A Few Recent Shots

400mm @ f/5.6, 1/15s, ISO 3200

This one was all about seeing what kind of noise reduction I could get out of a raw image.  I balanced this on my car.  Shooting 400mm at 1/15s and getting a clear image is nearly impossible to do.  This was pointed somewhere in the direction of Orion.  Noise reduction in post did a lot to make this look decent.  Unfortunately my recent pictures of Jupiter and Venus did not come out as well.

400mm @ f/5.6, 1/500s, ISO 800

More evidence that it's hard to take clean pictures at such a long focal length, even with a short shutter.  The depth of field here is so thin that it's nearly impossible (for me, anyway) to get the subject in focus when working manually (as my lens is).  On the other hand, the 600mm-equivalent focal length is great for getting in tight for the little guys:  this one was maybe 40 feet away.

55mm @ f/5.6, 1/500s, ISO 400

The 55 micro doing what it does best:  being super sharp and getting to about 1:2.  The depth of field so close is razor thin, seen clearly in how only one of the antennae is in focus; I couldn't even get the whole head to fit properly.  This image endured some straightening in addition to the square crop.

55mm @ f/3.5,1/500,ISO400

55mm @ f/3.5,1/160,ISO400

The nice thing about the 55, though, is that it'll work well in other situations, too:  as a short tele on DX, it's got nice sharpness and subject isolation, even with the relatively slow max aperture of 3.5.  The macro ensures that bokeh is smooth in close focusing, even though the old f/3.5 AI-S model only has six aperture blades. Much of the recent Hopewell trip was shot with the 55.

55mm @ f/3.5, 1/80s, ISO 400

Typically you see this kind of visual effect in very fast lenses:  the 35 f/1.4 and 28 f/2 (and 24 f/2) AI-S lenses are well known for it.  I simulated the effect by letting the new sprouts dangle forward into the frame inside the minimal focus distance.  While it's probably not the best composition, it did make for an interesting effect and color play.  The geometry here is fun.