NikonGear'23
Introductions => Introduce Yourself => Topic started by: the solitaire on April 25, 2016, 13:14:32
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Hello all,
I visited a friend in Amsterdam yesterday who referred me to this forum.
I am a Nikon user ever since I bought my first camera in 1995. A Nikon FM. A camera made in the year I was born and which still works today. Actually, it is this Nikon FM I am talking about:
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7783/18195491551_aca31aeb6d_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/tHSDHz)DSC_2207 (https://flic.kr/p/tHSDHz) by b j (https://www.flickr.com/photos/132836932@N03/), on Flickr
So, ever since I have been a big Nikon fan. But not such that I never trested the waters and looked at what lies beyond Nikon-land. I owned a Canon EOS 5E which I sold soon after I bought it because I just could not get around the button layout. I owned a Bronica SQ which had some of the finest lenses I used to date. I tried Leica (although I never owned one) and a Voigtlander Bessa. Played around with a Cambo 4x5 as well for a few years. Mostly with Rodenstock and Schneider lenses.
When digital photography emerged big in the early 2000's I owned a Nikon FM and FM2 with a small selection of Ai and Ai-S lenses. I bought a D70s and still used the Ai and Ai-S lenses even without on-camera light metering. Instead I relied on my old Minolta IVf which also still serves me well today.
After a while of playing with the D70s and a bit of a photography hiatus (it just wasn't the same without wet darkroom and similar emotions) I upgraded to the D200 and rediscovered a love for photography. I soon sold the D200 and bought a D300 and after a while a good used D3 which I still use now.
In the meanwhile I also bought a few more more manual focus Nikkors. The Nikkors of the 60's and 70's really got my motivation for photography up where it used to be back in my first days of photography.
Something else that really helped me along in the more technical aspects of my photography and the eager to learn more about developing digital photos using various tools was meeting my girlfriend who is also an avid and most talented photographer. I introduced her into film photography and manual focus lenses while at the same time she helped me take an interest on editing photos to find back to the results I knew from film but never got with the D70 or D200 (which is odd because the D200 is a very capable camera and I sometimes regret selling it)
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1550/25933936365_0d3407360e_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/FvGcKT)DSC_5777-Edit-Edit (https://flic.kr/p/FvGcKT) by b j (https://www.flickr.com/photos/132836932@N03/), on Flickr
So, what brought me here? The advise of a fellow Nikon collector who likes the 60's and 70's Nikkors really.
I do hope to find a few nice conversations here in which I can take part and I also hope to find more inspiration (and maybe a reason to finally adapt a medium format lens to the D3. Something I have been trying to talk myself out of for almost 5 years now)
Below are some of my more recent photographs.
Taken with D3 and 28mm f3,5 PC Nikkor
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1544/26348061630_bf1979f349_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/G9hGLE)DSC_7425-Edit (https://flic.kr/p/G9hGLE) by b j (https://www.flickr.com/photos/132836932@N03/), on Flickr
D3 and 16mm f3,5 fish eye Nikkor
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1487/26250410591_1d8d0b8e8d_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/FZEdw4)DSC_6456-Edit (https://flic.kr/p/FZEdw4) by b j (https://www.flickr.com/photos/132836932@N03/), on Flickr
D3 and 5cm f2 Nikkor-S
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1709/25642813951_d308272ff9_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/F4Y8cV)5cmf2nkjN-S (https://flic.kr/p/F4Y8cV) by b j (https://www.flickr.com/photos/132836932@N03/), on Flickr
D3 and 55mm f1,2 Nikkor-S.C
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1478/24877769124_66bf557e8b_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/DUn52S)DSC_4882 (https://flic.kr/p/DUn52S) by b j (https://www.flickr.com/photos/132836932@N03/), on Flickr
So, after breaking all forum rules and such I hope to find a few likeminded photographers or those who can convince me I'm all wrong and AF is where the money lies ;)
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You are most welcome online and offline. See ya in Maastricht 12 June???
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Terrific photos. Welcome to NG. :)
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Welcome to NikonGear! Feel at home ;)
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Welkom !
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Thank you all for the kind welcome.
I am not yet entirely sure whether or not I can make it to Maastricht. I lived there for 5 years and can really recommend a visit. There are some very beautiful areas in Maastricht as well as in the nearby Vroenhoven, Tongeren and around the Albert Canal which almost marks th eborder between the Netherlands and Belgium.
It was at Foto Daniels in Maastricht where I bought my Nikon FM. They completely serviced the camera before handing it to me. Unfortunately due to competition from the internet as well as the much bigger Foto Rembrandt on the Grote Staat (no typo) Foto Daniels had to close. That happened when I still lived there and it marked a very sad moment and the end of many an afternoon drinking coffee and talking cameras in that fine store.
From Maastricht I moved to Krefeld. Krefeld featured another nice and small Nikon only store led by a very nice married couple of photo enthousiasts. In 2013 they also had to close and with them another store with a big "wall of history" displaying many of the earliest photo cameras in a permanent display of the kind I would love to have decorating one of my living room walls.
Taking part in a photo walk (or two) was one of the things Chris mentioned that really got me interested in signing up here, so I am really interested in the idea. Now I just have to fit it in my schedule somehow.
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Chris's referral is valued highly 8)
Good to have you with us!
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Good to see you here! :D
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Thank you Chris. I really look forward to meet up with a few of you guys some time soon. Possibly Maastricht indeed. :)
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Welcome here. Here is the thread on the Maastricht gathering: http://nikongear.net/revival/index.php?topic=3317.new;topicseen#new
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Welcome, and very nice introduction photo's ;)
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Thank you Bruno for the link. I can not give any guarantees yet. Unemployed and looking for a new apartment means that I might have to react spontaniously on the one or other occasion.
John, thank you for the kind words :)
I tried to pick a bunch of photos that represent subjects I like to shoot most. Of course I meet chance subjects as well and carry a camera with me most of the time.
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Where are the Liege posts???
Super Starcaseshot and the like????
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Oh, there was no affordable digital camera available when I still lived in Liege. That must have been back in 1999. I mostly used my FM2 back then. Must still have some photos scanned and online hosted somewhere.
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Welcome to NG :)
Please be aware that we are not an anonymous forum, so please state you first name in your signature so we all know what to call you :)
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Taken care of :)
Name added.
Thnx for bringing that to my attention Jan Anne. In this day of anonymous participation I often forget to add my given name because after 15 years of using the same screen name I kind of accept it as much as my given name. I even met with people I knew from other forums and after introductions I was still addressed as Soli. I guess these things will be even more common in the future.
Please accept the exclusion of my name as forgetfullness rather then unwillingness to reveal my identity :)
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Much appreciated Buddy, nice to whom we're talking to :)
Made the mistake once to register as JAO (my initials), 10 years later some still call me Jaaaooo on events even though I've changed it many moons ago to my first name ;D
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JA, now you tell us ;D
JAAAOOOOO
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Probably shouldn't have mentioned that ;D ;D
When abroad people called me by so many different names that I pretty much listen to everything including names like Ian, Jane, Jaahhhnn, Ann, JayA and Anne Frank :o
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Probably shouldn't have mentioned that ;D ;D
When abroad people called me by so many different names that I pretty much listen to everything including names like Ian, Jane, Jaahhhnn, Ann, JayA and Anne Frank :o
Especially that last one. ;D
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Agreed. That last one is a bit special ???