First Field Test – Tokina 11-16mm f2.8.

As I indicated in a previous article, I am now an owner of the Tokina ATX-Pro 11-16mm f2.8 wide-angle lens. My first use of the camera took place at Fort Edmonton Park, my daughter’s favourite historic location and an interesting  local attraction in the  city of Edmonton. The park is in the cities river valley and is 158 acres in size, making it the largest historic park in Canada. More on Fort Edmonton at a later time, click on an image below to see enlarged photos selected from my first use of the new lens:

A vital storage room

The Erasmus Cabin

Child’s room in a farm house

Plow Horses

The barn from the garden

The Carousel

My first impressions are very favourable!
All photographs taken with the Nikon D70 and the Tokina ATX-Pro 11-16mm f2.8 wide-angle lens.

 

Package in the Mail

My New Toy

I’ve just received my Tokina ATX-Pro 11-16mm f2.8 wide-angle lens that I had ordered from B&H. This is a popular lens, much sought after, to the point that it is rarely in stock.  This was my final choice after much deliberation and research, and I hope I have chosen well. Removing it from the box provides almost instant gratification – it feels hefty and solid in the hand, and the lens movement when zooming is smooth and comforting. This is an internally focusing lens (IF), that can be switched from manual to aut0-focus with a quick push or pull. The 11 – 16mm range, small by necessity, is also internal, so there is no change in lens length when zooming. At f2.8, this is a fairly fast lens. It uses a 77 mm filter, the same as my Nikon 80 – 400mm VR zoom, so I will be able to use the same filters with out adapters. Over the next few days my daughter and I will be out and about, and I hope to provide some images and more comments on the lens at that time.

For those interested, user reviews on the lens can be found at the B&H with some professional reviews at the following:

Ken Rockwell

photo.net

photozone (on Canon)

 

A Mid-level Nikon Macro System.

Not too long ago at the request of a reader, I did a article on a budget priced DSLR macro system. I based that system on Canon because of the amazing Canon’s MP-E 1-5x macro lens, which has no equal in the Nikon system. But recently Nikon came out with a new camera, the D5000, which has some features that I think would be excellent  for a mid-priced macro system. For this exercise in equipment assemblage, I will limit myself to strictly Nikon equipment, using my philosophy of building a system around a core of quality lenses rather than the camera.¹

The Nikon D5000

This flight of fancy originated with the D 5000. I find macro to be an absolutely luscious form of photography. It really does open new worlds for the questing photographer. But there has always been some features lacking on the typical DSLR that sometimes made me yearn for the simplicity of a compact camera.  My first compact digital camera was the Nikon Coolpix 5000, and before I dunked it in an ocean tide-pool, it was my jack-of-all-trades camera. The key feature was that flip-out, rotatable viewing screen which allowed me to use the camera at all angles imaginable. Now I am not what you call sprightly – I stand almost 6′ 5″ and weigh in at a solid 230 lbs. Macro nature photography requires a certain amount of agility – you are constantly kneeling, bending, crouching and even lying on your stomach in the attempt to get your subject in the view screen. With a tiltable viewscreen, this all becomes alot easier – so peering under a knee-high flower no longer requires the skills of a contortionist. Nikon finally added the essential feature  for a macro DSLR – the D5000 has a 2.7″ tilt and swivel LCD monitor (230,000 dots). And that’s not all. The D5000 has a 12.3 Mp DX sized CMOS sensor with a dust removal system, HD video capability, Nikon Creative Lighting System compatibility and all the usual bells and whistles that accompany today’s DSLR’s. Another notable feature, especially useful for scientists, is an attachable GPS unit, which  records latitude, longitude, altitude and time information for each photograph taken – essential data for photographic specimens. Accessories of interest to nature photographers includes the MC-DC2 Remote Cord and the infrared ML-L3 wireless remote. And of course, the D5000 is compatible with most Nikon lenses.(See Tech Spec’s. for list)

AF-S-VR-Micro-NIKKOR-105mm-f-2.8G-IF-ED

And what lenses would I recommend for this mid-level Nikon system for macro photographers? My personal choice would be the AF-S VR Micro-NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED. This award winning professional lens has a wide f2.8 aperture for a bright viewfinder image, VR II image stabilization, focus from infinity to life-size (about 1.5x mag. with the D5000’s DX sensor) and internal focusing. Coupled with a tele-extender such as Nikon’s AF-S Teleconverter TC-17E II (auto-focus not available), it would serve well for increased magnifications and this combination would also still be a great lens for those whose preferred subject is dragonflies or butterflies because the 105 mm lens is now effectively a 250mm telephoto macro lens!

R1C1 Wireless, Close-Up Speedlight System

If flash is required (for moving subjects such as insects and spiders) there are two options. If your subject of choice is going to require relatively high magnifications, I would start with the R1C1 Wireless Close-Up Speedlight System. If your interests lie more in the dragonfly/butterfly category, I would probably move to a larger flash such as the SB-600, which will provide the power you need without excess weight. The SB-600 would have to mounted on a flash-bracket for correct lighting on closer subjects to avoid shadowing by the lens and/or lens hood.

So that is my mid-level Nikon camera system for macro, coming in at about Canadian $2650. By substituting the Tamron 90mm and Kenko Pro 1.4x for the Nikon lenses you would still have an excellent lower cost system for about $2200. ($US would be less).

¹ New and better camera models are released every year. Quality lenses and lens technology do not change as frequently. With care, an investment in a quality lens can provide a lifetime of use, while digital camera bodies are relatively ephemeral.

 

Hold On to Those Old Olympus Lenses…(I)

…because the Olympus E-P1 is here!

I rarely find myself excited about a piece of camera equipment, but having come across the new Olympus E-P1 I find now find myself all-a-tremble.

For those of us who had invested hundreds of dollars in film equipment over the years, building up a system that would cover our every need, it came as a great disappointment to us that the new digital line of Olympus cameras were not backward-compatible to the excellent line of Olympus OM accessories. I have been unable to rid myself of my own collection, because they have such  nostalgic value for me. My first Olympus was the OM2 which I received in the early1980’s from my father, who had purchased it in South Africa just prior to our returning to Canada in 1977. It took a few years before I could add a TTL flash and automatic extension tubes, and it was then that I discovered the joy of macro photography. Over the years, I added the famous Olympus 50mm macro lens, the 200mm telephoto lens, the 28 mm wide-angle lens – all purchased used. I added first an Olympus OM1 as a back-up body, and then a few years later when the TTL flash connection on my OM2 failed, I purchased a used  Olympus OM4. To this I added multiple T20 flashes and cables, a right-angle viewfinder, the amazing variable auto-extension tube, viewing screens, and, finally, my pride and joy – an Olympus bellows set.

My Olympian Tools (snif)

But that bellows rig was to be the last purchase for the system. Still, with new dreams I created adapters for my microscopes so that I could mount my Olympus cameras…and then I was knocked down by the bus called Digital Photography.

I had not been paying attention to the rise of the digital camera. I did my thing and I was oblivious to the new technology that rising up around me. I should have been suspicious when all of this fine used Olympus equipment began showing up in the stores.

I never did use that Olympus bellows…

To be continued…

 

Projects In Progress

The Photographer

We are on the cusp of spring and my launch into the still hazy world of full-time photography: I am busy a with a few projects that I would like to complete before I hit the road:

- the building of a rig for panoramic photography (in testing stage).

- finding a decent hand-held GPS unit.

- finding a light-weight, yet sturdy,  6′  – 8′  folding stepladder (must fit in trunk of ‘96 Corolla!)

- finding a light-weight and quick-to-set-up tent.

I am not in the position right now to make any major purchases in equipment – for the most part I must make do with what I have. This means researching  and testing my current lenses (and macro combinations)  so that I get the most out of them.

Perhaps the biggest challenge for me will be getting organised and staying organised as a steady stream of photographs begins to come in. I am currently using Adobe Lightroom as my organising software, but I will need to get Photoshop and perhaps other specialist software as the need arises.

World turning…

 

Lens Combo’s for Macro – First Test Results

As promised, the first round of results from testing various combinations of  stacked lenses, a teleconverter and extension tubes with the Tamron AF90mm f2.8 DI macro lens. My initial goal here was to determine which combinations would best provide higher magnifications (1x life-size plus) while still offering enough lens-to-subject distance (hereafter simply’ l>s’) for supplemental lighting.

Some things to keep in mind:

• In my case, the  ‘l>s’ distance refers to the outer edge of the lens barrel rather than the glass itself, and the distance measured his approximate.
• Stacked lenses refers to the reverse mounting of a short lens in front of a longer lens – macro couplers can be built or purchased. I bought mine from B&H. In all cases this lens is set to maximum aperture (largest opening) and the distance to infinity.
• To determine magnification you need to know the width of your sensor (23.7mm for the D 70)  and the percentage of coverage of your viewfinder (but I did not account for this variance in my calculations). Magnification = width of sensor/width of view through the finder.

 

Lens Combinations for Macro Photography

Being a Nikon user, I do not have the benefit of the amazing Canon MP-E 1-5x macro. I have to find other methods to find magnification beyond the 1x provided by my Tamron 90mm macro lens. From experience gained from my old film-based Olympus system, I know that one of the best ways to increase magnification is with glassless extension tubes, tele-extenders  and, for higher magnifications, by using stacked lenses. But testing is essential here – magnification is not the only factor to be aware of. I want a high quality image, but at high magnifications  another important factor is the lens to subject distance. For instance, there are many ways of obtaining 2x magnification, but all other factors being equal, it is the combination that provides the greatest distance between the lens and the subject that will prove to be the most useful for the macro photographer. This distance is needed for good lighting – which at 1x magnification and over will almost invariably be coming from an electronic flash unit.

To be posted soon: some of the results of  tests with my own lens combinations.

In the mean time, here is a video (from prophotolife.com) on lens stacking. Note that any wide-angle to 5omm lens can be used to stack, however do test combinations prior to making a purchase. Not all zoom lenses will work successfully with stacking.