Sunday, December 23, 2018

Fathom Events

I just came from a performance of Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker" ballet, live from the Bolshoi Theater, presented by Fathom Events. It was spectacular, to say the least, not only the choreography but also the dancing specially from the main soloists. I wanted the performance to continue and continue...

Fathom Events  presents in theaters, around the world, live performances from different theaters and opera houses like the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, French National Theater in Paris, etc. I only go to the events in the category of Arts & Entertainment and primarily opera and ballet. 


One parting shot. We live in a two dimensional world of friends and foes, allies and adversaries.  When we watch performances live from Russia and see what ordinary Russians do with their lives, we come to an understanding that geopolitical and two dimensional views are only in the mind of politicians and TV's "talking heads." Ordinary people, in any country, only think about food, shelter, family, work, the economy, entertainment, etc.  We do not care about geopolitics or even think about it. Russians, Americans, English, Germans, Chinese, South Americans, Mexicans, etc are all the same and we only wish to live in peace.

I strongly recommend people to go to live performances presented by Fathom Events.  It is better than going to the actual theaters or opera houses.  We get to seat close to the gigantic screen and the sound is fantastic.  With the opera we get the subtitles in English and in between acts, in all the events, we see what is going backstage with interviews with the leading performers.  The price is $18, not the $200-1,000+ at the theaters.

Sunday, December 16, 2018

My Equipment for Sale

Nikon Z7 w/ ZTF Adapter
As I have posted in my previous two messages, I have purchased through PayPal the Nikon Z7 with the ZTF Adapter, the Z 24-70mm S, and the Z 35mm f/1.8 S lenses.  I have decided to put up for sale three cameras with its compliment of lenses to finance the above mentioned purchases and my future S lenses. I have six months to do it.
Fujifilm X-T2

I'm not only raising enough funds, but I have decided to "cleanup" my photo closet.  Not only do I have too many cameras, they also work completely different. I will keep only two cameras: the Leica Q and the Nikon Z7. In addition, I will also keep the Panasonic Lumix, the camera I keep in the trunk of my car.

The following is the equipment that I will put up for sale, shortly.The cameras messages are already done with all the accessories included.  All I need to do is to take the photos of not only the cameras and the accessories but also the photos of all the lenses for sale:


Nikon D5500 IR Converted

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

My future Z-Mount/S-Class lenses probable purchases


For the first time since I can remember, Nikon has published any roadmap for their future lenses.  The diagram above shows Nikon's future Z-Mount S-Class lenses. I have purchased the S 24-70mm f/4 and the S 35mm f/1.8 lenses for my Z7.

I have the FTZ adapter.  However, the less I use it, the better. In addition, S (Superior) are Nikon's best.  I have no intention of purchasing any future Z-Mount Macro lenses.  The FTZ adapter is a natural tripod mount for my present four Macro lenses.


I plan to purchase the S 85mm f/1.8, the S 14-30mm f/4,  and the S 24mm f/1.8, when released.  Why the 24 1.8 when I already have the AF-S 20mm f/1.8 and the AF-S 28mm f/1.8? I will use the 20 and 28 with the adapter. If I do not want to use the adapter, I would have the S 24.  With the latter, I do not need either the 20 or 28.

I would love to have the future S 58mm f/.95. However, it is rumored that it is going to cost ~ $6,500.  That is too costly for me to spend on a lens. The other lenses that peak my interest are the S 70-200 f/2.8 and the S 14-24 f/2.8.  I'm afraid that they will be comparable in price, size, and weight to their AF-S counterpart. Not only are they going to be expensive, but primarily too heavy for me.

Thursday, November 22, 2018

My New Nikon Z7 Camera

Nikon Z7
24-70/4 S
I just got the Nikon Z7 mirrorless camera with the FTZ adapter, the Nikon Z 24-70mm f/4 S, and the Nikon Z 35mm f/1.8 S lenses. This is the camera I wanted because of its 45MP sensor. The reason for the large MP's is due to my macro / tabletop photography.

I'm getting there in age and I'm not able to get out as much as before. Therefore, my tabletop photography, which I can do at home, is becoming that more important. 

The resolution of the large MP sensor is outstanding.  My tabletop photographs are going to look that much better. Of course, I will use this camera when I'm traveling and when I'm able to go places for a photo shoot. For that reason, I never considered the Z6, because it has the same MP's as my D750.  I am very happy with the camera and the Z6 was not worth the hassle of selling my D75o.

The 24-70 is a great walk around lens. It is an S lens, which means a "Superior"professional grade lens.  It is supposed to be probably the best lenses Nikon makes. It is better to use Z-Mount lenses because there is no need for the FTZ adapter. 



35/1.8 S
I also got the Nikon Z 35mm f/1.8 S lens.

The FTZ adapter is a must because of my F-Mount lenses.  Without it I would not have purchased the camera.  

The Z7 seems to be an excellent camera. It has a built-in Image Stabilization system which converts all my lenses to VR. The reviews are very good.


FTZ Adapter

For the first time since I can remember, Nikon has published a roadmap for their S lenses.  This is great.  I know what is coming, therefore I can plan for future lens purchases. 

(Click on Image to See better)

I will certainly purchase the Nikon Z 85mm f/1.8 S lens when released.  The other lens that interests me is the 14-30mm f/4. It all depends on my needs, price, but above all the size and weight. The 20mm and 24mm 1.8 are also interesting.  The other zooms, seem to be very big and heavy.  Weight is a major consideration for me. If I buy any of these lenses, I will sell their F-Mount counterparts.

To finance this purchase, I will sell the D750 and the entire X-T2 system with all nine lenses. I also want to clean my camera closet.  I have too many cameras and lenses most of which I do not use.  I want to get down to two cameras, the Leica Q and the Z7.

Nikon Upcoming Lenses
(Click on image to see better)
I was not going to buy the Z7.  However, when I saw the images reproduced by the Z7 posted in Nikonians and other sites, I came to the conclusion that the Z7 has taken photography to a new level. I bought without hesitation and will finance it somehow without drawing from my savings. The only reservation I have is that the Z7 is a 1st generation mirrorless by Nikon.
I'm familiar with the D850, which I considered the best camera made by Nikon and almost bought it. The photos taken by the camera are exceptional.  They are the best I've seen from what I call conventional photography - the ones we are used to. The Z7 is different. The photos taken by the camera are at another level, imho. I do not know if they are a reproduction of reality or over dramatized.  However, they are spectacular in detail.

Monday, November 5, 2018

Southern Caribbean

On October, 2018, I went on an 8-Day cruise to the Southern Caribbean on the "Norwegian Jade," from Miami:


"Norwegian Jade"


Tuesday, April 17, 2018

California Coastal Cruise

We just got back from a 7-day cruise of the California Coast, on the "Ruby Princess:"

We had a very good trip in spite of the rain that followed us throughout the cruise. I am in the middle of post-processing the photos.

The reason that we are planning a yearly cruise-vacation, for the next few years, is that we are getting up there in age and we cannot  do that much anymore.

It would be nice to go to one city for a week or so like Boston, Paris, Barcelona, etc, on our own, but that would involve a lot of walking. In addition, we can only do a 4-5 hours tour/per day. Which means going back to the hotel for the rest of the day. On a cruise there is a lot of activities, including shows, after we get back to the ship. Not to mention, that all the food is included - no need to search for restaurants.

We believe that cruises are the best vacations for senior citizens. In my youth, many but many years ago, I would not had dreamed of going on cruises.

The rain was not that bad and there were no thunder storms; I got very creative with my photos. :) The San Francisco photos were taken inside the tour bus through the windshield.  Therefore, they are not that sharp.