Upgrade of my Nikkor 85mm f1.8 Lens

I have had a Nikkor 85mm f1.8 AF-D lens for several years. Here's a shot I made with it some time ago.

 

Made with Nikkor 85mm f1.8 AF-D Lens][

'sadqwe

 

Not bad, right? The sharpness is not to be argued with. However, this is one of the few times that I've been unpleased with the "bokeh," or out of focus rendering characteristics of a lens. I don't like how the bright spots in the background are so regular and repeatable.

 

I recently decided to upgrade this lens, sending the AF-D off to KEH for a reasonable purchase price, and buying the newer Nikkor 85mm f1.8 AF-S G lens, refurbished by Nikon, for about $150 total cost (after selling the AF-D). I was not sure about this trade, especially since I am not a fan of G lenses overall. Their lack of an aperture ring makes them useless on my Nikon film cameras. But, the AF-S lens just hums on my Nikon Df (and the D810 for that matter).

 

Here's a sample shot from the new lens:

Made with Nikkor 85mm f1.8 AF-S G Lens

 

As you can see, the new lens has no trouble with sharpness, either. And, at least in this example, the bokeh is lovely. I have to gain more experience with this new lens, but it looks very good at this point.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

Discontinued Agfa APX400 Film - Testing and Tuning Up

My friend Dennis Gallus gave me a 100' roll of Agfa APX400 that he had in his freezer. I shot my first roll of it at the indicated speed of 400, and processed it alongside a roll of Ilford HP5, which I developed for 11.5 minutes in Kodak D-76 developer at 1:1 dilution. Those negatives came out pretty thin overall and very low contrast (underexposed and/or underdeveloped). After reading some old posts online, I learned that APX400 was known to need additional exposure, with some people treating it as iso 320 film, others at iso 200. I also found development guidelines that indicated it needed more development.

 

So, a test roll ensued. I shot a short roll of the film, capturing the same scene exposed for iso 100, 200, and 400. I also changed my development protocol to 10 minutes in full strength D-76. Here are a couple of the results.

 

Scenes exposed at iso 400, 200, and 100, APX400 Film

 

From this, I conclude two things - 1) additional development in full-strength D-76 definitely helped, and 2) somewhere between iso 200 and 320 is probably best for this film.

 

On the same day, I guessed and exposed a full 36 exposure roll at iso 200. It looks pretty good overall. I think I've figured out this film. Not that this information is much use to anyone else; as far as I know you can't get this film any more, though I do see single rolls for sale in some places. But, 100' of it will keep me busy for a while!

 

Thanks again, Dennis!

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

Testing the Nikkor AiS 35mm f1.4 With Film

I recently bought two classic lenses from a friend, the 50mm f1.2 and 35mm f1.4 AiS manual focus lenses from Nikon. Both are in truly mint condition.

 

I used the 50 f1.2 while I was in Japan, and have posted some results (Click Here). It's a very special purpose lens, but the way it isolates subjects with the miniscule depth of field, and can shoot in near total darkness is impressive.

 

I have not used the 35 f1.4 much at all yet, and decided to put a roll of film through my Nikon FM2N using only that lens. I didn't have any particular subject in mind when I went out, but wanted to see how the lens would do. Here are a few shots from that roll.

 

 

All of these were shot on Ilford HP5+.

 

The final shot really shows how the 35 f1.4 can isolate a subject, while including a lot of context in the image. If I'd shot this with a longer lens (easier to get narrow depth of field), it would not have been obvious that the boy had friends with him, that he was using an Apple computer, or that he was in a library at all. Kind of fun.

 

So, I need to keep exploring this lens. More to come!

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

I'm A Panasonic Early Adopter! This Means I Get My Hands On A DMC-TS5 Soon!

I recently applied for the Panasonic Early Adopter program through their Facebook page, and was selected! I get to test the new waterproof, shockproof, GPS and wifi-enabled DMC-TS5! I will write up a report for Panasonic and give feedback on the product - right up my alley!

 

Panasonic DMC-TS5

Image Source: www.amazon.com

 

I have an earlier version of this camera, the DMC-TS3, which I bought about a year ago. I've taken care of the camera, but never worried about getting it wet, even taking it underwater, out in the sand, etc. I've always been pleased with the images it produces.

 

(Click Here) to see a post of images from the TS3. If you search my blog for "DMC-TS3," you'll see more.

 

I have stated in the past that I'm not affiliated with or compensated by any camera company. While I'm really pleased to get my hands on the DMC-TS5, I'll refer directly to an excerpt from Panasonic's Terms and Conditions regarding my affiliation (or lack thereof) with the company:

 

"Panelists acknowledge that they will not be compensated or otherwise personally enriched, directly or indirectly, for submitting Content."

 

So, I promise that I'll remain objective about my comments on any product, Panasonic or otherwise.

 

I can't wait to try out some of the new features of the TS5, including an app to use my iPhone to remotely trigger the camera. Cool!

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com