The "New Gear/Willy Waving" thread

Yeah fair enough, one of my most expensive photography lessons I learnt very fast was buy cheap buy twice, or sometimes three times in my case :)
 
Raymond Lin said:
I wouldn't know what to do with a 400mm lens....it is a whole new technique of shooting in terms of subject with slightly different gear - tripod and head.

That said....if I could track down a 200/1.8.........................now this is a mythical lens.
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Using it for sports (athletics/football) and will dabble in a bit of nature. It teams up very well with a 1.4x TC III handheld with minimal IQ hit for 560/f4, and even with a 2x III at 800/f5.6, but really need to use on a monopod/tripod for best results at this point.
 
The Sigma 50mm 1.4 that I have ordered has boarded the plane. I can't quite believe how quick ******* are. I only ordered it on Tuesday and UPS are reporting it as being on time to be delivered for Friday. :eek:

Quick question. What tripod should I get? I am looking at the redsnapper tripods as they seem to be regarded as pretty decent, but without being a silly amount of money. Which legs and heads should I be looking at? There is almost too much choice with not enough detail on the choices.
 
Raymond Lin said:
That said....if I could track down a 200/1.8.........................now this is a mythical lens.
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See, Nikon has a nice 200mm f2 lens. Very nice actually. Shame you can't use it :p

2StepSteve said:
Quick question. What tripod should I get? I am looking at the redsnapper tripods as they seem to be regarded as pretty decent, but without being a silly amount of money. Which legs and heads should I be looking at? There is almost too much choice with not enough detail on the choices.
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Well I've invested in a very expensive Gitzo head to put on my Redsnapper legs. I compared them with some Gitzo legs in the past and besides being slightly lighter and going slightly taller there wasn't much in it for the average user. The thing that's swaying me towards the Gitzo when I have the spare cash is the fact it'll put up with more weight for my 300 2.8 and gimbal head, and the ability to completely remove the centre column.

Plus, you know, it's a Gitzo ;)
 
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I know you said 1.8, but as you pointed out it doesn't exist, the f2 does and is as close as I imagine you'll ever get... hell, I wouldn't want to try and shoot all day with a 200 1.8 :D
 
Yeah you perked my interest earlier so did a bit of reading on it :) Since they stopped making them in 2003 then I guess there's only second hand ones left if you can find one! That coupled with the fact they apparently won't even repair them anymore means it could be an expensive paperweight lol
 
Phal said:
Yeah you perked my interest earlier so did a bit of reading on it :) Since they stopped making them in 2003 then I guess there's only second hand ones left if you can find one! That coupled with the fact they apparently won't even repair them anymore means it could be an expensive paperweight lol
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Hence mythical! :p
 
From the purchase thread.

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dannyjo22 said:
I looked at that, surely for the price of another £60ish another 2 year warranty would be better with sigma?
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Not sure to be honest. I was stretching the budget to start with for the price paid. Simply couldn't afford anymore, at least not right now. Fingers crossed I get a decent copy.

Are Sigma really that bad with reliability? I've never owned one for long enough to find out :D. I had a Sigma APO 70-300mm for a few months years ago. I didn't get on very well with it so I sold it.

It's landed in Germany now. Totally amazed at how quickly UPS move things.

Koeln, Germany 06/12/2012 22:56 Arrival Scan
Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong 06/12/2012 17:41 Departure Scan
Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong 06/12/2012 15:17 Collection Scan
Hong Kong 06/12/2012 6:50 Order Processed: Ready for UPS
 
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The 200, the 400. Lovely stuff.

I have used the 200 1.8 and I own the 200 2.0

There are three major differences between them:

The 200 1.8 is faster. Lovely, just lovely. But the 2.0 really isn't far behind.

But the 200 1.8 is half a kilo heaver. I'll use the 2.0 as a walkaround all day. I'll get some looks but I'm comfortable. The extra half kilo is inclined to push the weight too far. How much did you think you were going to spend on a "disposable" high quality filter that size anyway?

And the IS in the 2.0 is to die for. The 1.8 is just plain glass.

I'd rather the 2.0

But I'm dead jealous of the 400 f2.8. Fabulous, just fabulous.

There are no filters for the front of the big glass. They are buiried deep within that huge hood - no need for them. I understand that the front element is designed to be (relatively) cheap and easy to replace.

Andrew
 
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