Nice Photos.

Jamie,

   Up to your usual standard, nice one !

Curious how you achieved the lighting motion, while rest of image is static ?

I'm going to give kite surfing a go later this year - it beats standing in a line to board a boat to the nearest island - taken along the beach from my place

Anyone done any kite surfing here? 

Sniper,

I'm giving it a go next time we're in Portugal. I used to do a lot of windsurfing in the '80s on short boards and always wanted to have a go at kitesurfing. I thought I may be getting a bit long in the tooth for this but the daughter of the couple we sometimes stay with is married to an instructor and she says it's physically easier than windsurfing. Unfortunately we only found out on our last day there so it will have to wait until we return. 

Enjoy. It looks addictive.

Steve

Backyard anchorage

So surfing with sniper, snow in Alaska (surprising!)

Just dull and grey here. Boring.

Sandy8,

Nice to see you buying from a store and not on line. Have lot's of fun and creativity with the new FX body and zoom.

Haim

Thanks Haim. Looking forward to getting outside once the rain stops. Pretty dull and grey here too for the next few days....

Sandy

Yeah, you have to be careful with that front element, for sure. Not helped by a sketchy lens cover system. Lack of a filter thread is also a drawback, I agree. I'm looking forward to getting it on a full-frame body, though. It's not really that wide on a DX.

It's plenty sharp, though. Click through to the full-sized image...

DSC_5650 by winkyintheuk, on Flickr

Never seen 400 Burrard street look so sharp Winky. That 14-24 is a great lens. Even read that the Canon guys have an adapter so they can use it as well! 

I'm thinking that lens set of yours is crying out for an FX body to really show what they can do...

Actually I much prefer the colors under grey skies. It is the weak yellowish winter sunlight which ruins everything for me.

I am still holding on to my D200, eventually planning to move to a D800E when all its wrinkles are ironed out. In the meantime I am having great fun using old manual focus Nikkor AIS lenses. They still retain their analog flavor from the film era, dulling the exaggerated sharpness of digital sensors.  The picture I posted today was taken with a 31 years old 200mm f/4 which despite its age and lack of modern lens coating has outstanding optics and build quality:

Haim

Croatia - more of a fall into water than a dive

 interesting image. notice the subtle hue of Naim green.

some might think this is an example of cable dressing !!

this is the plaque for the art work, showing what iut actually is !!

Winky,

Nice sharp pic. 

Haim,

The older Nikkor len's may not have AFS, VR or coated lenses but their optics can be better than some modern lenses today.

CBR,

A bit of a birds nest if you ask me. I hope your cable dressing is neater.

Steve

Octopuddy

DSC_5509 by winkyintheuk, on Flickr

Some old steam logging equipment on the West Coast Trail.

DSC_5416 by winkyintheuk, on Flickr

DSC_8853 by winkyintheuk, on Flickr

DSC_8709 by winkyintheuk, on Flickr

Steve,

Physically easier than windsurfing sounds good to me. Be sure to let us hear about your exploits. It does indeed look addictive. 

The Nikkor 50 f1.4 is okay, but it's a slow focuser, has barrel distortion, not the sharpest lens (f1.4 never do) and the most important fact that 50mm really does ruin 95% of shots. There's someone here, I think from looking at their pics, that uses 50mm on everything and it's a shame because they are all seriously lacking drama and perspective. It's a very specialised focal length and should be used very rarely, like the square format! You should learn when to use it and that's all part of the skill in photography.

The 35 f1.4 is a wonderful "standard" lens that stays on the camera. It will draw you (physically) into the subject, whilst the f1.4 will isolate it beautifully. It's one lens that will force you to take better pics.

The 14-24 f2.8 is a pain regarding filter size, but the optics are superb and the range allows for shots previously unattainable. 

I have found all modern Nikkors better than the older equivalents.