Congratulations to MagnumV8, the December 2021 Ride of the Month (ROTM)

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Geez, this forum is costing me more money and not just on Jeep parts! A search for a lightly used long-telephoto to use around the property, ended up turning into a complete Nikon package purchase.

The seller was actually a friend of a friend who had this as a backup setup. He is a county coroner in the nearby county and bought this a few years back. Like most backups, it was barely used and mostly forgotten about. Only 11,000 actuations on the camera and the 50mm prime has never been unpackaged, so basically a “barn find” by camera standards.

Long story short, after inquiring about the 200-500 f/5.6 VR, he was very adamant about his preference in selling “the full lot”, including the D5. I beat around buying the full lot (as I have already too much glass overlap) and just wanted the 200-500, but he gave me a ridiculous price on it and I couldn’t pass it up.

And I mean ridiculous, ridiculous. To the point where I could sell the D5 on eBay today and MAKE money on the deal (leaving me with all the glass and flash for free!).

Truth be told I have been wanting a full frame again. I have been eyeing up the new Nikon Z-series and was waiting until the Z9 came out (or if I could find a cheap Z7), but life decided that it will be the D5 for a while. I haven’t shot a full-body, FF since my D3s about 10 years ago, but I will admit, it feels GREAT in my hands… something about a full-body SLR that just settles in. No compromises, buttons where you need then, built for beef and for speed…

I may give the 24-120mm to my son as it isn’t a terrible option for a DX camera. It’s a tad slow (I’ve been making him shoot prime lenses to learn and think about how to compose rather than just zoom away) so maybe this is a good opportunity for him to learn how to manual pre-focus on stuff.

I actually already have a 24-70mm f/2.8 - a very popular and much loved portrait and wedding lens. I may stick this one in the closet and bust it out for my son when he gets a tad older and can appreciate it (and eventually gets a camera that can use it effectively).

I haven’t used a SB700 flash (currently have an 800 and a 600) but it seems like a nice upgrade over the SB600 with many of the SB800 features in a smaller package. I may throw this in my bag as the primary and give my 600 to my son (or likely save it for him) and put the SB800 in the “house bag” if I ever need to do a multi flash setup.

Exciting day all around :)
 
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View attachment 301236

Geez, this forum is costing me more money and not just on Jeep parts! A search for a lightly used long-telephoto to use around the property, ended up turning into a complete Nikon package purchase.

The seller was actually a friend of a friend who had this as a backup setup. He is a county coroner in the nearby county and bought this a few years back. Like most backups, it was barely used and mostly forgotten about. Only 11,000 actuations on the camera and the 50mm prime has never been unpackaged, so basically a “barn find” by camera standards.

Long story short, after inquiring about the 200-500 f/5.6 VR, he was very adamant about his preference in selling “the full lot”, including the D5. I beat around buying the full lot (as I have already too much glass overlap) and just wanted the 200-500, but he gave me a ridiculous price on it and I couldn’t pass it up.

And I mean ridiculous, ridiculous. To the point where I could sell the D5 on eBay today and MAKE money on the deal (leaving me with all the glass and flash for free!).

Truth be told I have been wanting a full frame again. I have been eyeing up the new Nikon Z-series and was waiting until the Z9 came out (or if I could find a cheap Z7), but life decided that it will be the D5 for a while. I haven’t shot a full-body, FF since my D3s about 10 years ago, but I will admit, it feels GREAT in my hands… something about a full-body SLR that just settles in. No compromises, buttons where you need then, built for beef and for speed…

I may give the 24-120mm to my son as it isn’t a terrible option for a DX camera. It’s a tad slow (I’ve been making him shoot prime lenses to learn and think about how to compose rather than just zoom away) so maybe this is a good opportunity for him to learn how to manual pre-focus on stuff.

I actually already have a 24-70mm f/2.8 - a very popular and much loved portrait and wedding lens. I may stick this one in the closet and bust it out for my son when he gets a tad older and can appreciate it (and eventually gets a camera that can use it effectively).

I haven’t used a SB700 flash (currently have an 800 and a 600) but it seems like a nice upgrade over the SB600 with many of the SB800 features in a smaller package. I may throw this in my bag as the primary and give my 600 to my son (or likely save it for him) and put the SB800 in the “house bag” if I ever need to do a multi flash setup.

Exciting day all around :)
That's nice, I think? :). Lots of jargon in there. I have more questions...I think I'll start a thread.
 
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Yeah, I think that particular lens costs more than a Savvy Mid Arm…
When I first got on the internet, I was semi interested in pursuing photography and went digging into it some doing some research and I was specifically interested in something that would do very wide angle without the curved edges for interior shots of homes we were working on. I found a Nikon lens that fit the bill. It was 11,000 dollars at that time. I decided to buy a salt water fishing rod and reel instead.
 
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View attachment 301236

Geez, this forum is costing me more money and not just on Jeep parts! A search for a lightly used long-telephoto to use around the property, ended up turning into a complete Nikon package purchase.

The seller was actually a friend of a friend who had this as a backup setup. He is a county coroner in the nearby county and bought this a few years back. Like most backups, it was barely used and mostly forgotten about. Only 11,000 actuations on the camera and the 50mm prime has never been unpackaged, so basically a “barn find” by camera standards.

Long story short, after inquiring about the 200-500 f/5.6 VR, he was very adamant about his preference in selling “the full lot”, including the D5. I beat around buying the full lot (as I have already too much glass overlap) and just wanted the 200-500, but he gave me a ridiculous price on it and I couldn’t pass it up.

And I mean ridiculous, ridiculous. To the point where I could sell the D5 on eBay today and MAKE money on the deal (leaving me with all the glass and flash for free!).

Truth be told I have been wanting a full frame again. I have been eyeing up the new Nikon Z-series and was waiting until the Z9 came out (or if I could find a cheap Z7), but life decided that it will be the D5 for a while. I haven’t shot a full-body, FF since my D3s about 10 years ago, but I will admit, it feels GREAT in my hands… something about a full-body SLR that just settles in. No compromises, buttons where you need then, built for beef and for speed…

I may give the 24-120mm to my son as it isn’t a terrible option for a DX camera. It’s a tad slow (I’ve been making him shoot prime lenses to learn and think about how to compose rather than just zoom away) so maybe this is a good opportunity for him to learn how to manual pre-focus on stuff.

I actually already have a 24-70mm f/2.8 - a very popular and much loved portrait and wedding lens. I may stick this one in the closet and bust it out for my son when he gets a tad older and can appreciate it (and eventually gets a camera that can use it effectively).

I haven’t used a SB700 flash (currently have an 800 and a 600) but it seems like a nice upgrade over the SB600 with many of the SB800 features in a smaller package. I may throw this in my bag as the primary and give my 600 to my son (or likely save it for him) and put the SB800 in the “house bag” if I ever need to do a multi flash setup.

Exciting day all around :)
Very nice! That pup will last a lifetime. The lenses will always hold their value too and fit the next body when you upgrade in ten years.......

11k actuation is hardly broke in. My wife had a D3x that tanked at 280k, and that was because a "soft ice chest" leaked on it.

If you have not experienced these yet, worth every penny on long days.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1569548-REG/blackrapid_401013_delta_camera_sling_black.html
 
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Some people need to try a little harder when taking a photo. Pictures are entered that show a jeep in a garage, a driveway, or the jeep is just so close to the camera that you cannot see any background. Get creative; chase light, try a different angle (high/low), walk 50 feet away, clean your lens, fill the frame with something that is near.
Get those little specs off your sensor, grid it, etc., learn F's and A's. Photography is a a really fun art.

I run support for a creative architecture photographer. I keep batteries warm, swap lenses in clean environments, in charge of lenses that cost more than my Jeep (safely), carry loads that can drop my TJ 1/2" in the back, take the verbal lashings, etc..
 
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Very nice! That pup will last a lifetime. The lenses will always hold their value too and firt the next body when you upgrade in ten years.......

11k actuations is hardly broke in. My wife had a D3x that tanked at 280k, and that was because a "soft ice chest" leaked on it.

If you have not experienced these yet, worth every penny on long days.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1569548-REG/blackrapid_401013_delta_camera_sling_black.html
We'll see- Canon has already announced that they're done with DLSR, going to focus their lineups on mirrorless options instead. Nikon as the Z-line and my boss loves his Z7, but has not yet announced any issues. I was holding out for a Z-series (waiting for the Z9) but this kind of just fell into my lap. Luckily the FTZ-adapter for Nikon works well with all modern Nikkor lenses, so these new ones will serve me well for a long time!
 
Ya, as usual. I’m just getting out of the Covid brain fog and rejoining society.
 
Man. I missed this whole conversation. It's what I get for being offline the last few months. Now realizing my post on the ROTY thread was redundant...
 
Get those little specs off your sensor, grid it, etc., learn F's and A's. Photography is a a really fun art.

I run support for a creative architecture photographer. I keep batteries warm, swap lenses in clean environments, in charge of lenses that cost more than my Jeep (safely), carry loads that can drop my TJ 1/2" in the back, take the verbal lashings, etc..

Can you say who you assist? I follow a handful of guys out of LA. Now I'm intrigued.