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| » Number of reviews : 7 - viewing 10 Per Page |
| Last Review Posted by Tord S Eriksson - posted: Wed February 27, 2013 5:52pm | [ Post a Review ] |
 Views: 2113 |
A bird photographer in Honduras, Bobby Handal, posted pictures he had taken with his AF-S VR 70-300 at DPReview (Nikon 1 Forum), which led me to get one, too. A nice zoom, useable for everything from a Nikon 1 camera (CX format), D3200 (DX), or a D600 (FX). Probably works well on other cameras, but I have not tried it!
It is not at its very best for birds in flight, but as soon as the birds are on the ground, in a tree, or swimming, its pretty awesome. The VR (vibration reduction) is amazing on this lens, and on my V1 it equals a lens of about 200-800 on the D600.
The only negative part is that it is not the lightest of 70-300 on the market, but the results with it is outstanding, considering it relatively low price!
Mine works very well with my Kenko 1.4X Teleplus Pro 300! Rating: 9 |
Product Details: "AF-S VR 70-300/4.5-5.6G" by Tord S Eriksson - posted: Wed February 27, 2013 - Rating:  8.50 |
| Last Review Posted by Tord S Eriksson - posted: Wed February 27, 2013 5:15pm | [ Post a Review ] |
 Views: 1150 |
Have this excellent lens, which I use on my CX, DX and FX cameras, that is, from Nikon V1 to D600. When I use it on my V1, it equals a 230/1.8 lens on my D600, a lens far beyond anything available! On my APS-C camera it equals about 130/1.8, also a rare beast ;-)! Rating: 10 |
| Product Details: "85mm f/1.8G" by ckuklbac - posted: Wed April 18, 2012 - Rating: 10.00 |
| Last Review Posted by Tord S Eriksson - posted: Wed February 27, 2013 6:33am | [ Post a Review ] |
 Views: 48125 |
I had this lens, and like its sibling, the 120-400 really nice in the short end, not as impressive in the long! Needs clear, sunny days to do its best! |
| Product Details: "APO 150-500mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM" by Fowl Mouth - posted: Wed February 18, 2009 - Rating: 7.31 |
| Last Review Posted by Tord S Eriksson - posted: Tue March 20, 2012 5:22am | [ Post a Review ] |
 Views: 5502 |
This is a camera you easily fall in love with, as it is small, lightning fast, sharp, and rugged. Quirky, unusual, and with three minute lenses that have gotten full points with every lens tester. Think MFT (aka M4/3rds) lenses, and then make them 30% smaller!
Very much a poor man's Leica, where you for a tenth of the price of the Leica (with three lenses) get a kit that very much reminds of the famous camera.
The ISO range is better with the V1 (its simpler sister J1 has no viewfinder), the sensor is comparative to the M8's in size, both cameras's lenses are among the best on the market.
Focus is lightning fast with the V1, and it can take a series of shots in zero time, and so on.
As yet, the main disadvantage with the Nikon 1 Series, as yet, is that there are no fast lenses, the best is the 10/2.8, but better things are in the works, according to Nikon, who seem to have been surprised by the camera system's success!
For day's with heavy overcast, and when I need longer focal lengths, I've invested in the TF1 adapter, which allow you to use 'normal' Nikon lenses, with fully functional auto focus, as long as they have a focus motor (G models). Even VR lenses have working VR, as long as they are genuine Nikon lenses. For instance, Sigma lenses work as long as they are non-VR, while, say, Sigma 150-500 OIS does not at all!
As the sensor is very small (smaller than MFT, but bigger than compact's), a complete camera kit with the three available lenses (covering, in FF/FX terms, 27-297mm), weighs less than a kilogram (close to two pounds).
According to Ken Rockwell, the Nikon guru, the sharpest Nikon zoom ever, was the classic 80-200/4.0, which on the V1, with the TF1 adapter, is pretty amazing, equalling a zoom range 216-540! I also have used it with a well-used AF-S 18-70/3.5-4.5G (just great), and have bought a new AF-S 50/1.4G for it, all three lenses very popular with reviewers, like SLR Gear.com, or Photozine.de .
The viewfinder is surprisingly clear (if not quite in NEX-7 class), and the display is just as good (if, with my copy, with a minute green tinge), and the switch is automatic between the two, as you approach the viewfinder with your eye. Works well with glasses, too!
The battery id hefty, and seem to last for ever, unless you use the flashgun (optional extra). There is also a GPS (optional), about which I know nothing ;-(!
The bad things, then?!
Well, the arrangement of thumb wheels, and buttons, is unique, and a bit quirky, so many have taped over the selector wheel on the back, so you not accidentally choose movie, or animated postcard mode.
It occasionally chooses a too low ISO, so the shots become fuzzy, but it can also, at times, choose a too high ISO, so the shots become grainy. Rating: 9 |
| Product Details: "V1" by Tord S Eriksson - posted: Tue March 20, 2012 - Rating: 9.00 |
| Last Review Posted by Tord S Eriksson - posted: Tue November 30, 2010 3:55pm | [ Post a Review ] |
 Views: 8906 |
The last year, or so, has seen four new DSLRs from Pentax, the first being the K-7, aimed at the pros, and advanced amateurs, that wanted a stylish, yet rugged camera, with lots of features, suitable for outdoor, and studio work, where the lighting is good. The 14MP sensor isn't the fastest around, so while the pros liked it quite well, some found the noise at ISO 3200 hampering.
Then came the cheap & mechanically noisy, but fast, K-x, that amazed with its huge dynamic range, and the ability to take photos at ISO 6400. Plastic feel, even if there is a steel frame inside, somewhere. Very much a cut-down version, with just the essentials, but nice speed!
The next came a model, that eventually will replace the K-x (if it hasn't already done so), which added some features of the K-7 to a K-x, thus improved ergonomics, speed and looks, plus more options in the menus.
Late in the year of 2010 came the K-5, which could be called a souped up K-7, with some nice new touches:
The K-5 is fully a pro-style DSLR, top-of-the-range at Pentax, which means it is has a durable, rain-proof body, made mostly out of magnesium. At a distance there is nothing that differs it from the K-7, but the K-5 logo, and a button, or two.
But what differs is the sensor: a 16+MP CMOS sensor from Sony (actually the same as you can find in the Sony A55), which gives the camera an astounding ISO range - expanded: 80-51400 (or basic setting: 100-12800).
But it is not the sheer ompf that really took me by storm, but the results of my photos with it, using the same lenses as before: The green grass is no longer just one green colour, but a spectrum of green colours - just as my eyes see it; the birds look much more alive, and so on.
Independent testers have found it to be performance-wise on par with Nikon D700, a camera loved by many.
In short, it should be called K-7 Mark II, and it so good that my critical wife, who used prefer her Olympus E-PL1 to my first Pentaxes - and shots taken side by side with her E-PL1, and my K-7, with as simlar lenses as possible (say the Panasonic 20mm pancake on hers, and DA21 on mine) almost always were won by her camera, at high ISO, or low.
At high ISO both stinks, by the way :-)!
I almost bought a D300S a year ago, but the sheer bulk of the camera scared me - I wanted a DSLR that would replace my favourite compact, my old Olympus C-8080, which is outstanding in some ways, and terrible in some other, not a behemoth (thus I ended up with the Pentax K-x).
My wife later thought about the Canon 550D, but that was just too big for her hands, so now we both have Pentax K-5s, and are very happy with our choices! The K-7 will be sold, soon!
Update, June, 2011:
I have now used my K-5 for quite a while, not least during a trip to Slimbridge and Newent, recently coming home. Sadly the K-5 fell on its back while attached to a monopod, which has forced me to send it off for repairs - auto focus didn't work quite right, nor could it use lenses with the focusing mechanism built-in at all.
Other than that it has worked effortlessly, but the camera has a problem with reds, including imfrareds, so I now have bought some IR-blocking Heliopan filters (very expensive) that seems to help a lot!
Update, August, 2011:
The repair took about a month, due to a lack of spare parts (in this case the tape that holds the replacement display 'glass' in place, as the original glass was slightly damaged when the camera fell on its back. The serious damage was to the bayonet, and that was fixed in a matter of minutes, but the tape took ages!
Update 2012:
then it refused to read the SD cards!!! Back to Pentax, and this time I got a brand new one - no further issues! Rating: 10 |
| Product Details: "K-5" by Tord S Eriksson - posted: Tue November 30, 2010 - Rating: 9.00 |
| Last Review Posted by Tord S Eriksson - posted: Tue November 30, 2010 7:15am | [ Post a Review ] |
 Views: 23490 |
Had planned to buy a Bigma, but this was the one available at the time. Quite quickly it became apparent that if you use it at its extreme ends the result is not very brilliant, but at f8 and medium zoom it is pretty impressive. It is a front-heavy lens, thus feels heavier than it is - recommend a tripod, or monopod!
A long time now since I owned the lens, but looking at old photos the other day proved it to be excellent at short focusing distances, in the wide-to-medium end particularly! Like its sibling, the 150-500 it needs lots of light to perform! Rating: 8 |
| Product Details: "120-400mm F4.5-5.6 APO DG OS" by lozninja - posted: Fri July 17, 2009 - Rating: 7.57 |
| Last Review Posted by Tord S Eriksson - posted: Mon August 23, 2010 6:19am | [ Post a Review ] |
 Views: 13727 |
Seldom you'll get so much performance from such a relatively cheap camera - it has a more expensive brother as well, with even longer zoom, but I have no experience with that!
It takes excellent HD films, with good stereo sound, and has a 18x optical zoom
(its 'bigger' brother has a 24x zoom), and is excellently suited to bird photography! At the long end of the zoom the OIS (optoical image stabilisation) isn't quite up to par, so attaching a monopod, to increase the camera's inertia, is an excellent idea (it doesn't need to touch the ground, just the extra mass does the trick!).
My wife has one of these, and I am tempted to get one for myself, as well!
The FZ100 has a focal length of 24-600 (equivalent), by the way! Rating: 10 |
| Product Details: "LUMIX DMC-FZ38" by Tord S Eriksson - posted: Mon August 23, 2010 - Rating: 9.50 |
