A Few Quick Notes (Steve Vai anyone?)

I haven't posted for a bit because I haven't done much photographically for the same period.

My wife and I did go camping with our 4 dogs (my wife recently added another one to the collection) and her horse last weekend, and I did take my camera gear, but I didn't even get a camera out of the bag. We were only gone one night and basically we got to the camp site, set up the tent, ate, slept, got up, tore down the tent, and came home. We had a good time, it just didn't involve taking pictures. It did involve getting out of Phoenix and sleeping in cooler night air near Prescott, AZ (Groom Creek Campground).

I did wake up around 2:30AM and took the dogs out to do whatever they needed to do. The moon was really bright and shining through the pine trees. I really wanted to take some pictures of it but I knew I couldn't leave the dogs in the tent without it causing a ruckus so the opportunity was wasted. Similarly with a rock formation right next to our camp site. Perhaps next time...

I haven't done anything during the weeks either. It's been rainy here off and on (our Monsoon season) and even though the D610 is weatherized, I'm not. I just stayed in doors.

But, last night I got a new (used) full frame lens ("FX" in Nikon speak). I've been stalled trying to decide what lens to get, either a wide prime or a telephoto prime. I still don't know. But to help with my decision I decided to get a used telephoto zoom.

I read a lot about a lot of different old lenses, and the Nikon 70-210mm f/4-5.6 lens kept popping up as a good, cheap, old lens compatible with the D610. So I ordered it from B&H. I'm planning to do some shooting with it this weekend to see how it works. I've been trying to decide on an 85mm or 105mm prime and since this zoom covers both of those lengths plus more, I should be able to see where I end up shooting more often and that should help me decide on a prime length.

While looking at lenses, I actually started by seeing what was available in the used departments and B&H and Adorama. I saw a few different lenses but B&H seemed to have more in their used department. I looked up the various lenses on the interweb and came down to the 70-210mm or the 75-300mm used lenses for around $100 each. I deliberated and read more, and it seemed to me that the 70-210mm just kept getting the better comments so that's the one I chose. I got the best one they had at B&H and figured for about $100 how could I go wrong? (After I ordered mine another one popped up on B&H that was new, in the box).

I got the non-D version. I couldn't find a D version like Ken Rockwell raved about. The non-D is slower to auto focus but I think I can live with that since I'm mainly using it for landscape and not sports or wildlife. But the D version also apparently has a coated element to cut down glare / flare / ghosts which I would like to have had. 

I'm planning to take the new lens (and the rest of the gear) to the Salt River Canyon where Highway 60 crosses the Salt River this weekend, and hopefully I'll get myself out of bed in time to make it there by sunrise. There are supposed to be some clouds over near there, east of the bridge. I want to try to get some shots as the sun is breaching the horizon there. 

I've finally started using the Photographer's Ephemeris, to note where the sun will be rising from and at what time. I have also been able to determine that a shot I've been wanting to do with a sunrise on Washington Street in Phoenix should present itself around September 22 this year. Cool!