16--Got the Sony A7RM2 and a Sony 24-240 lens......

I got a new camera! Yes, I seem to get a new one every two years. This time it's been a bit longer than that....2.5 years since I got the Nikon Df. The new camera is the Sony A7RM2. I also got a Sony 24-240 3.5-6.3 lens. Why that camera, why that lens after 10.5 years of shooting Nikon? Well, I'd been watching YouTube videos of reviews and in the field testing with the camera for about 9months. I'd pretty much made up my mind about 6 months ago but couldn't justify it since I'm perfectly happy with the shots I'm getting with my D4 and Df with all the awesome lenses I have for them. But there are so many new and improved features with this camera it's mind boggling. Here are a few.....

In camera 5 axis stabilization. 42 megapixels (my cameras are 16mp). Small camera. Lighter. Face detection focus and even more important....eye detection focus! And it has the possibility of taking my Nikon lenses.

There are lots of other features as well as Focus Peaking, and a zooming in feature with autofocus lenses when manual focusing.

The list goes on and on......oh, and 4K movies! Yes.....that's double the 1080i HD of most cameras.

Ok, but why the 24-240 3.5-6.3 lens? Well, I have Nikon lenses already that can handle just about anything but one lens I used to have that I'd sold years back was the 28-300. This was the perfect lens for travel as it turned out. So by getting that Sony lens I have one lens right away to do most everything I need. Ok, not the best for low light shots but.....I also got a cheap ($16) Fotasey NG-A7II lens adapter. I can attach any of my Nikon lenses to the Sony camera now. I can only use them in manual focus but a lot of my lenses are manual focus. And once I get this all up and running which I may of already done in just one day (first day I got the camera I figured out how to use it with my studio lights etc...it was a little tricky) I'm going to get the Commlite adapter. This is a $399 adapter for all my Nikon lenses even the autofocus feature will work on the AF lenses! Can't wait to check that out. 

Going through all my camera stuff and trying out lenses now on the Sony last night I used a 50mm 1.8 AF lens on it. My adapter worked but of course it's manual focus but the camera was ready for me. It has Focus Peaking! This is where an area that is in focus has a color (you pick white/red/yellow etc..) area online showing you where your focus is! This really made it fun! Here are shots from last night (first day of using the camera) of my wife Bonnie making some cookies....

 Nikon 50 1.8 AF lens with adaptor. Shot at 1.8, ISO: 400, 1/60th.

And today as I was getting my older lenses out to try them on the Sony I decided to make a shot of all my current and old Nikon equipment. (This shot is missing a 50 1.4 ancient Nikkor lens and a Nikkormat film camera with another 50mm 1.4 lens). But you get the idea.

Stay tuned as I'll be posting shots taken with some of these lenses on the Sony camera, and the 24-240 Sony lens (which took this group shot) in upcoming posts. Will I keep my Nikon cameras (probably), will I get more native Sony lenses? Time will tell.

#12 Cheap Lenses for Nikon---Slumming on eBay and elsewhere......for deals!

Lenses and adapters and more. These are some of the items I've been getting on eBay for dirt cheap lately. From left to right: TC-200 2X Teleconverter, Nikkor 50 1.4 AI, Nikkor 35-105 3.5-4.5 AIS, Nikkor 200mm F/4 AIS, Zykkor 35-135 3.5, AF 50 2.8, 3 part micro focus rings.

#15 Where to buy books/magazines/posters with images by Allen Freeman

Poster Prints:
Now you can order 18 x 24 glossy, full color poster prints, shot/retouched by Allen Freeman
http://afreemanphotography.storenvy.com

Magazines and Calendars:
with photos by Allen Freeman: 
http://www.magcloud.com/browse/magazine/599891

Photo Books:
by Allen Freeman on Blurb: 
http://www.blurb.com/search/site_search?search=allen+freeman

#14 The Model Archives #1 and #2........

I'm in the process of putting all of my finished images from all of my model shoots into book form. Model Archives #1 covered 6 photo shoots, and Model Archives #2 will take it up to the 14th model shoot.

Eventually I'll have a number of these 100 page books to cover all of the finished images I've made from hundreds of model shoots. Wish me luck in being able to complete this massive project! Starts with December 18th, 2010.......

Model Archives #1 by Allen Freeman, AFREEMAN Photography | Make Your Own Book

Model Archives #2 by Allen Freeman | Make Your Own Book

#13 Slumming on eBay for Cheap Lenses!

#12 Slumming on eBay for Cheap Lenses!

A recap of some lenses, bellows, extension tubes and more I've been buying cheap on eBay lately and experimenting with.

The shot above from left to right: Nikon Slide Duplicating adapter, Nikkor 50mm Auto-S 1.4, Nikon Micro Bellows. The Slide Duplicating device cost $60 so I thought I'd give it a try. Turns out after I got it I read the paperwork and discover you have to have either a 55mm Micro lens or the 60mm AF Micro lens......I used to own the 60mm and sold it to a friend so I borrowed it back and was able to duplicate some old slides with this set up. Oh, turned out you also needed the Nikon bellows attachment also! Well, a while back to get the 50mm Auto-S 1.4 lens on eBay part of the auction included a Nikkormat film camera, the lens, plus the bellows! It was all around $80. Funny thing was I was bidding on the lens alone in another auction and lost it when it got up to $100 and I wasn't going to pay that much. Then I end up getting the lens and the camera with the bellows for even less. Slides: 

The slides actually appeared a little bit sharper than what I was ending up with in the camera. I'm going to experiment with the 35-105 micro and see if I can rig up something better. 

A similar setup shown below is the Df with the bellows attached to the Nikkor 35-105 with it set to micro mode: 

Here are a few close ups I made with this setup: 

These shots are full frame images not enlarged or cropped in from a larger shot.

Here is a shot I made of my cheap lens collection (minus the 50mm Auto-S 1.4 which I showed in the shot above). Left to right: TC-200 2X Teleconverter, Nikkor 50mm 1.4, Nikkor 35-105 3.5-4.5 micro,  Nikkor 200mm F4, Zykkor 35-135 3.5, Nikkor AF 50mm 1.8, and 3 Micro Extension Rings. 

Shot above was with a Nikkor AF 60mm Micro 2.8 lens (that I used to own but have been borrowing.) One Alien Bee 800 strobe with beauty dish--covered with a diffuser camera left.

I've not experimented much with the 2X converter yet ($80 eBay). I was aiming to go shoot the horses and jockeys at Santa Anita recently but since I've had a bad cold for a week now I've missed 3 photoshoots I was planned to do.  The next one from the left, 50mm 1.4 I bought years ago for about $50 on eBay and only in the last month have been experimenting with it. I love the bokeh this lens produces. Since it's a manual focus lens it's been a real challenge to get eyes in focus. The Df isn't helping in this regard with the focus screen not a split screen etc...I will experiment with the Live View since I've read you can zoom way in with it and check focus. I love the retro look I get especially shooting ambient light subjects. Here are a few: 

 The next lens 3rd from the left is the Nikkor 35-105 3.5-4.5 ($100 eBay). It also has a micro setting. I took this out on a informal shoot to see some Christmas lights in Riverside where lots of people were around ice skating and checking out the lights. Here are a few shots with this lens: 

I was pleasantly surprised at how well this lens worked. It's a push pull zoom. Maybe not the best low light lens at only 3.5 but the Df camera made up for it with it's great low light capabilities.  Again, shooting with manual focus is a challenge especially with moving skaters, and in low light situations. I tend to focus, shoot, refocus, etc...to at least get one that is in focus before I move on to another scene. 

Next in the middle of the shot of lenses is the Nikkor 200mm F4 (I think it was $80 on eBay) which I have not tried out very much yet. I've heard good things about this lens so I'm pretty sure it'll be great once I get a chance to try it out. Wanted to try it with the TC-200 2X converter to make it a 400mm focal length!

Next is the Zykkor 35-135mm F3.5 Micro ($20 eBay). I've only taken a few shots with this one and they seem very uncontrasty, and not ver sharp. I'll keep experimenting with different f-stops and see it it's better stopped down. 

Next is the brilliant, small, lightweight AF 50mm 1.8. ($60 eBay). This little lens is a marvel! I've only used it a few days but I'm super impressed! Easy and fast to focus of course as it's AF! Here are a few shots: 

Last of the lenses and stuff on the far right is the extension tubes ($6 eBay). With all three of these screwed on at the same time with my 50 1.4 lens it can shoot super micro! Here's one: 

To get more of a depth of field I shoot with at f8 or f11....the shot of the penny was probably more of a wide open 2.8ish setting. That only gives a small sliver of focus.

More experimenting and buying cheap lenses on eBay and elsewhere.....ahead......

#11 More Lens Tests + Learning From YouTube.

Here are a few shots I took as a test of an old Nikon 35mm-105mm 3.5-4.5 lens that I got from eBay.

I added a bit of sharpening and some HDR effect (just a little) to the last shot.

I really like this lens as it is so small and light. Seems to be very sharp at all settings. The last shot of the apartments with palm trees you'll notice the foreground is sharpest. I would of had to have a smaller aperture setting (f8, f11 or f16) to of gotten the whole view in focus better. The mountain shot I was zoomed to 105mm and had the focus to infinity. The top shot is where I set the lens to it's Micro setting and I added a TC-200 2X Nikon teleconverter. This lens works great but you have to back up as close focusing up close is about 2 feet away. With the 2X converter you are still about that far back but now you can fill in the frame of the object you want. Without the converter that lens was just a part of the scene and not filling up the frame. I'm going to do more experiments outdoors with the Micro setting, with the 2X converter and see what I can get.

While working on photos I have my iPad nearby and I've been watching (mostly listening to) a series on photography called FILM. There are three photographers (one girl is mostly a stylist/MUA) and they really seem to know their stuff. The girl with the dark hair is very good at working with couples and the guy is very good at one-on-one shooting with a model. They all have their strengths and work well together. I've seen 8 episodes and can't wait to see all of the rest. Sure, they shoot film and I stopped shooting film back around 1998 or so, but I love learning how they work!

Let me know what you think about that series.

#10 New toys that are old…...

Since I got the Nikon Df, I've been playing a lot more with old lenses, teleconverters, bellows and slide duplicating attachments.

I have an old Nikon 50mm 1.4 that is all manual settings. It's not the AIS, etc..it's just the standard 1.4. The Df has a small lever you can pull back out of the way when shooting manual lenses. I'm still researching all this but I've been doing my usual shoots with the D4 and state of the art 70-200 and 24-70 2.8 lenses, then before the shoot is over I use the modeling lights from the strobes and shoot ambient with the Df and my 50mm 1.4. The focus took some experimenting. It's manual and that takes a while to get use to since I'd not used one for over 20 years! I went all digital back in 1998 or 1999 and then when I got my first DSLR it was around 2005 or so. All the lenses were Auto Focus….

I love the short Depth-Of-Field with this 50mm, and the soft golden light. I shoot a bit more shots to make sure I have the focus just right as it's very critical! I'll focus, shoot, focus, shoot….to make sure I got it. But since I'm not setting off any strobes it really doesn't matter as I'm not wearing them out, and don't have to wait for them to refresh, etc…

Usually the background gets totally blown way…especially at 1.4, 2.0 and 2.8 settings. I've found that the 1.4 setting isn't very sharp so I just go to 2.0 or 2.8 for better results.

Shot above: Michelle Parris. Df, 50mm 1.4, ambient light from modeling light Alien Bee strobe with 63" Octobox diffuser. Blueish light coming from the left if from two large glass doors (which are tinted) with shades open to daylight.

My newest old toy showed up today. I got a Nikon 35-105mm 1:35-4.5. It has a micro setting as well. Seems everyone is so set on getting the latest and greatest such as the newest 105 AF lens that no one wants this lens anymore. Well, they don't want to pay much for it. I got this one for $59. It looks and works like new so that's a big plus since I got it on eBay and you take your chances. I just now put it on my Df and I love the size of it…..very small compared to my other monster zooms. It looks about the size of one of those 2/3rd's lenses…really! You pull out the barrel to zoom….works very well. One drawback I'll have to get used to is that it's closest focus range is about 2 feet! Even the micro setting you have to be about 1.5 feet away before it focuses……In most cases this should't be a problem. I have a cheap 2x teleconverter: Nikon TC-200 2x that I also got on eBay. Again, everyone is after the full AF assessors and no one is looking for the manual focus items. I put this on the Df with the 35-105 and it doubled it's range. I have to still be about 2 feet back but I can now fill the frame with whatever I'm focusing one! Can't wait to try this out outside on some plants and insects!

Meanwhile here is a look at the lens on my Df:

Here is a shot taken with the Df using the 35-105 3.5-4.5 lens with the Teleconverter TC-200. 

Don't just go for the latest thing! Experiment! And you can get very sharp lenses for very little $$. Don't be fooled by the need for 1.4 or 2.8 only lenses as most of the time the sharpest settings are not at the lowest apertures anyway. 

Next I'll talk about a 200mm lens I also got cheap on eBay. I thought it was the cheaper micro version but turns out its even older than that. I'll still play around with it for a bit and give you a full report when it arrives.