Ever since I opened the box, the 85f1.4AFS has not been off my D3x. The image results are simply gorgeous. Gorgeous! The sex appeal of the lens is just stunning. It is simply one of the finest lenses I’ve shot with! Now you might lookin at this photo and scratchin your head. Like normal when I get a new lens, I shoot exclusively with it to get a feel for it. When I handed the camera to Jake to shoot with it the other night, he made a comment that really made me think. He said, “Kinda a funky focal length” as he repositioned himself to be at the right distance from his subject. That’s when it hit me. I instantly went to my files and did a search for all the images shot at 85mm (it’s one of the searches you can do with DigitalPro). I found only a couple and those were taken with the 85PC-E which I’ve now sold and not any with a zoom which includes 85mm. So in exploring this amazing new lens, I learned a little something about myself an my photography.
Now when you click on the link below, I want you to notice a couple things. First is the amazing sharpness of the 85AFS. The focus point is of course, the eyes. Now I was 27″ from the eyes and the Moose from the tip of the nose to the tip of the antlers is four inches. The eyes are 2/3 of the distance between tip to tip. Notice just how shallow the 85f1.4AFS is when shot at f1.4 at this distance. This is truly its gift to your photography, that amazing isolation power. Just like the 24f1.4AFS, you are paying for that shallow DOF, that lens speed and both lenses deliver it BIGTIME!. Now I have the 85f1.4AFS for one more week before I have to return it. It’s so damn sexy, I don’t want to send it back. With this new found knowledge about my not shooting at this focal length, either prime or zoom, I’m going to see why that is. I really want to buy this lens! But if I can’t find a purpose for it in my photography, that just won’t happen. I’m expecting the 24-120AFS shortly, stay tune, mtc.
I showed this time lapse at our NAPP safari a week ago. It seems to have been popular as we’ve had a number of request to post it so folks can see it again. It was created from 1380 D3s images shot over a 12hour period when we were out in the backcountry making this image. Where were we in this time lapse? Will you can see the red surbaban go down the road into the Valley near the beginning. Where we were for sunset was in the upper right corner of the time lapse. The moment and color is such a blink in time, you can’t see it in the time lapse. The camera was left set up on the balcony of our room, the D3x powered by the AC unit, the battery would never have lasted all day. Enjoy!
Photos captured by D3s, 24-70AFS on Lexar UDMA digital film
One of the really cool perks of being on the Photoshop World Dreamteam is the cool products we’re presented as a thank you. In our bag in Vegas was this really thin cardboard envelope which at first, I didn’t give a second thought. In fact, it wasn’t until two days ago I opened it up to find what I now think are incredibly cool, the Rogue Flashbenders. I’m not alone, Scott reviewed them when they were first announced. These small flash light modifiers attach to the flash without anything, not one single thread being attached permanently to the flash itself. The attachment system is one piece and it’s part of the modifier itself. A GREAT design (wish I had thought of it!). Next the kit we received had three different units, all fit in my sling bag, all fit the SB-900 and all can be folded, molded and used in whatever way you need to modify the light. I planned on having a video to introduce this cool tool but ran out of time. So, here’s the product you should go buy and I’ll have a video for your shortly to give you ideas how to use them.
