The "New Gear/Willy Waving" thread

Still not had much time to play with the Nikon 105 in the field, so I decided to do a few test shots in doors with a 10p piece.

At f5 (widest aperture available at 1:1):
_MP19729.jpg

That's what? Less than 1mm DoF?! :D

Lets stop it down a bit, f22 seems the sharpest with a reasonable amount of DoF:
_MP19731.jpg


100% crop:
_MP19731-2.jpg


A quick adjustment to the curves to return some contrast:
_MP19731-3.jpg


Overall I'd say amazing quality at less than £200 :cool:
 
I can only vouch for the 135mm f/2.0 L - it is a superb lens - optically it is razor sharp. On a crop sensor it is a tad long but you can get some really nice shots with it because you're not in peoples faces. It focuses quickly too.

The price difference between the two is probably down to the difficulty of making the glass in the 85mm, since the 135mm has more lenses in more groups that the 85mm - so it isn't down to quantity.

Bear in mind the 1.4X and 2.0x Canon extenders cannot be used with the Canon 85mm but they can be used with the 135mm, giving an equivilent 189mm f/2.8 lens with the 1.4x and a 270 f/4.0 with the 2.0x entender.

If you want to see examples of what the lenses can do, take a look at the Flickr groups for the lenses

Canon EF 135mm f/2.0 L group

and

Canon 85mm f/1.2 L Group

There is always a discussion in both groups as to which is the better lens - I think the consensus of opinion is that they're both superb.
 
Last edited:
rafster said:
Anyone have a 135mm f2L or 85mm f1.2l? Looking for my next purchase for myself for xmas...is the 85 that much better ie 800 more worth it?
Click to expand...

I have both, i even still have the 85/1.8 .....

Optically, they are all very good, even the 1.8 (that is the bargain of the lot), in fact, i say that is arguably the best lens you can buy under £300.

The 85 is my prefer lens between the 85/135. I prefer that focal length. The 135 is great, it is fast to focus, much faster than the 85, it produces smooth bokeh, and on paper it is a more value for money lens than the 85/1.2.

I bought the 135L for btw, 85L last, mainly because it is so expensive and used the 1.8 until I could afford to complete the "holy trinity".
 
I spent ages agonising over the canon 85mm f1.2 and the sigma. In the end i went with the sigma 85mm1.4. Glad i did now. I saved a load of cash and also got a lens that focused faster than a glacier moves. Having said that the 1.2 is still a lovely lens. But the 1.4 sigma does take some lovely images.
 
Just spent the last hour or so in a department store in Tokyo playing with cameras, could have ended up being a very expensive walk around!

5d III with the 24-105 f4 seemed very nice, and also got to play with the new Panasonic f2.8 lenses, the 12-35 and 35-100 which were also pretty cool.

Struggling to decide what to do whether to stick with m4/3 or not as I haven't really found or worked out what sort of thing suits the pictures I want to be taking.
 
I want one! But finance is the only option right now and Jessops finance isn't great when they charge £2495 for the body!

Do I save or do I settle for a 60D. Hmm!
 
Nothing too exciting, but I've a new bag for when visiting other cities or trying to keep it smart for jobs that don't require the Pro 12!

It kind of reminds me of a nappy bag... shamefully... but I wanted something that looked relatively smart and didn't scream camera bag or laptop bag, I think this does the job.

_DSC3635.jpg


It manages to fit my D3 in (just) with a decent size lens attached (using my Tokina 28-70, but the Nikon 70-200vr fits fine too), a flash, my 85mm, filters, tablet, paperwork and some other odds and sods.

_DSC3636.jpg


One feature I do like is the 'sound silencers' which basically allows you to fold over the velcro on the flap so it doesn't keep the bag closed, meaning you don't make that loud tearing noise when you need to grab your camera... ideal for street shots or not scaring away an animal.

_DSC3637.jpg


I just did these all with my D300 with the grip... barely noticed a camera in my hands now I'm used to using the D3 :p
 
"nappy bag" made me laugh out loud :D

Is the padding at the bottom of the bag decent then if you have the lens taking the camera's weight when its in that orientation?
 
Auraomega said:
Nothing too exciting, but I've a new bag for when visiting other cities or trying to keep it smart for jobs that don't require the Pro 12!
Click to expand...

You soon realise how this bag is on a whole new level of quality and comfort compared to Lowepro. The strap is absolutely amazing and even all day use you barely notice the weight.

You could pull a 747 with the strap. I love mine and will be a future customer of Think Tank from now on. I also love how an ipad by luck fits in the back pocket perfectly :)
 
Which size Think Tank Retrospective bag is that ? The 10 or 20 ? Been thinking of getting one too ... ideallly for carrying one camera with a 70-200mm, 14-24mm & 24-70mm. I reckon I need at least the Retrospective 20 size wise ....
 
2StepSteve said:
I want one! But finance is the only option right now and Jessops finance isn't great when they charge £2495 for the body!

Do I save or do I settle for a 60D. Hmm!
Click to expand...

How about applying for an interest free credit card?

I recently moved my debt to a Barclaycard on a 23month 0% offer, with a 2.5% handling fee. Will save me a huge amount of money.

If you're not already nut-deep in debt and can genuinely afford it, this might be the way to go. Apply for the card first, then use another credit card to make the purchase (assuming you have one) then balance transfer the funds across.

I feel like I shouldn't be offering this advice, as I don't want you spend what you haven't got, but it'd be better than getting a small loan or leaving it on a high APR credit card.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom