What's your latest equipment purchase?

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Abinoone

Abinoone

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Just curious, what's been your latest camera equipment purchase, and why did you buy it? How do you plan to use it, and how do you think it will improve your work?

I'll go first: just bought a Nikkor 16-35 f4, which I plan to use for landscapes. To date, I've been using the Nikkor 24-70 for landscape work, which has worked beautifully, but I'd like to try something wider, to get those dramatic fore, mid, and backgrounds that draw the eye into the image. Hoping my new lens does the trick!
 
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Last weekend, I traded my 200-500 in and bought the 500 PF. Also bought the grip for my D500. Most of my recent photography has been during walks on local trails shooting birds, and I wanted the weight reduction when shooting handheld. I added back some weight with the grip -- I think it will be more natural for portrait mode.
I don't think it will improve my work, but I think it will improve my enjoyment.

I am waiting a bit longer to decide how to make the transition to mirrorless and to full-frame. I am not retired, and photography is a hobby, so I can wait and see what happens over the next year or two.
 
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Craig42 said:
Last weekend, I traded my 200-500 in and bought the 500 PF. Also bought the grip for my D500. Most of my recent photography has been during walks on local trails shooting birds, and I wanted the weight reduction when shooting handheld. I added back some weight with the grip -- I think it will be more natural for portrait mode.
I don't think it will improve my work, but I think it will improve my enjoyment.

I am waiting a bit longer to decide how to make the transition to mirrorless and to full-frame. I am not retired, and photography is a hobby, so I can wait and see what happens over the next year or two.
Click to expand...
Great investment! I'll be interested to learn how you like the 500 PF!
 
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Heresy! An Olympus 9-18mm lens. I'm going to a remote part of Alaska and am severely limited in what I can take on a small Cessna. So, Olympus E-M1mii, E-M10miv, 9-18mm lens, 14-42mm, 40-150 f2.8, 1.4 and 2.0 TCs. @6lbs, fits in a 10x10x10 case. EFOV from 18-600mm. You wouldn't believe how small that packs into. I can't think of any other way to get there. I wish I could bring the big guns, but that's out of the question, I think.
 
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500PF. My 20 year old 500 f4 is getting pretty heavy to lug around these days. I will keep it as unlike the PF, it does extremely well with my TC14.
 
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The Sigma 40mm f1.4 Art.

It's a versatile focal length. You can use it for many different genres. It's already sharper across the frame at f1.4 than most lenses are at f5.6, almost no distortion or CA, and the bokeh is smooth and pleasant. The downsides: large, heavy, and not cheap. But the IQ is so good paired with the D850 that I'm more than willing to put up with those flaws. It's kind of like the Nikon 105mm f1.4 in that regard...huge chunk to carry around, but worth it.
 
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I just received a Really Right Stuff TFC-24L MK2 Series2 Long-Leg Ultralight Carbon Fiber Tripod (66.1") along with a

Really Right Stuff BH-30 Pro II Ball Head and a RSS medium tripod bag . I am really liking the setup so far. Super light, weighing tripod and head weighing in a 1/4 my previous tripod set-up.

Super solid even with my 200-500 on it with no creep after locking it in. It's a dream with the 300 pf or my 105 mm macro!
 
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A second Olympus E-M10 ii since I really like the first one that I purchased some time ago. This was a used camera that looks like it came out of the factory yesterday. Also sent for a Chinese-made grip that's on its way; bought the same grip for my first M10 ii and really like it although I had to add grip tape since it was absolutely smooth and felt slippery.
 
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I haven't bought any equipment in a while. I got a new Black Rapid strap about a year ago. Last summer I picked up a new Nikkor Micro 105mm F2.8VR and about 6 months ago I bought a new camera backpack (Lowe Pro 450 Tactical). No other cameras or lenses. I'm kind of waiting to see what the next generation of mirrorless brings.
 
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I had to go look and was shocked to see that the last serious purchase I made was the 500mm PF in November of 2018. It certainly lived up to expectations and has become my primary wildlife lens. So much so that I was comfortable selling my 500mm f4 with plans to upgrade to a 600mm f4. That's gone on hold pending what I decide going forward with camera bodies. But I guess my last purchase of any kind was a Jobu Jr. gimbal head this past spring. That shaved a pound or so off my kit compared to the Wimberly.
 
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My last purchase 8 months ago was the AF-S 70-200mm 2.8 E FL ED and ranks pretty high as one of my sharpest Lens when paired with the D850.
I will add that my next purchase will be Mirrorless just waiting to see what Nikon is going to roll out next.
 
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A D500 wich should be delivered monday, for birds and dragonflies etc.
I'm curious wether it will work better for Dragons in flight than my D750 :)
I'll start off with the 200-500 i have but thinking of buying the 300Pf,
for a lighter setup.
 
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A Canon 600mm f4 L USM IS III .... My first long prime lens was the 300mm L f2.8 back in the seventies. It was the best I could afford, but what I really wanted was the 600. Finally after many years I can now step up to the glass you guys have. I have really high hopes.
 
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I went off in an entirely different direction with my most recent purchase. I have been happily shooting with Nikon (DX and FX) as well a m4/3rd's all these past years and will continue to do so, but I have had a long slow build of interest in learning more about video, so I picked up a Sony ZV-1. It is not a huge investment, but it packs quite a lot of features, and since it is a hybrid compact, I can stick it in a jacket pocket and use it for stills as well. To be honest, it feels like more of a well equipped training tool than a production tool (mostly due in part to my skills, or lack thereof), but I am looking forward to learning more about video (not vlogging). Only time will tell if it was a foolish purchase, but since I traded in some gear that I was not using, I do not feel too bad about the outlay, and my wallet is not unhappy with me.

--Ken
 
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Got an email this morning informing me the Fuji XF 70-300 I'd pre-ordered was in stock. It will be replacing my XF 55-200 that has served me well and is as sharp as a tack. The extra reach will exceed my Nikkor 80-200 f2.8 + 1.4x TC on the Fuji without the need for a TC at the cost of one stop, but will add 5 axis stabilisation from the 3 axis I get using the Nikkor lens. - and it is much lighter too.
 
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I've jumped into the Z mirrorless system with a Z7II and a Z MC 105, I also have a D850 and a bunch of F glasses, 500 and 300 PFs, I'm shooting mostly macro photography and sometime wildlife photography.
I'm ok with the capabilities of the Z system for the kind of photography I do.
 
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