I got the Clic Fresnel for my Profoto A2 over a week ago now. I purchased it together with the Clic barn doors and wanted to see what they could do before saying anything about them.
What I like about the Clic Fresnel is that it produces a much tighter beam of light.
Profoto A2 bare bulb
Profoto A2 with Clic Fresnel
As you can see there is less spill on to the background. Which is subtle, but a good, way to not highlight a distracting background if you are shooting in a tight space.
Having previously owned the Nikkor 135mm f2 DC AF-D lens the launch of the Nikkor Z 135mm f1.8 S Plena lens does interest me.
Looking at these test images, it would be silly to compare DC lens with the Plena lens. It would be like comparing a fax machine with email.
For me, the pricing of this lens makes it better first Z lens choice over the 85mm f1.2. £2699 instead of £2999. Still a lot of money but the option for a secondhand version for the 85mm is still not there.
One of the reasons why it was an easy choice to sell the 135mm I used to own was that it was too long. The distance between me and the subject was a problem in creating a connection with them. Being too close in their face or too far to be aloof is why I like using the Nikkor 105mm f/1.4E ED or the 85mm I have.
It does make sense to get this lens first as it complements my lens collection rather than competes with it.
I wasn’t really surprised when Nikon launched the Z f camera. It makes sense to have a full frame Z fc.
If you want to know all about the Z f, Ricci did a good first look at the camera.
Question is, was I right to have got the Z8 or should I have waited for this camera? Well, I would have saved myself some money. At £2299 would save me about £1700. But the Z8 replaces my D850 like for like. The Z f, in my opinion, is a bit of a downgrade. It makes the perfect second camera but not a main camera.
There are currently (August 2023) two service recalls for the Nikon Z8. One for a lens mount issue and the other for a camera strap issue. Both of which effect the Z8 I own.
I’m sure there will be loads of social media commentary trashing both the company and the camera. And I do feel for the people who have broken kit due to the strap coming away from their camera.
This photographer did an in depth look into the lens mount issue if you want more information on that.
I don’t use a camera strap on my Z8 and I haven’t noticed any issue mounting lenses.
Companies acknowledging that there are issues with their products and are doing something about the problem is a good thing. Creating an atmosphere where it makes it harder to do this isn’t helpful. Especially as they appear to be minor components.
I’m in no hurry to send my Z8 in for repair. These two product advisories don’t really alarm me.
I was surprised to get an email from LCE yesterday saying that my Nikon Z8 was ready for collection today (25 May).
My surprise is finding myself at the front of the queue and that LCE had an allocation of the first cameras. I always thought that London Camera Exchange was one of those shops over looked by the manufacturers.
I’m not going to say much about the camera as I’m sure there are plenty of other sources to find out about it out there on the Interweb.
And if you are lucky enough to also have one of these cameras today, then check out this YouTube video on the settings that you should consider changing.
I was just checking my Nikon D3 camera now that I no longer have the D850 and I do wonder how much longer I can use it for. The batteries I own are coming to the end of their life and the official sources for the EN-EL4a battery are all currently out of stock. I wonder how long it will be before it joins my D1 as a doorstop.
In preparation for my transition from DSLR to Mirrorless I have got an FTZ II adapter. And according to the technical notes the following lenses in my collection should work with it:
These autofocus lenses will not:
I also have a couple of manual lenses and they are the 85mm f/2.8D PC-E Micro and 500mm f4 P.
My main reason for getting the Nikon Z8 is for the improved autofocus and the in body stabilisation. So I’m not really planning to be using the camera much with manual focusing. So what are my options?
The first option is to replace all my F glass for Z glass like for like. Which wouldn’t be very sensible as it would be really expensive plus I have lenses that I very rarely use. There is no point in changing the 500mm f4 P which doesn’t often leave its case or the tilt shift speciality of the 85mm f/2.8D PC-E Micro.
In an ideal world the first Z lenses I would get is the 85mm f1.2 followed by the 35mm f1.2 which is still to be announced. I would also get the 14-24mm f2.8 to replace the 14mm f2.8 AF D and the 20-35mm f2.8 AF D which don’t have autofocus function with the FTZ II.
Right now there aren’t many Z lenses on the used market. I have seen the 50mm f1.2 for sale and a part of me is considering getting one of these so that I have a native lens to use on the Z8.
Another option is to upgrade my AF D type lenses to more modern AF-S type lenses which are coming down in price so will then work with the FTZ II. I’ve been looking at swapping the 300mm f4 AF D for the 300mm f4 AF-S E PF ED VR but I think the price still isn’t right for the move.
There is plenty to consider for my strategy as I move from one system to the other.
I came across this YouTube video of a film maker who wanted an Aputure Spotlight Mini Zoom but instead purchased a cheaper alternative.
The cheaper alternative they purchased, to me, had so many disadvantages that I wonder if it is worth it at all.
I get that not everyone can afford to get expensive gear. And a good sign of a professional is their ability to produce work no matter what the budget.
This is a great video on how to get away with making a decent product just by using items that can be purchased from the high street rather than a specialist store.
Currently Wex is selling the Profoto fitting for the Westcott Optical Spot by Lindsay Adler kit at £588. This price does include the lens and I paid £299 for the Pixapro EF-Mount Optical snoot kit which didn’t come with a lens. Knowing what I know now I am glad I did not go for the more expensive option.
I still have this modifier and I was considering getting an Aputure LS 60d to work with it. But would I keep thinking that I would rather be using it with their Spotlight Mini Zoom instead of the cheap optical snoot that I own.
If you want to see how good the Spotlight Mini Zoom is then Gaffer & Gear did a review on it. And CVP are currently selling it for £477. Obviously the light itself is extra.
I know it isn’t out yet but I have pre-ordered the Nikon Z8 mirrorless camera.
Why? You might ask, as we don’t know what it looks like or the specifications for it. We don’t even know the price. But to me it makes sense.
I have the Hasselblad 500C/M with the 150mm lens sitting around doing nothing. It was a lockdown project but now that I have less time to play with film it is just taking up room in a camera bag. So I have put it in part exchange at London Camera Exchange for the yet to be announced Nikon Z8 camera.
You don’t really have to be a genius to work out that at some point Nikon will have a Z8 series if there are the Z5, Z6, Z7 and Z9 series of cameras.
I love my D850 but mirrorless is the future and I really do need to get on that bandwagon properly.
10 May 2023 The official launch for the Nikon Z8 happened today at 1300 BST.
The suggested UK retail price is £3999. Which is a lot more money than I was expecting to spend.
I can’t really justify keeping the D850 if this is the price I’m going to have to pay for the Z8. So it will have to go. But I will still be keeping the D3 for any of the autofocus lenses that won’t work with the new camera using the FTZ adapter.
The problem with this plan is that there might be other photographers who are thinking the same thing. Which will mean plummeting prices for a secondhand D850 as loads of them come on to the market. Good if you are looking for an excellent DSLR but can’t or don’t want to pay full price.
After six months having had the Pixapro EF-Mount Optical snoot I was really getting to know all the down sides of that piece of kit. My evaluation was that it wasn’t really suitable for my set up. I would have to get a light that would work better with it. Researching more, I discovered that since I now have a Dedolight meant that I could attach a projector to that light.
And when I say doing research I mean watching YouTube and this one has been the most helpful.
So instead of spending about £350 on a new light I could spend just over £100 in getting a projector unit from Godox. It makes more financial sense to do this. So finding a used version of the Godox SA-P Projection Attachment for sale at a below £100 price made even more sense to get it.
The box that this unit came in was tiny compared to the box the Pixapro® EF-Mount Optical snoot came in.
And when you put them side by side the size difference is pretty clear.
A big part of me is regretting buying the Pixapro® EF-Mount Optical snoot. But there is a part of me thinking that if I hadn’t got it then I wouldn’t have known what I wanted out of a projector for my lights.
I think Andrew Lock, the presenter of Gaffer & Gear said that the shutter blades for the Godox SA-P weren’t very good and he is right. They are extremely fiddly to make them work which is the opposite of what you need when trying to make a precision cut of light.
Will I get rid of my Pixapro® EF-Mount Optical snoot? I don’t think I will. I might need a projector which has a Bowens mount and if I move to the Nikon Z system, I will have plenty of spare F mount glass to use with it.
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