Zeikos Close Up Macro Filter Set

Decided to try one of these once again, but with a purpose this time- to zoom in on the bees and insects a little bit more with my 70-300VR.

Testing the thought of how much each diopter reduced the minimal working distance via Gundam Wing Leo figure and a desk chair. The tests were successful in the static environment, and went as follows:

This was the stock 1.5m minimal focus distance at maximum 300mm zoom-

Then I added +1 filter and moved the camera until I got within the new minimal focus distance and took another shot, still zoomed in at 300mm-

Since +1 didn’t really do as much, I bet this whole idea on +2 and that went just about perfectly-

Given the bees and lots of other bugs are roughly the size of Leo’s head and would let me in that close (about 0.5m vs original 1.5m), this could be perfect to shoot the busy and ignorant bees with.

Next I tried +4 filter just to see how much zoom it would add, and it was a bit too close for comfort at 300mm; however, shooting at 70mm was pretty solid and allowed me even more room to zoom and frame the shot as needed-

Here I was just a hint closer than with the +2 filter.

And a shot with the +4 filter at 300mm zoom-

All in all, very pleasing results for $20 spent on equipment I will only use occasionally. Naturally, bumping the ISO, shutter speed, and using a flash will help the whole process tremendously.

Until I field test this setup then…

 

“Trinity” Complete

Now I’ve only very extreme limitations left and everything else pretty much covered.

• AF-S DX Zoom-NIKKOR 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED
• AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G
• Nikkor-H 50mm f/2
• AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED

These give me awesome duo combos to take with me, and not have to break my back or my bag. If I’m only doing day time and want wider angle- 18-70 + 70-300. If it’s a mix of day and night and I want wider angle/AF- 35 + 70-300. If I’m doing strictly artistic shots day and night- 50 + 70-300. Else if I want completely light-weight and day and night kinda pack- 35 + 50. By its usefulness, the 35 falls into the actual trinity far better than the 50, but 50 cost me next to nothing for the quality it delivers, so having a quartet wouldn’t really hurt at the end of the day.

First Impressions – AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED

At loooooong last I got my hands on this beauty, and from only playing with it for less than an hour in the dusk, I’m impressed! Mad kudos to Exe163 on FM Forums for an awesome deal that helped me pull the trigger on this one.

First off, lens itself shots with my 50mm f/2:

(Quick note on this shot- it really shows the full focal plane of the 50mm f/2 @ f/2 since the very bottom of the shot is blurred as is the rest about 1/3 across the 70-300’s front element.)

And now for the quick test. Mostly did shots at 70mm end and then 300 end to see how both turn out.

300mm indoors. Pretty good quality considering ISO wasn’t that high, and VR worked incredibly in the Active mode.

Quick outdoor snips @ ISO1600 @ 70mm, 200mm, and 300mm-

The rest of the shots were done in RAW and processed to show what this baby can really do when all is said and done.

@300mm again-

Another two duos of 70mm, and 300mm-

Another two 300mm-

Given all our modern tools, this lens is a serious pro-sumer contender, though I’m yet to see its full beauty in sunlight and see if it fringes or vignette’s much. AF did hunt a little bit given lower lighting situation, but it was quite manageable and given this lens’ cost, it will do the job just fine.

——————————Some daytime samples from the following day————————————

And quite, quite nice for even something like insects.

Simply smashing bang-for-buck during daytime. While it technically stands next to 18-70/18-105/18-135 in class and quality, its usefulness and performance at its far reach easily outdo the aforementioned. Active VR is a real pleasure to work with and it does help substantially when used hand-held.

Sniper Zoom – Nikkor 55-200mm VR Lens

Got a pretty solid deal on one of these via craigslist- only $90 with the ability to see it for myself prior to buying it. Seller was a very cool guy, so this thing was in as good of a shape as when he got it himself.

Came with the back cover, Canon-style front cap I swapped for a spare Nikon-style I had, and the stock reversible lens hood.  Best part- it’s still a 52mm lens and I can share all the caps and filters between this guy and my stock 18-55. Not as good for zoom itself, but for a budget beginner its awesome.

It didn’t take me long to start snapping some test shots and they go as follows:

This was our local theater’s sign taken from ~400 feet, at night. I believe I cranked ISO to 1600 to be able to shoot at at least 1/40 shutter speed to avoid blur. VR was indispensable for these long range shots.

Other shots were just random local ones to test both the zoom and the overall glass quality.

And as they say, save best for last-

A Proper Upgrade

If I do say so myself-

Freshly discounted (decided to get local juuuuust in case, gotta love Micro Center’s 15 day return policy- no questions asked) Nikon N5100 with 18-55 VR lens. So far, I’d say so good- it does all the basics I needed in a photo apparatus that SX nor anything below it could offer by default. Where and how this new, proper specimen will take me only time will really tell.

Here are a few, downsized random test shots from this evening:

Auto mode, no flash, about 2MP size for the pic.

SX20

D5100