Photography EQUIPMENT
Reviews below
First of all keep in mind, these are not technical reviews. These are real world working reviews. I do not do technical tests, I test with my eyes and the elements in which I work.
Before we discuss actual equipment first lets think about it's use. Every photographer comes to the point of what equipment to use at some point. To answer this one has consider how they plan on using the equipment. If your plans are to just take snapshots and make 5x7 prints, buy the cheapest you can get away with! The simple fact is, even the cheapest glass out there is good enough for snapshots.
The second level, taking quality pictures. For this buy the cheapest glass, but look for name brands. Tokina, Tamron, Sigma and even Canon and Nikon make some fair priced consumer glass. If you have some skill, your family and friends will be plenty impressed with your images.
Third, the serious amateur to the pro on a tight budget. This by the way is where I am. Obviously if one can afford it, go for that top end Nikon and Canon glass. It's a safe purchase in terms of guaranteed quality. But for those of us on a tight budget, one can still get professional quality from third party lenses.
The purists and lens snobs will send me hate mail, but optically many third party lenses match the big guns and often even come close to matching them in build quality. The real truth is that the naked eye isn't going to notice a difference between a Sigma APO 300mm f4 and a Nikon 300mm f4. At the risk of sounding like a sales pitch, many of the pro-spec third party lenses match the name brands at a much more affordable price.
The trick is to research the specific lens before you buy it, not just the make. Every camera and lens maker has made some junk and some winners.
I use very cost effective equipment, this doesn't mean poor quality! Their is a very common thought among photographers; that is only Nikon or Canon glass for Nikon or Canon cameras. This is safe logic but not necessarily absolute logic. Basically every major camera maker makes a camera that will fit your needs but if you buy only lenses that are made by your camera brand you'll spend quite a large sum of money. I, like the bulk of the people that will likely see this web site can't swing $5000 for a 400mm f2.8 lens. Many third party lenses can produce the same optical quality as the big boys. All lens manufactures (including Nikon and Canon) made/make some substandard hardware. And all the above mentioned manufacturers made/make some great lenses too.
That being said these cheaper lenses do have some fall backs. We've all heard the phrase that it's not the equipment, it's the photographer, that makes great pictures, and this is of course true but with equipment comes some differences. Such as the difference between a super expensive fast lens and a more moderately priced lens. At lets say 1pm on a nice summer day I can get the same great shot with a Sigma APO 400mm f5.6 as that $5000+ Nikon 400mm f2.8 but at lets say 7pm when the sun is starting to set, well then that fast Nikon has a definite advantage.
Due to the fact that I am working much more as a professional photographer these days, I have "upgraded" most of my kit to Nikon glass. This has a lot to do with client perception, professional equipment means professional images.
What I have mentioned regarding the third party glass remains the same, I just no longer have the luxury of using less than the best.
MY EQUIPMENT
Nikon AF system
Nikon D70: The D70 is a 6.1 megapixel digital SLR camera. This is one of the most affordable and capable DSLR cameras one can buy, in fact I'm tempted to say this is almost the perfect digital SLR camera. I say this because the D70 has almost every function needed for a professional photographer and is reasonably priced.
Having said all that I also have to include my camera did go to the shop 2 times in just over a year. But keep in mind my D70 is a prosumer camera that I treat like a professional camera. Nikon has made all repairs and sent it back like new free of charge every time too.
Nikon D70s: This is basically the same camera as the D70, which is a great camera. The focusing does seem to be slightly faster and more accurate, however from what I understand the firmware upgrade makes the D70 equal in that area. The larger rear LCD is nice, it doesn't make that much of a difference. Pretty much everything I said about the D70 goes for this camera too.
Nikon D200: A professional camera in every way at an attractive price. The heavy duty body and compartment seals are really what makes this camera worth upgrading, I doubt the D2X really has much on this camera. The image quality is excellent, but be prepared this much definition may show the weaknesses in some of your lesser glass. The camera feels great in the hands, I use it with the MB-D200 battery pack which makes a large but well balanced unit. Is it worth upgrading from the D70s? That depends, for me it was because I wanted a heavy duty pro-body camera. The added pixels are worth it on paper, most likely only to your editor. I am disappointed with the slower flash sync of 1/250, the D70s beats it hands down there. The D200 is not the power miser the D70 is either, you will change the battery in this thing. In the right hands this camera will make images as good as the user is capable of making.
Sigma 500mm f4.5 APO EX HSM: A large fast lens. I find it somewhat difficult to get consistently sharp images at f4.5, but at 5.6 and above it just gets sharper. I have made some excellent images from fast to medium apertures indicating the soft images were likely user error or equipment issues. The lens seems to be built well and focuses very fast. I do find fault in the way the lens hood attaches, in fact I lost the hood in the Yellowstone river because it wasn't properly fastened. If money wasn't an issue, I'd opt for the Nikon AF-S 500mm f4, but for those on a budget the Sigma is a close runner up.
Nikon 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 G-AFS ED-IF DX : The glass is of course Nikon’s top notch ED and the AFS makes for quick and quiet operation. The f3.5-4.5 is a little slow for my tastes, but it does keep the lens light. 18-70mm or 27-105 on a digital body. 27-105mm is a very good range for wide-angle and even portrait. The only real negative point is it can only be used successfully on a digital body. The image performance delivered by this lens is at least equal to the price. It's not pro quality, but it's better than average.
Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor: Review coming soon!
105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor: This is a lens one can not go wrong with, but is it worth double the price? In short, no. It's capable of amazingly sharp images with brilliant colors. It does surpass my old Sigma 105mm, but not by double. The VR is nice, but it's use it limited with a macro of the 105mm range. It's large and it's heavy, with the hood attached it's huge! It's a nice lens, but I can't honestly say that I'd advise anybody on a tight budget to use it over the old Nikon 105mm, Sigma 105mm or to be honest, even the Vivitar/Phoenix 100mm f3.5.
Nikon SB-800 Flash: A great investment! With the swivel, zoom and tilt adjustments on this flash it's almost like carrying a small studio. This is a great flash for use in the field, this is what made a lot of my night shots possible. The infrared focus assist is terrific. This is a pretty expensive flash, but for now I don't think one could get the same performance from any other unit.
Nikon MB-D200 Battery Pack: The vertical shutter option is very nice and it definitely improves balance when used with a long telephoto lens. I keep it on most of the time, except with room is limited in my bag.
Manfrotto 679 Monopod: I am using this quite a lot. Much more convenient than a full tripod. This is a very light weight unit however it is also quite strong. The manufacturer says it will handle up to 26 pounds. I have no doubt it will easily handle 26 pounds. It's definitely sturdy enough to handle my gear. I would have liked a built in ball head, but one can always purchase that as an accessory. This is also a very reasonably priced unit!
Dynatran 858CL Tripod: The tripod is good for the price, especially for medium and smaller glass. The head that comes with it is junk, my first cold weather shoot was the end of the head. Carry a tool set on trips as the leg clamps tend to get loose and slide. With all the leg clamps tight and a decent head I can get away with using my 500mm f4.5 on it. I'll keep it for my smaller lenses but I plan on upgrading for the big guns.
Photo Technology Pro Ball head BH301: This head continues my bad luck with tripod heads. First day out the quick release mechanism falls off. The head however is fully usable, one just has to take extra time screwing the entire head onto the lens. The ball doesn't hold up to harsh cold conditions, becomes difficult to maneuver smoothly.
Tenba DB17C Backpack: A solid well designed pack. Outer material is tough and scratch resistant. The pack is well balanced with both chest and waist supports. The DB17C easily accommodated everything I needed for my last trip for bird photography, that includes a 500mm f4.5. Keep in mind this is not a small pack, I only use it when I have to pack the big guns. For light trips I'd use a shoulder bag instead of this beast. The only drawback, and it's a big one, is no tripod holder. Aside from lacking a tripod carrier, I'm pleased to use this for big trips. I trust it will protect and support my expensive gear. I also use a Tenba shoulder bag that is almost perfect.
Equipment I have used and or tested.
Nikon N-65: This is almost the cheapest camera Nikon makes. I chose this camera because obviously the low cost but also because Nikon probably has the best and widest lens options available. In most cases one can take the very same quality photo with this low price unit as one can take with the $1500+ Nikon f5. The drawbacks are it's somewhat cheap build quality and slow flash sync. But overall is a very capable camera. Back packers and travelers will appreciate it's light weight.
Sigma 28-80mm f3.5-5.6: DL super macro: I don't use this that often but when I do it usually provides me with decent shots..
Sigma 70-300mm f4-5.6: DL super macro: This I used a lot for animals like reptiles that one can get reasonably close to, this is a good option. It's a little soft at the 300mm end when the subject is far away but for a closer subject it's decently sharp with good color rendition. The macro goes up to 1/2 at the 300mm end. Decent all purpose lens.
Sigma 70mm-200mm f2.8 APO EX HSM: This zoom has become on of my most used lenses. On a digital body this is a very useful range. I use this lens almost every time I go to the zoo, it's my favorite candid street lens and it's great for indoor fashion work. Getting tack sharp images at f2.8 can be a bit of a challenge, but I have gotten images that were very sharp in that range when using perfect technique. It's gets easier at f4 and up to get sharp images. This is a fairly heavy lens, as are all f2.8 zooms. It's built well, fast and quiet.
This is one lens that I think could be improved with optical stabilization. This type of lens will be handheld fairly often and it is on the heavy side. If one can consider a lens to be sexy, then this lens is it. Models made a point to be sure and give me a good pose, and I'm sure it has everything to do with professional looking gear.
Sigma 400mm f5.6: A decent lens for birds in flight and larger distant animals. A good value lens!
Sigma 400mm f5.6 APO Tele Macro: Very good optical quality. With ample light an image taken with this lens would be difficult if not impossible to tell from one taken with a Nikon lens. The close focus ability gives one some of the flexibility of a zoom but with the quality of a prime. The only down side is the Tele-macro version of a Sigma 400mm is somewhat larger and heavier than the standard 400mm 5.6.
Sigma 400mm f5.6 APO: Very good lens for the money! Good sharpness and excellent color rendition! With good light a picture taken with this lens would be hard to tell from one taken with a high end Nikon Nikkor lens!
Sigma 300mm f4 APO Tele Macro: The 300mm f4 is a great compromise lens! Again, this is a tele macro lens, giving one some of the flexibility of a zoom but with higher quality than a consumer grade zoom. This is an especially good lens for shooting in zoos where one can get reasonably close and doesn't want to lug around a huge lens. The Sigma version is reasonably sharp and good with colors.
Sigma 180mm 3.5 EX APO Macro HSM: Excellent quality. A 180mm, 1:1 macro however is a rather specialized lens. It’s not really long enough to use as a telephoto and it’s a bit too long for a portrait lens, but it’s great at what it does! It’s just about perfect for insects, like butterflies and dragonflies, and quite good for all other macro work!
Sigma 105mm 2.8 macro EX DG: Optically excellent. Build quality seems average. Performance wise this seems to be a very nice unit. The images I made were sharp with good color. Overall I am pleased with the lens.
Tokina AT-X 280AF PRO 28-80mm f2.8: The first thing one will notice is the professional feel and look of this lens. Second, it has the fastest and quietest auto focus of any NON hsm/afs lens I've ever used. However, I can NOT recommend this lens. After several attempts at indoor fashion shoots, studio and fashion show, the lens fails. At f2.8 a sharp image is rare, it improves great from f5.6 and up. For a f5.6 lens it's just too heavy and expensive. I wanted a zoom in this range usable at f2.8, this just isn't going to cut it.
Phoenix/Vivitar 100mm f3.5 macro: Optically impressive. Sharp and great color. Poor build quality. Basically be careful with it and treat it well and it's a great lens.
Tamron 200-400mm 5.6 zoom: A usable consumer grade zoom. Fairly light, but somewhat awkward fully extended with the hood in place. For your average shooter making snapshots this is a cheap and fairly decent lens. I wouldn't suggest it for large prints. I am also not impressed with it's ability to lock on and focus. I only bought this lens to test, it's not a keeper in my bag, but for just snapshots, it's a good way to get close with a convenient zoom range.
Phoenix RL-59n Auto Ringlight: I can't comment on this items ability when used on an older film camera, but for newer digital SLRs, it's almost worthless. It would appear that this macro ring flash doesn't communicate with the camera properly. I tested it on a D70 with a 105mm f2.8 macro lens. I found I could only get properly exposed images in the f8-f14 range, and that required work and an easily metered subject. I didn't expect it to work with Nikons latest I-ttl flash system but In did expect it to at least have ttl metering. A chat with the manufacturer confirms it, this is not made for Dslr cameras. As for actual quality, poor! It is cheap, but it's not as cheap as the quality of the unit would suggest. Forget it if you're in a hurry, recycle time is slow. Replacing batteries in the field would be a slow process, it has one of those slide on/off doors. No controls on the flash, just an on/off switch.
Minolta MD MF system.
Minolta XG-1: A very capable camera. Allows for full manual control plus aperture control auto. Very durable I used this for over 10 years and it was well used when I got it. This camera really takes a lickin and keeps on clickin!
Minolta Rokkor 50mm lens: I used this exclusively for years simply because it sees very much like the human eye does. Sharp and very good color rendition.
Vivitar 75-300mm macro zoom: This was a real surprise of a lens. Cheap, well built and excellent optical quality! Sharp for a zoom with great colors!
Items I'm watching for.
Nikon Af-S 1.4 teleconverter
Nikon 17-55mm
Fujifilm Finepix S5 Pro Digital SLR Camera.
Nikon 400mm f2.8 Af-S