Author Topic: Greetz from Asia  (Read 1664 times)

Toby

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Greetz from Asia
« on: June 15, 2018, 03:51:48 »
Hi folks,
My day job is as videographer for German TV in East Asia, but my passion is still photography. I’ve been using Nikon gear since 1967, and have a bunch of old Nikkors. Recently I decided to sink a lot of money into vintage lenses, including some of the rare industrial Nikkors. On that score I have the Repro-Nikkor 85mm f1.0, Apo EL Nikkor 105 f5.6, 2x CRT Nikkor-O 55mmf1.2s (both the 7xxx and 8xxx series) and a lovely UMN 165mm f4.0 beast. I also have the CV Apo Lanthar 105 and a slew of other strange lenses that I use for their bokeh renderings. Unfortunately my Nikon D800e was stolen and I grudgingly replaced it with a Sony A7RII for the flange distance advantages. Looking forward to participating here.

tommiejeep

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Re: Greetz from Asia
« Reply #1 on: June 15, 2018, 04:09:23 »
Toby, welcome aboard.  With that collection of lenses you should be right at home here  :) .  I bought my first Nikkormat at the old China Fleet Club in Hong Kong in 1968 but could only afford a 50mm.  How do you find the IQ with the lenses on the a7rii compared to the D800e?  Sensor should not be a big deal but how do the cameras (Nikon vs Sony) treat the images.  I use a7rii and a7iii (just received) but mostly with Ais, Ai and D lenses and dumb adapter.   Not having aperture rings on G lenses is a pain.   I still prefer the images coming from the Nikons, more pleasing to me, than the Sony's and require less work. I have really never shot Vids.
All the best and I look forward to some images  :)
Tom
Tom Hardin, Goa, India

Frank Fremerey

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Re: Greetz from Asia
« Reply #2 on: June 15, 2018, 05:53:56 »
with that special taste in lenses money does not seem the biggest of issues for you. Did you try the D850, esp with the magic 1.4/58G?

welcome to our growin Austrian community!
You are out there. You and your camera. You can shoot or not shoot as you please. Discover the world, Your world. Show it to us. Or we might never see it.

Me: https://youpic.com/photographer/frankfremerey/

Erik Lund

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Re: Greetz from Asia
« Reply #3 on: June 15, 2018, 08:50:12 »
Welcome to NikonGear! Enjoy ;)
Erik Lund

Toby

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Re: Greetz from Asia
« Reply #4 on: June 15, 2018, 23:19:59 »
I decided to spend a small inheritance I had on lenses, figuring that it was better to enjoy what the money could do, and I don't think it was a bad investment. My pride and joy is a Dallmeyer Super Six 8 inch monster, which was expensive, but it is worth a lot more than what I paid for it. I loved the Nikon D800e that I had, which was stolen in China. I thought about getting another Nikon, but since I had a collection of vintage lenses that I had been using on a little crop sensor Sony NEX, I decided to go for the A7RII, since I did want FF with those lenses.

In terms of image quality, I find the Sony every bit as good as the Nikon, with a few advantages in terms of using it with vintage lenses. I was not a fan of mirrorless, but the Sony has convinced me for a number of reasons. I can also shoot great video on the sly, which is a big advantage in my work doing investigative stuff.

There are things that get me crazy about the Sony. The handling is nowhere near as good as with the Nikon, and it occasionally suffers firmware glitches. It is agonizingly slow to clear the buffer and to preview and magnify shots. I hear the A7RIII is better for that stuff. But actually, much as I adore a good OVF, the EVF on the Sony is good enough for critical focusing, with the added benefit of magnification for critical focus, which is especially good with many vintage lenses, where one has to decide between contrast and sharpness in the details. And OMG, the in-body stabilization is a dream come true, and not only for video. If I were doing sports it would definitely be a DSLR, but for my vintage shots the mirrorless is better hands down.

I also do a lot of extreme HDR stuff, and that really tests a sensor, I have found, and the A7RII looks great in that department. I do miss the feel of the Nikon, but I have a lot of respect for the Sony, and now I wouldn't go back.