What have you just bought - Part 2?

[Jiko]

Lenovo Thinkpad T420!



I just have to find a way to get my SSD in there - with my Windows.

[Bob Andersson]

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The Olympus M.Zuiko 40-150mm f2.8 is just one of the reasons I have no interest at all in switching away from m4/3rds:

CameraLabs Review: Olympus M.Zuiko 40-150mm f2.8

Got it with the 1.4x T/C via the CL Amazon UK link. Amazon seem to be just about the only mainstream online retailer currently discounting this combo.

Bob.

[RexGig]

I finally acquired one of my long-term goals among lenses, a Nikkor AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8G. As I bought the lens locally, I then bought Gordon several cups of coffee. (I first became aware of this lens while watching one of Gordon's camera reviews about five years ago.)

[RexGig]

I first clicked on the Amazon link on the Camera Labs home page, then ordered a Canon EOS EF to EF-M adapter, and a spare battery, for the pre-owned EOS M3 camera I had acquired last week.

At a local camera store, I found a nicely-preserved pre-owned Nikkor 24-70/2.8G lens. New is nice, but a pre-owned lens at a local seller offers the opportunity to try the individual lens before buying. This lens is the second of the the Nikon "trinity" zooms I have acquired within a short time, so a minor financial windfall has now been spent, and I will not be completing the trinity, or upgrading FX cameras, anytime soon. For that matter, I am not so sure I would really want the third member of the trinity, a 70-200/2.8G, anyway, perhaps preferring to spend my future discretionary dollars on longer tele lenses more suited to bird and wildlife images. (Plus, I already have 90mm, 100mm, 105mm, 135mm, and 180mm prime lenses, that are within the 70-200mm focal length range.)

The tactile experience of the Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G is really pleasing, at least to my hands. Too many people look at the total weight, and consider it a negative. I have learned that a dense, hefty, "pro" lens can actually ease the burden on my ailing right hand and wrist, by shifting the balance forward, onto my supporting left hand, which is, thankfully, healthy. When I need a free hand, I will hold the lens/camera in my left hand, freeing my right hand.

[lagnificent]

Some reflectors and completely unrelated to photography, a used copy of the HeroQuest boardgame.

http://www.amazon.com/Milton-Bradley-4101-HeroQuest-System/dp/B000MVTUBM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1431228628&sr=8-1&keywords=heroquest+board+game

[Citruspers]

Some of the old-timers here may remember me and my D2H. Well...I've moved on



Obviously I'm still rocking the Cameralabs strap though!

[RexGig]

Yes, citruspers, I do remember you, and your D2h! Congratulations on your D3!

I did not buy a D2h or D2hs, at the time I was considering it, when your D2h thread was active, but much later, to dabble with IR photography, I obtained a little-used, very-well-preserved D1x. It is interesting to use such (relatively) old digital technology, that would have cost a fortune to buy new, in its time.

[RexGig]

I went to the main Cameralabs home page, clicked on the Amazon link, and bought a Wetterlings Bushman Axe. While not specifically photography-rleated, I felt it important to remind folks to support Cameralabs when buying anything from Amazon.

Edited to add: I just followed the Amazon link on the Cameralabs home page, again, and ordered a set of padded dividers for a Pelican 1510 case. I had found the case, pre-owned in very good condition, locally. I had already been using a Pelican 1510 case for about five years, with the same padded dividers, for my on-duty camera gear, which is currently a pair of 7D Mark II cameras, an EF 100mm 2.8L Macro IS, an EF 16-35mm 2.8L II, three Speedlites, an ST-E2, and some smaller items. The 1510 case is able to accommodate deeper-bodied 1D-series camera in the same upright orientation, so it is a true professional's case. This second case will enable me to carry more of my equipment in the same water-proof, lockable security as my primary photography gear. A useful bonus is that two 1510 cases, stacked, can serve as a decent field-expedient desk or work surface.

[Jiko]

I obtained a little-used, very-well-preserved D1x. It is interesting to use such (relatively) old digital technology, that would have cost a fortune to buy new, in its time.

Oh yes. I'm woking at a highschool in the photography department and we have a pretty nice collection of cameras there:



But here I have to say the D1x really isn't a so usable camera, sensors became quite much better in the following time. Unbelievable how expensive it once was. Now they are hardly ever used again.

[Bob Andersson]

Hi folks,

A Lowepro S&F Lens Exchange Case 100 AW. Here's a stock photo:

It's just big enough to hold my Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/2.8 so long as the 1.4x teleconverter isn't fitted. That can go in one of the side pouches if necessary. I'm a fan of belt mounted cases to carry cameras and lenses so this bag was an answer to prayer.

Bob.

[RexGig]

Using my Nikkor 18mm f/2.8D as a partial trade, I bought a pre-owned Zeiss ZF.2 2/135 APO Sonnar from a local camera store, the Houton Camera Exchange. The ZF.2 part means Nikon F mount, with CPU contacts, and 2/135 indicates f/2 135mm. This has long been one of my "bucket list" or "grail" lenses.

The 18mm 2.8D, which I traded, is a somewhat rare lens, but not outstanding, optically, and I had some redundancy among my wide-angle lenses, after acquiring a Nikkor 14-24/2.8G and Canon EF 16-35/2.8L II earlier this year.

[lagnificent]

A 50mm 1.8 STM that saved the day at my friend's wedding when the photographer bailed before the cake cutting. I didn't have any flash and the 5D2 is a dog at autofocus in dim settings, so it was manual focus in live view all night.

[RexGig]

I found a well-preserved, pre-owned Nikon D3s today at Houston Camera Exchange. Apparently the nearness of the release of a D4s successor has caused the asking prices for the D3s to drop, as this one was priced a bit lower than a previous D3s, at the same place, in far worse condition, with ten times more shutter actuations, a few weeks ago. ( <22K versus >220K)

Following so soon after the recent lens purchases, this will require some painful sacrifices, probably one redundant high-end lens, and/or two or three firearms, but a camera that can "see" in the dark, notably better* than a D700, seems worth it. With the night shooting I do at work, I believe this purchase was justifiable for more than just personal shooting. Depending upon the source, a D3s should represent a half to a full stop better low-light capability than a D3/D700. I will start to confirm this tonight or this weekend.

[Antony]

Downsized myself (from last year's Plus) and got myself a new 12-megapixel camera (and 5-megapixel "selfie" camera) with 3D Touch Retina HD display.

[Bob Andersson]

Hi Antony,

Nice camera!

Out of interest was your issue with the "Plus" to do with size in the pocket or size in the hand? Or both?

I'm planning on buying a 6S in November, together with the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil as I finally wave a long overdue goodbye to my BlackBerry kit.

Bob.