January 21, 2013

Snow


January 2013, Tatoi

Wide open


January 2013, Tatoi

Retired


January 2013, Tatoi

Ditch


January 2013, Tatoi

Idyllic


January 2013, Tatoi

Black and blue


January 2013, Tatoi

Trail


January 2013, Tatoi

Roxy's ears


January 2013, Tatoi

Roxy Music


January 2013, Patissia, Athens

January 9, 2013

Dessert


January 2013, Exarcheia, Athens

Snigger


January 2013, Exarcheia, Athens

Laugh II


January 2013, Exarcheia, Athens

Laugh I


January 2013, Exarcheia, Athens

Cheers


January 2013, Exarcheia, Athens

Huff


January 2013, Exarcheia, Athens

Lecture


January 2013, Exarcheia, Athens

Pour


January 2013, Exarcheia, Athens

Brood


January 2013, Exarcheia, Athens

Mull


January 2013, Exarcheia, Athens

Tavern


January 2013, Exarcheia, Athens

January 6, 2013

Pug butts II


January 2013, Patissia, Athens

Pug butts I


January 2013, Patissia, Athens

Scruff of the neck


January 2013, Patissia, Athens

Swing


January 2013, Patissia, Athens

January 5, 2013

Pretty little bastard II


January 2013, Athens

Portrait proper.

Ceiling


January 2013, Patissia, Athens

Stern


January 2013, Patissia, Athens

Angles


January 2013, Patissia, Athens

Pretty little bastard I


January 2013, Athens

Well that's embarrassing. And to think I had the nerve to bitch about microscopic and practically invisible specks of dust on the glass of used lenses that I tried... Sorry, love!

January 3, 2013

Nikon D5100 and company


Words are wind

In 2009, I boldly declared that (camera) size matters, and smaller is better, mmmkay? And I can't be bothered to carry a bulky SLR everywhere I go. Hence, the Lumix DMC-LX3: compact, light, small, in my purse and off we go.

In 2010, I loudly complained that ISO-400 or higher sucks big time, that this isn't grain, its goddamn noise, and "...I think I need a better camera. Crap." I didn't do anything about it, I just nagged from time to time.

In 2012, I had the chance to fool around with a Nikon D7000 and a prime 50mm 1.8 lens for about twenty minutes. During these twenty minutes, I was SO happy and excited, that the fate of my trusted Lumix was sealed there and then: it was doomed to become a secondary camera.

So, in 2013, I'm finally upgrading to a DSLR, because (sensor) size matters, and bigger is better, mmmkay? And because a fast prime lens is what I should have been working with years ago, and I didn't, and now I really, really want to.


Greedy motherfucker

The upgrade was rather radical, and it goes like this:

Body: Nikon D5100
Nikkor 35mm F/1.8 G AF-S
(equivalent to the standard 50mm prime, simple and fast)
Nikkor 18-55mm F/3.5-5.6 AF-S G VR
(all purpose zoom, from wide angle to short tele)
Nikkor 55-200mm F/4.0-5.6 G AF-S ED VR
(big mean tele, though on the slow side)


I don't know how this happened, I swear I was going to get a body and a 35mm prime for starters and wait months or years for secondary lenses, but I got greedy. And very very excited. And I'm not done yet.

In the long run, I'll definitely get a fast 50mm prime, too. I have my eyes on the Nikkor 50mm F/1.4 D, and I'm waiting for a decent one to appear in the used market. (Everything I've gotten so far is used.) F/1.4, I say. It will be glorious.



Until then, I got plenty of stuff to play with, so beware: new camera and new lenses (plural!) means there's a learning curve ahead. Yay for me, groans from the audience. :)

P.S. I'm not getting rid of the Lumix, mind you. I got to love the pretty little bastard. Image quality notwithstanding, it's a great tool, especially for street photography. I'm not (yet?) comfortable to point a big DSLR to people's faces, and I'm still very fond of stealth mode, so the Lumix stays, proudly.

P.S.S. Thanks, Santa!