Canon G9
I should be on commission for this camera – an early adopter, everyone who has played with mine seems to have bought one! Sizeable RAW files, good lens, good manual control (though focusing is still a faff), fast processing – downside is the optical viewfinder. Replaces the Olympus but less pocketable even though the G9 is small. I was considering ‘upgrading’ to the G10 but the increase in size puts me off.
Olympus SP350
8MPx pocket compact camera with viewfinder, Camera RAW and manual focusing and exposure – would be ideal if it cost twice as much, had a metal body and a lens that did not have so much barrel distortion when wide. I used to carry a half-frame Olympus Pen-D everywhere and this is my grown-up digital version of that camera.
Nikon D700
Still discovering the joys of full-frame digital with low noise and a fair pixel count that means I can upgrade cameras this year and not be forced to upgrade the computer as well. I will report more after the honeymoon is over. Adobe’s Standard and Camera profiles for the D700 seem very saturated and dark – much happier with my own generated profile using DNG editor. Very easy to use older AIS lenses on this body but short of custom function buttons once you’ve dedicated them to non-CPU lenses. So where do you assign bracketing?
Nikon D100
Still prefer the way this camera works – the old F80 body with a dial for mode is preferable to the newer button and command wheel of the D200. Once I’d calibrated this camera, I could guarantee crisp saturated images that in some way I struggled to match on the D200. No external meter is a problem while rear screen is now too small. Sensible provision for mechanical cable release.
Nikon D200
Decent autofocus at last. Decidedly keen on overexposure in my hands and I cannot come to terms with its colour performance in some respects. I have attempted to calibrate the camera twice but cannot believe the readings for red saturation – it’s the red/magenta performance I have an issue with. Love the meter on the top panel but have to use the ‘sticky’ buttons setting to operate the camera, as I cannot stand two-handed setting of simple things like ISO and Mode. Needs a Nikon electrical cable release that is never in stock and back ordered by 6 months.
Never did come to terms with the colour performance of the D200 – replaced at the end of 2008.
Nikon 10.5mm f/2.8G AF DX Fisheye
A very compact, lightweight lens, very strong chromatic aberration at the frame edges which is disappointing. Despite this, it is a thoroughly enjoyable lens to use given care with exposure. Nikon capture software can remap the images to conventional rectilinear wide-angle but the necessary crop makes this less use than I’d expected with soft final image – the 12-24mm f/4 G AF-S DX (IF) Zoom-Nikkor does much better. (I’m much happier with the lens now I can control its chromatic aberration (CA) in Lightroom 2.0.)
Sad to have said goodbye to this lens along with the DX bodies but the CA was a pain to rectify – I’ll probaly be on the lookout for a 16mm Fisheye Nikkor to replace the look,
Sigma 10-20mm F4-5.6 EX DC HSM super wide-angle zoom
I have a love/hate relationship with this lens especially on the Nikon D200 – my main issue is with the colour performance. Images seem to have a predominant magenta cast that I cannot completely tame. Fast to focus with an ideal coverage for me. Not at all keen on the finish. Geometric aberration when fully wide is uncorrectable – enter the ‘W’ shaped horizon! Said goodbye to the 10-20mm in 2009 – gave me some publishable images but I never came fully to terms with its colour performance but I will miss the coverage in a zoom.
12-24mm f/4 G AF-S DX (IF) Zoom-Nikkor
Fast focusing with clean, crisp images and good geometry – what can you not like about this lens. Mine was on long-term loan from a friend – it was only the arrival of the FX sensor Nikon bodies that prevented me handing over cash for this lens. A very fine lens that has now been returned with thanks to its owner. It would almost be a reason to stick with the DX format. Improved noise performance has removed much of my worries about it f/4 maximum aperture.
14mm f/2.8D AF ED
In terms of performance one would no doubt chose the latest 14-24mm f/2.8 zoom but at one-third the weight at least this prime 14mm is useable . Introduced in 2000 to give D1 shooters a fair wide-angle it offers a massive field of view in an FX body. I find the lens addictive to use but it as much a compromise as any other extreme wide-angle. At 114° coverage it has to be the widest wide-angle I’ve ever used and requires serious compositional thought to stop everything looking flat and distant. You need to get in close and find some foreground. Surprisingly good flare performance and centrally very sharp but geometry is not its strong point.
18-35mm f/3.5-4.5D AF ED Zoom-Nikkor
Bought for dual use film/digital with my original D100 body and has done sterling service. Not that much sharper than the current crop of ’18 to…’ DX Nikons. Old autofocus really needs a D2X to show it who’s boss. Rediscovered this lens with the new D700 body – a lightweight companion (with the D700 that’s important). I’ll report more on its quality with the FX sensor.
18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G AF-S DX IF-ED Zoom-Nikkor
I cannot really fault this lens – more often than not in use on my wife’s D70 – think I may have to buy my own!
It form the ideal basis of a two lens system with a 70-300mm f/4-5.6D AF ED Zoom-Nikkor. The 18-70mm , to my mind, produces a much more useable set-up that the 18-55mm plus 55-200mm zoom combination promoted by Nikon as their kit lens combination. One of the best DX lenses – such a pity it does not cover full frame.
18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G VR AF-S DX IF-ED Zoom-Nikkor
Very much a curate’s egg – good in parts. Not up to the 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G AF-S DX IF-ED Zoom-Nikkor in terms of resolution and bite across their common range. Very, very convenient and the VR helps you get shots you otherwise couldn’t dream of handholding. At short tele settings I’ve got good images at 1/6sec. Zoom is creaky and plastic. Despite all it is the lens most often stuck on my D200 body. I got truly fed-up with the zoom creep on this lens and found the colour fringing at wide angle and wide aperture rather unpleasant – it did a lot of work for me however but has now gone along with the D200 in favour of the full-frame sensor.
60mm f/2.8D AF Micro
Slow and noisy to focus but gets an awful lot of use – on the APS chipped D series bodies is too long for use as a standard lens. Good resolution and colour performance. Doesn’t seem as massively more capable than modern zoom as I had anticipated. Nikon cured its tendency to refocus by creeping when used on a copy stand when it decided it couldn’t focus on infinity. Can’t quite decide where to focus now its being driven by the D700 – seems unhappy autofocusing on the same spot twice. Fascinating to compare with a venerable 55mm f/3.5 on the D700 – I think the newer lens would only win on the grounds of convenience. Haven’t had the chance to try the VR N version.
70-300mm f/4-5.6D AF ED Zoom-Nikkor
Lumbering focus but reasonably good optical performance – can see the attraction of the new VR version. Very interesting performance when fitted with a Nikon supplementary lens – great magnification and working distance with minute depth of field – great fun.
