Hello, everyone! I apologize for not posting since December. I haven't really visited the site much all year until a week ago. I saw this fun post, and I decided there was no better way to demonstrate my repentance by posting this photograph with the 105mm f/2.5 AI that I bought and had chipped a couple years ago. The first camera and lens I bought were an FM2 with a 105 f/2.5 AI-s. I loved the camera and especially the lens. I unwisely sold the lens about 12 years ago, but now I have a nice chipped version. I shot this on a D850, but I have since switched to a Z7, which is so much easier use manual focus, in my opinion. My preferred technique now is to set the AF-ON button to ZOOM (I have been using the lowest zoom setting). Since I am used to using AF-ON to focus anyway, I hit that and it zooms in so I can see and focus peaking kicks in, too. Personally, I also find it much easier to focus in low light with the electronic viewfinder, too. Live View works as well, but I really prefer the viewfinder when I can use it: no competition with sun glare, my aging eyes can focus at infinity, and it is easier to keep the camera stable pressed against my face.
The Z7 makes this lens stabilized, too. Can't beat that.
So, while I took this with the D850, I am looking forward to doing a lot more manual focus with it and other lenses on the Z7. (I just got a Z-mount Lomography Petzval 55mm f/1.7 Mk II...now that's an interesting lens I will post more about soon...)
These are blooming palo verde trees in my neighborhood in Tucson, Arizona, from two and a half years ago. Every spring they go crazy and yellow blossoms are everywhere. (They are native, by the way.)
Palo Verde Curtains, Tucson, Arizona. Nikon D850 with Nikon 105mm f/2.5 AI (chipped), 1/500 sec at f/2.5, ISO 64.
