GAS GAS: Please Share your Latest Acquisitions Big and Small

The Nikon Z 26mm f/2.8 also had my name on it the moment it was announced. It was scheduled to go on sale next week, but miraculously became available early - and through Nikon Switzerland, too, so, best possible warranty conditions (for me). It's a very interesting lens: It is very small (of course - it's a pancake) and light, but feels substantial; its hood is minimalist but well thought out - it does the main job (in my eyes) to protect the front element without adding much in terms of size and weight. The slip-on cap is a first for me when it comes to Nikon lenses - it works, but feels almost unreasonably bulky (no big deal, it's quite light in reality). Optically, the lens is a cut above the previous compact lenses - it's very well behaved and very sharp even wide open, with mostly neutral bokeh (not the smoothest - but that's to be expected in a wide-angle f/2.8 lens). That said, the jury's still out as to what lens I'll end up preferring - simply because the Z 40mm f/2 and Z 28mm f/2.8 SE are already such a pleasure to shoot. And there's one thing I find a bit irritating: AF is far from silent and only moderately quick and accurate on the Z 6. Most intriguingly though, the Z 26mm f/2.8 may allow me to transform the Z fc into a pocketable camera. I'll try that tomorrow ...

Thanks for sharing your observations, Matt. These just started shipping in the US yesterday, and mine arrives from Nikon USA on Monday. Looking forward to giving it a workout. I like the Z 28, but I strongly prefer 24mm to 28mm in general...at least 26mm is a nudge in the right direction for a "standard wide" for me. I love the Z 40. I'm anticipating I'll run 26+40 as a compact prime duo/kit. Glad to hear you like the lens so far.
 
Thanks for sharing your observations, Matt. These just started shipping in the US yesterday, and mine arrives from Nikon USA on Monday. Looking forward to giving it a workout. I like the Z 28, but I strongly prefer 24mm to 28mm in general...at least 26mm is a nudge in the right direction for a "standard wide" for me. I love the Z 40. I'm anticipating I'll run 26+40 as a compact prime duo/kit. Glad to hear you like the lens so far.
Optically, the Z 26mm appears to be quite a gem. I'll have to see if the slightly inferior AF performance bothers me or not in the longer run - usually, it's not something important to my way of shooting, but I want it to focus where I intend it to; I've had a few misses today ... But it's early days still ...

M.
 
A Viltrox 75mm F1.2. First impressions. Not as large and heavy as I thought. Build quality and appearance is very nice. As is the 13mm 1.4. Entrance pupil is quite impressive. A few quick images around the office are showing very clean reproduction. Should fit in nicely instead of (what I feel is) the slightly short 50/56 and the slightly long 85/90.
And $549 new. The 13 was $300 used. These lenses punch way above their weight imo.
 
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A Viltrox 75mm F1.2. First impressions. Not as large and heavy as I thought. Build quality and appearance is very nice. As is the 13mm 1.4. Entrance pupil is quite impressive. A few quick images around the office are showing very clean reproduction. Clinical? Extremely. Should fit in nicely instead of (what I feel is) the slightly short 50/56 and the slightly long 85/90.
And $549 new. The 13 was $300 used. These lenses punch way above their weight imo.
I've wanted a 75mm lens for Fuji for quite some time. I'll be very interested in your thoughts on this. AF performance too.
 
I've never used one of these pillows before. Although I fly often, no matter how long the flight is I never sleep on the plane. More a can't than a won't sleep. I've never seen anyone use these pillows back to front (i.e. gap at back of the neck) but I've read online a few times that they are much more comfortable that way. Worth trying if you are in search of Nirvana.
Thanks for that tip. It makes sense and I might give that a try. Our upcoming trip consists of TWO red-eye flights to reach our destination so I'd better be able to sleep!
 
Optically, the Z 26mm appears to be quite a gem. I'll have to see if the slightly inferior AF performance bothers me or not in the longer run - usually, it's not something important to my way of shooting, but I want it to focus where I intend it to; I've had a few misses today ... But it's early days still ...

M.

Ricci's first look is more or less spot on (as always - he's really thorough). As for bokeh, I'll definitely have to investigate that a bit more myself - I'm not quite sure I agree with what he's saying, even though he's probably right as far as the sample shot he discusses goes - i.e. at mid-range subject distances, the Z 26mm won't exhibit the smoothest bokeh possible, but it would be kind of ridiculous to expect that anyway - it's a f/2.8 wide-angle. He also mentions the sound the AF makes. As for AF performance, we still need to wait, it seems - my own experiences will get more reliable over the next couple of days. I'll be taking the lens out on the Z 7 II today - torture test coming up :)

Just a little thing to add: If you leave off the hood and switch on the camera when the cap is still on the lens, the extending *barrel* will hit the cap from the inside and literally push against it (or try to push it off) - so, potentially, you could end up damaging the lens by not taking the cap off before powering on the camera. I'd advise keeping the hood on at all times, even though it makes the lens a tiny bit bigger. The hood protects the lens even if the inner barrel is fully extended.

M.
 

Ricci's first look is more or less spot on (as always - he's really thorough). As for bokeh, I'll definitely have to investigate that a bit more myself - I'm not quite sure I agree with what he's saying, even though he's probably right as far as the sample shot he discusses goes - i.e. at mid-range subject distances, the Z 26mm won't exhibit the smoothest bokeh possible, but it would be kind of ridiculous to expect that anyway - it's a f/2.8 wide-angle. He also mentions the sound the AF makes. As for AF performance, we still need to wait, it seems - my own experiences will get more reliable over the next couple of days. I'll be taking the lens out on the Z 7 II today - torture test coming up :)

Just a little thing to add: If you leave off the hood and switch on the camera when the cap is still on the lens, the extending *barrel* will hit the cap from the inside and literally push against it (or try to push it off) - so, potentially, you could end up damaging the lens by not taking the cap off before powering on the camera. I'd advise keeping the hood on at all times, even though it makes the lens a tiny bit bigger. The hood protects the lens even if the inner barrel is fully extended.

M.
Okay, back from the outing. The sobering truth is: AF issues are a thing with this lens. Not only is it noisier than other Z lenses, it also tends to hunt and occasionally misfocus. It's not a lot less fast to lock on or any less sharp if it's accurate - on the contrary. But this is certainly no action lens. Here's a near miss in AF-S (tight crop, magnification almost 100%; single point, focus point on face - but it wasn't the central point, I was using the joystick):

Z70_1220.jpg
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Focus is clearly on the buildings in the background - but it can be called a near miss (what with having stopped down to f/5.6 and all). But well ...

I seriously doubt that it'll work well in AF-C (I simply haven't had a good opportunity to test that yet). Given that this is a pancake lens that also shows some focus breathing, noone would considere it as a video or vlogging lens anyway (it's a bit long for that too, being a 26mm), but I guess its biggest "issue" is indeed AF speed and accuracy.

However, to put this into perspective: I've used a couple of very similar lenses extensively: the Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 and the Fujifilm 27mm f/2.8. The Z 26mm is cleary better than both in terms of AF, by a noticeable margin. But it's no match for its Z 28mm and Z 40mm stablemates in that respect since both are quieter, quicker and offer a higher hit rate. And the S Line lenses are faster and more reliable still. So, the Z 26mm is a good *pancake*, but not a do-all, end-all walkaround prime. I guess that badge still goes to either its 24mm f/1.8 S or 35mm f/1.8 S siblings, depending on what kind of focal length you prefer.

I'm a 35mm afficionado, so my pick should be clear - but for me, the Z 40mm f/2 is usually more convenient that the superior, but also twice as big Z 35mm f/1.8 S. And even though the IQ of the Z 26mm is clearly better than that of the Z 40mm upon close inspection, both cheaper lenses are more than good enough in most cases. One thing should be mentioned, though: Close-up quality is really impressive on the Z 26mm - and that can be worth a lot, especially for someone like me who tends to lean in *a lot*

Anyhow, the fantastic portability of the Z 26mm and its optical characteristics are really quite charming - and it's way better built than the Z 40mm or Z 28mm and fully sealed. So, it's very like to replace the Z 40mm in my minimalist FX travel kit (Z 6, Z 24-200mm, one prime - up to now, usually the Z 40mm f/2).

Day-to-day, I'll probably stick to the Z 40mm f/2.

M.
 
Good Morning,

My "new-to-me" Canon 1D Mark III and Sigma Art 24-105mm HSM/OS combo came in this morning during the ice & snow storm hitting Woodstock right now. Both items look and work as new, shutter count read out at 987 this morning. This is a fast but low-res (~10 F.P.S. servo @ 10 MP) body, but it should serve me and a student shooter-in-training just fine...:).

Regards,

Edd

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Woodlands-1.JPG
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After the sale of the Sony FE 4/16-35 I've been looking around for a 15mm lens, going back and forth between a Laowa 2/15 and Voigtländer 4.5/15 Mark III. The Laowa looks to have better image quality and is a lot faster of course, but is EXIF-less (no lens data in EXIF). And I experienced that I hardly ever carry an EXIF-less lens on an outing, so I decided to go for the Voigtländer 4.5/15.

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So far I'm pleased. It handles very well, is relatively small and light and image quality seems to be alright.

And, a little off-topic, here's an image gallery of the lens. I received Smugmug's account renewal bill a few days for the next 2-year period; ouch! I've decided to give up my Smugmug subscription and use my general website for image galleries, which may look like this one. It's generated in Lightroom Classic and simply uploaded to a website folder.
 
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After the sale of the Sony FE 4/16-35 I've been looking around for a 15mm lens, going back and forth between a Laowa 2/15 and Voigtländer 4.5/15 Mark III. The Laowa looks to have better image quality and is a lot faster of course, but is EXIF-less (no lens data in EXIF). And I experienced that I hardly ever carry an EXIF-less lens on an outing, so I decided to go for the Voigtländer 4.5/15.

View attachment 370531

So far I'm pleased. It handles very well, is relatively small and light and image quality seems to be alright.

And, a little off-topic, here's an image gallery of the lens. I received Smugmug's account renewal bill a few days for the next 2-year period; ouch! I've decided to give up my Smugmug subscription and use my general website for image galleries, which may look like this one. It's generated in Lightroom Classic and simply uploaded to a website folder.
That’s a future purchase for me albeit the first version Voigtlander released for the rangefinder. Lots of challenges with that, yours is considerably better optically. Look forward to seeing the images.
 
Call me crazy, but I just ordered this kit:

Leica M Type 240 - Like New condition (This is the silver and black version)
Zeiss C Biogon 35mm f/2.8 - Excellent condition
Zeiss Planar 50mm f/2 ZM - Like New condition

Thanks to @MoonMind for all his guidance in helping me get a worthy Leica kit that is (relatively) affordable! Just a matter of the wait at this point.
 
Good Morning,

My "new-to-me" Canon 1D Mark III and Sigma Art 24-105mm HSM/OS combo came in this morning during the ice & snow storm hitting Woodstock right now. Both items look and work as new, shutter count read out at 987 this morning. This is a fast but low-res (~10 F.P.S. servo @ 10 MP) body, but it should serve me and a student shooter-in-training just fine...:).

Regards,

Edd

View attachment 370235View attachment 370236
One of my all time favorite cameras.
 
Well darn the luck, I had a dual CPU tray for a 5,1 Mac Pro in my eBay watch list, and the seller sent me an offer for 15% off. I countered for 25% off on a whim and they accepted it. I guess I’ll be doubling my admittedly aged CPU power. I had always liked that era of Mac Pro, and it’s been a lot like fixing up an old muscle car, only a lot nerdier.
 
Call me crazy, but I just ordered this kit:

Leica M Type 240 - Like New condition (This is the silver and black version)
Zeiss C Biogon 35mm f/2.8 - Excellent condition
Zeiss Planar 50mm f/2 ZM - Like New condition

Thanks to @MoonMind for all his guidance in helping me get a worthy Leica kit that is (relatively) affordable! Just a matter of the wait at this point.
Can't wait to see what you do with it, Andrew. Unfortunately, I fear your results may fan the flames of that tiny ember of Leica desire that I've spent years trying to ignore.

- K
 
Well darn the luck, I had a dual CPU tray for a 5,1 Mac Pro in my eBay watch list, and the seller sent me an offer for 15% off. I countered for 25% off on a whim and they accepted it. I guess I’ll be doubling my admittedly aged CPU power. I had always liked that era of Mac Pro, and it’s been a lot like fixing up an old muscle car, only a lot nerdier.
Careful with the idea of old Macs because Apple has been abandoning x86 products with ARM architecture. The driver limitations can only give you so much performance and worse is the software compatibility support.
Apple is working on its 3rd Gen ARM CPU and at this point developers have to start making the justification of time investment on x86 that is aging and fewer in numbers or go with ARM coding. It made sense for the first 2 generations of ARM to code for x86 and run a compatibility layer on top to run them but now it won't make much financial sense to run ARM code in compatibility layer for x86.

You may get a few years more with popular software but Adobe will abandone support for x86. More so that right now there are rumours that Apple wil finally launch Mac Pro with ARM architecture this year.
 
Careful with the idea of old Macs because Apple has been abandoning x86 products with ARM architecture. The driver limitations can only give you so much performance and worse is the software compatibility support.
Apple is working on its 3rd Gen ARM CPU and at this point developers have to start making the justification of time investment on x86 that is aging and fewer in numbers or go with ARM coding. It made sense for the first 2 generations of ARM to code for x86 and run a compatibility layer on top to run them but now it won't make much financial sense to run ARM code in compatibility layer for x86.

You may get a few years more with popular software but Adobe will abandone support for x86. More so that right now there are rumours that Apple wil finally launch Mac Pro with ARM architecture this year.
Yes, I’m fully aware of the future of x86 on Mac. TBH, I’m not terribly worried. They still sell the 2019 Mac Pro, which is x86, which means official x86 support is good for at least 5-7 years. I’m not an adobe user, and not a fan of subscriptions, and I don’t use a lot of new software as it is. On1 2023 is one of them, and it works well enough that I don’t see the need to upgrade it for several years. I can see this Mac lasting many more years for what I do. I’ve even got it to run Windows 11 this past weekend. It’s the clock that keeps on ticking.
 
Got a what I consider a decent deal on a Nikon1 V1 kit with body, 10-30 kit zoom, charger and two batteries, one of them declared to be somewhat dead, in the original box, for €62 all in.

Have had a tiny eye out for something in the Nikon1 range for a while, this one is a bit earlier than what I fancied but still, for that price I cant go much wrong, I think and it somewhat fits into the "compact" category even though it being a system camera. Somewhere down the line, I may be taking a look at some longer Nikon telephotos and browse for the adapter to get them onto the V1.

By some notion, the idea of a 300 with a 1.4 TC on a 2,7 crop camera seems interesting, I am almost there with the 500mm mirror lens on a M43 body, but still...

Alternatively, I have also had an eye out for the P7XXXs, but am not very interested in forking out the $200-250 asking price that they currently seems to be holding over here. It is somewhat in that range the general offerings of the Nikon1 seems to be hoovering as well. Nikon as a brand I am rather unfamiliar with, I had one for some months back in the late 80s, finger-oogled the F3 that we got in trade from a national newspaper when they went for AF Canons in the mid 90s and had a GI set-up of what was state of the art APC-S wise in the fall of 2009, with full frame f/2.8 zooms and that is pretty much it.
 
So, with the inbound Nikon 1 V1/10-30 kit in the mail, I stumbled over another add for a white one. Not interested in that, but it turned out that the fellow also had a 30-110 and a SB-N5 Flash in the same ad, so with the GM1 off to a new owner, I snagged those two bits.

Nikon 30-110.jpgNikon 1 blitz.jpg

Photos from the ad.

I think that will be more than sufficient to give the Nikon 1 system a spin, even though I was bit more keen on the V2. Sizewise, its not much smaller than the E-M10MkII, and way larger than the GM5, but according to what I read, it will do a somewhat decent representation of what Nikons did back when it was current.

If I should stumble over one of the 70-300 I will be tempted, ditto with a couple of the primes but probably not, with the current prices. The AW model on the other hand will fill a niche, if its cheap enough. Also a J of sorts, may be picked up if found at around the €50 mark.
 
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Note to self, stop browsing the classifieds...

Pentax K100D.jpg

So that the chance of such shennaningans are off the table. Primarily bought due to the bag, but the camera will be the 6Mp representation for the somewhat expanding Pentax hoard.

Being a greedy hog, the €35 all in price tag made me do it. Hopefully the Topload2 bag will be deep enought to suit the G9/PL50-200 combo due to lens creep when it is just slinged.
 
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