What have you just bought - Part 2?

[Antony]

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

Both. Mostly pocket issue.

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.

Excellent!

[RexGig]

Congratulations, Antony!

I am still loving my 6 Plus, though I treat it more like a mini-tablet than a phone, using my 5s as the main mobile phone. I handled the iPad Mini and the 6 Plus; it was no contest, and I have no regrets, though on my mobile account, a phone is $30 US more, per month, than a tablet.

The announced Pro version of the iPad has my attention, though I will not be camping in front of the Apple Store for one. Early to mid-2016 will be soon enough. I am typing, at this moment, on my first-generation iPad!

I almost bought a geared tripod head for the "Blood Moon" eclipse tonight, but the forecast was not favorable, so I did not spend the money. (A local dealer had them in stock, so I could buy as late as yesterday.) It was just as well, as it is already cloudy, and heavy rain is nearing, so I will try again some other year. I should be retired well before the next total lunar eclipse, and able to travel a bit, if necessary, to attempt to find clear weather.

[popo]

Since it has been a long time sine I posted I've probably got some GAS to catch up on.

Recent purchases (within last year?) I got:
Canon 7D mk2
Sigma 50mm art
Canon EF-S 10-18

So... very slow for me.

I recently build a new desktop using Skylake, with more of a nod to future proofing although I think short term Haswell-E gives you more CPU grunt in a single socket. I do wonder if I went overboard with 1.5TB of SSD so far, plus a single 6TB hard disk for bulk storage.

My work phone is a Samsung S6 and I am really impressed with the camera on that. I see why lower end compacts are struggling to exist against output like that. My personal phone is due replacement too and the camera performance of it will be a factor!

[popo]

Photoshop Elements 14. I had 9 but lost the DVD and they seem to have put in a few new tricks since then. Making do with an even older copy of 7 wasn't quite cutting it.

[maxjj]

bought a canon 100-400 L II, still to do much with it, but did get a Lyrebird the other day.
Lyre Bird by maxjj, on Flickr

[RexGig]

Wonderful image of the Lyrebird, through the foliage! Great capture!

[Ivan Manko]

Can anyone tell me what have I just bought?, because I have no idea. I just bought an unidentified lens. I was offered this lens for 15euros and I bought it. When comparing it to my 300, it looks slightly longer, maybe 320 or even 310. It starts at f5.6 and has f8, f11, f16 and f22. Focuses from 4 meter to infinity and is labeled in meters and feet. It has a ring for the aperture and a leaver in the ring (so my F65 closes the aperture to the pre-set value when I press the DOF preview button, although it seems to have no idea about what it's doing and from what it seems to me, it does not close the aperture when shooting a picture. My D90 doesn’t even close the aperture for preview or I don't know how to beg her to do so). It also has one of those rings on the barrel for the tripod/monopod, which has “APO” written on it and "lock" and "free" on the tightening mechanism. This, and the serial number, is all I have. Any ideas?

(My God! I just realized that this is the answer 666 to this thread!)

[popo]

A good start would be some photos of the lens.

[RexGig]

Ivan, if I recall correctly, from the time I was considering buying various DX cameras, your D90 will not meter light with pre-AI, AI, and AI-S lenses. You must meter the light yourself, using a light meter, or your judgement, based upon experience. The successors of the D90, the D7000-series, will meter light with these early lenses.

Your mysterious lens is probably pre-AI, as many such early Nikon lenses have relatively few markings.

Importantly, mounting a pre-AI lens upon many modern Nikon DSLRs can cause camera damage. I do not remember all of the "rules" to avoid this damage, as my only such lens was AI-converted before I bought it, but it might be a good idea for you to search for this information. The Nikon Df is notable in that it can accept unmodified pre-AI lenses.

You may wish to ask this question again, starting a new topic in the Nikon section of the forum.

[Ivan Manko]

Hey! Thanks for the info! But actually I am not on an official quest to find out about the lens; I actually like not knowing. It was just a comment.

And yes, it is definitely a pre-AI lens, but it does not have the aperture stick thing, no detectable damage on my cameras so far. And, again, yes, no metering. I am, however, about to buy a FM2 which, as far as I understand, does meter with this lenses.

[popo]

Gave in and got the Canon 100mm L macro a couple weeks ago. Because I waited until I went to a physical store, I forgot to check the cashback dates and just missed it! Doh! Still got the lens anyway.

[RexGig]

Congratulations, popo!

I really do like my EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS.

[Bob Andersson]

.
An iPad Pro together with an iPhone 6S to replace my ageing and increasingly dysfunctional BlackBerry kit. Why? Well, if I see tourists snapping away in the village with their iPads I can always whip out my Pro with the comment "Call that an iPad"?

Bob.

[Antony]

Unfortunately, I couldn't get Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard today... all sold out.
But I got this today.

[RexGig]

I succumbed to a sales pitch, and acquired an iPad Pro, while asking account-related questions at a Verizon store. A promotion was running, with $250 USD trimmed from the price, and interest-free financing for the remainder, paid with my regular Verizon bill. I was still using an original, first-generation iPad, so it was probably a good time to upgrade.

On the other hand, I resisted buying a 5Ds R, in the final days of the point-of-sale $300 rebate, ending 2 January 2016, though it now seems the rebate period has been extended, so the temptation is still there.

I bought another Canon LP-E6N battery. My 7D II cameras go through batteries more quickly than the 7D, and if I do add a 5Ds R, it will eat the energy even quicker.