reviews, I ended up springing for the Induro CT213 and an Arcatech Ultimate Ballhead. Total carrying weight should come out to 4.5 lbs I think which is manageable. I don't see serious hikes or excursions like yours, Peter, any time in the near future so weight is not as big a concern for me but I didn't want anything so heavy that it just spent all its time in my apartment. The Gitzo gear while being reviewed better and carrying a lifetime warranty, was a bit too much to spend. I shall see if the whole thing is stable enough with the D800 and the two lenses I have. If so it stays. If not, I can easily ship it back to Amazon and spring for the Gitzo.

Any thoughts on Induro gear, particularly the ct213 tripod? I have been looking for a tripod but the gitzo and rrs stuff that people keep recommending is far too expensive.

In tech news today, a kick starter campaign for wireless headphones turned out to be a front for a company named light harmonic who needed more money to provide more options for their dac...

There was a d700 on fm for $1100. D600s with brand new sensors are a amazing deal though. Free shipping to nikon too.

Someone called? I have had a decent source for the past year or so though.

Lunch for today. Seasoned chicken breast with sautéed mushrooms and caramelized onions in beef stock served alongside wild rice.

D600 owners rejoice. http://www.nikonusa.com/en/Service-And-Support/Service-Advisories/hs309y82/Technical-Service-Advisory-for-Users-of-the-Nikon-D600-Digital-SLR-Camera.html Wonder if the prices will start going up now. Apparently Nikon is even sending out pre paid shipping labels. Must have been a nasty lawsuit.

Thank you Gene. Not sure I deserve that much praise but thanks.

The picture and the text that follows are unrelated

wewt wewt. link to image - http://500px.com/photo/62198001

Speed booster allows AF but they aren't cheap iirc. Here is a little twist on the 100 strangers project. I decided to get to know people in med school a little better. Since the only free time we have is during lunch all were taken in very harsh light outside but I'm happy with how they turned out. Suggestions for improvement welcome. http://anuragkatyal.blogspot.com/2014/02/never-trust-fart.html

Zeiss 135mm f/2 apo. I think it was f/2.8 or f/4.

No way in hell, does the nikkor 85/1.8 ever give me this. My anatomy professor just go the A7R while we were hanging out in his office a little while back. He cancelled his dinner plans because he wanted to play with the new toy since it got here 3 days early. The camera is freaking amazing.

One of my anatomy lab partners (on the right) and my peer mentor (second year med student on the left). Both lovely girls.

Paging Jacob. Just 22k actuations. http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1276056

I use one of these. http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/510830/Realspace-PRO-Quantum-9000-Series-Mesh/ I like it. With a bad lower back, the chair has been extremely comfortable. Having mesh all around is a blessing as it aids in ventilation. Keeps me cool in the south florida heat.

Tried adjusting focus in the body with my anatomy professor. He was kind enough to lend me his tripod and had a wireless transmitter so we could see the images immediately on his laptop. Could not get the lens to be sharp at even f/5.6 which seems to be the sweet spot for it. He agreed that the particular nikkor 85/1.8 was poor. I don't know if the shipping got to it or if it was a shoddy piece but after giving it two tries I think I am done with it for now. Hopefully Sigma releases an art series 85mm lens soon. Here is one with their 35mm shot wide open at f/1.4.

Anyone?

One of my friends from the Math dept at my last school was visiting home in Italy and brought back a tube of Proraso shaving cream. Best shave I have ever had. The lather felt different and the hair cut smoother. There was still some tugging but no razor burn after I was done. Feels nice and cool now but was a bit warm when I applied it first.

I'll try manual focusing when my roommate gets home tonight.

The shot at f/4.5 has the tear gland pretty sharp. Same plane of focus as the eye. Both were hand held. If it were a technique issue, wouldn't it be even more prominent with the 135mm lens? I get super sharp eyes with that lens (granted it is manual focus).

Here is the problem I have had with two 85mm f/1.8s now. I don't know how one calls this sharp when the eyes are just a liquidy mess. I don't get this issue with the sigma 35 or the zeiss 135. What's the point of a portrait lens if the eyes look like that? Shot with D800, ISO 640, f/4.5, 1/125 sec. Shot with D800, ISO 640, f/2.2, 1/250 sec.

Julie dared me so here goes nothing... I am sorry.