ACJC.S
Kyoto in bokeh
Eye catching bright red lantern in Gion (祇園), Kyoto.
Handheld shot with FE 85mm f1.4 GM.
These chochin lanterns are red, if it looks orangey in a photo, the exposure is wrong.
Curious how the new FE 50mm f1.4 GM will do with such a scene, the view will obviously be wider but the bokeh balls will be smaller. My FE 55 f1.8 ZA obviously can't do f1.4 but it pretty much matches the more expensive GM lens from f2.8 onwards making it hard to justify a switch, trying very hard here to suppress GAS! For those starting from scratch however, the choice is obvious, get the new FE 50mm f1.4 GM.
I could also try to shoot such scenes with my Voigtlander 65mm f2.0 Apo Lanthar utilizing its close focus but this lens is prone to distracting onion rings within bokeh balls. No such problems with FE 85mm f1.4 GM, no bokeh fringing and no onion rings and I could also back up a bit to include more of the surrounding into the frame if desired.
Looks like Nikon is finally getting ready to launch the Z8. This is finally the true D850 mirrorless replacement, I've said this from inception when Nikon entered the mirrorless segment in 2018 nearly 5 years ago that the Z7/Z7ii was never the D850 replacement. Many Nikon influencers/marketeers were trying to hoodwink users into buying these very overpriced 1st attempts by claiming that their Z7 had effectively replaced their D850 yada yada. One Nikon high priest even brought his Z7 to safari in a bid to dispel users’ frustrations with its AF, frankly one can shoot safari with manual focus lens if one chooses to, he was silent on his hit rates obviously.
With the passing of time, it’s now quite easy to identify most of these shills to totally discount what they say in their blogs or gear forums going forward. Like those who proclaimed that the Zeiss Batis 135mm f2.8 was a great option at $2,000 for instance!
If Nikon can price this stacked sensor Z8 close to the Sony A7RV level, it will be a great system seller because both Sony and Canon have been restricting stacked sensors to their much higher priced cameras. Nikon might just be able to do this if they chose to leave out the expensive shutter mechanism like they did in their Z9. The perennial problem with Nikon however is their rather limited lens options, already limited back in their DSLR days, it’s even worse now as the mirrorless Z mount is largely closed to 3rd party lens makers. Nikon Z’s strength is mostly in their mirrorless telephoto prime lens options.
I might finally upgrade from my ancient Nikon D800E with the Z8 but since my intention is to shoot mostly stills with the occasional wildlife, a potential Z6III at 33mp like the Sony A7IV might be the sweet spot instead.
Kyoto in bokeh
Eye catching bright red lantern in Gion (祇園), Kyoto.
Handheld shot with FE 85mm f1.4 GM.
These chochin lanterns are red, if it looks orangey in a photo, the exposure is wrong.
Curious how the new FE 50mm f1.4 GM will do with such a scene, the view will obviously be wider but the bokeh balls will be smaller. My FE 55 f1.8 ZA obviously can't do f1.4 but it pretty much matches the more expensive GM lens from f2.8 onwards making it hard to justify a switch, trying very hard here to suppress GAS! For those starting from scratch however, the choice is obvious, get the new FE 50mm f1.4 GM.
I could also try to shoot such scenes with my Voigtlander 65mm f2.0 Apo Lanthar utilizing its close focus but this lens is prone to distracting onion rings within bokeh balls. No such problems with FE 85mm f1.4 GM, no bokeh fringing and no onion rings and I could also back up a bit to include more of the surrounding into the frame if desired.
Looks like Nikon is finally getting ready to launch the Z8. This is finally the true D850 mirrorless replacement, I've said this from inception when Nikon entered the mirrorless segment in 2018 nearly 5 years ago that the Z7/Z7ii was never the D850 replacement. Many Nikon influencers/marketeers were trying to hoodwink users into buying these very overpriced 1st attempts by claiming that their Z7 had effectively replaced their D850 yada yada. One Nikon high priest even brought his Z7 to safari in a bid to dispel users’ frustrations with its AF, frankly one can shoot safari with manual focus lens if one chooses to, he was silent on his hit rates obviously.
With the passing of time, it’s now quite easy to identify most of these shills to totally discount what they say in their blogs or gear forums going forward. Like those who proclaimed that the Zeiss Batis 135mm f2.8 was a great option at $2,000 for instance!
If Nikon can price this stacked sensor Z8 close to the Sony A7RV level, it will be a great system seller because both Sony and Canon have been restricting stacked sensors to their much higher priced cameras. Nikon might just be able to do this if they chose to leave out the expensive shutter mechanism like they did in their Z9. The perennial problem with Nikon however is their rather limited lens options, already limited back in their DSLR days, it’s even worse now as the mirrorless Z mount is largely closed to 3rd party lens makers. Nikon Z’s strength is mostly in their mirrorless telephoto prime lens options.
I might finally upgrade from my ancient Nikon D800E with the Z8 but since my intention is to shoot mostly stills with the occasional wildlife, a potential Z6III at 33mp like the Sony A7IV might be the sweet spot instead.