Review: Manfrotto 190PROB Tripod with 488RC2 Ball Head

Review: Manfrotto 190PROB with 488RC2

Thoughts and Opinions:

This is a very sturdy and well built tripod and ball head.  I really do enjoy the time I have used it.  To be honest I have not used it too too much however when I do need it, it is nice to have.  

The weight is on the heavy side for taking it on a hike and what not however I want heavy because of stability.  So the tripod wont blown as much in the wind as well the chances of knocking it over is less as well.  

It is nice to have the ability to have a horizontal center column for taking macro shots with this tripod.  The extendable legs work well and are sturdy.  The material is used for the construction is good.  

Overall a very good quality tripod.

Usage:

Long exposure photography was my main use, I sometimes use it for Macro work but my 105mm VR is usually fine without a tripod and I usually find it does more harm than. good having my tripod there for macro work.  But I did cover that with my 105mm review.  I have used my tripod for macro work it is stationary like flowers in my mom's garden.  Sometimes I use it for portraits. 

Pros:

- Well built

- Good material

- Sturdy

- Good weight

- Great cost for performance

Cons:

- None come to mind

Sample Images:

Fireworks, July 1st, Sault Ste Marie - Tripod

Tokina 11-16mm

Milky Way, Ermineskin, AB - Tripod

Tokina 11-16mm

Long Exposure, Ontario - Tripod

18-105mm

Conclusions: 

This is a good tripod and does it the trick.  I am very happy with it and I am glad that I got it.  As I said it is sturdy and well built from good materials.  If you are looking to get a tripod, Manfrotto does, from my experience, have good products.  My buddy also has a Manfrotto tripod and likes it as well.  

Sorry this was a semi-short review but it is fairly straightforwards that it is a good tripod and such.  If you have anything you think was left unanswered from this review feel free to comment on this post and let me know.  I would not mind at all in answering your questions.

Lens Review: AF-S DX 17-55mm f/2.8 IF ED

Lens Review: 17-55mm f/2.8 DX

Thoughts and Opinions: 

This is the newest piece of glass of mine.  Weighing in at 754g, this is a big piece of metal and glass.  Being a pro DX lens, it is built to a very high standard.  This was the only pro DX wide angle zoom with a fixed f/2.8 aperture in Nikon's line up.  I always try to buy FX lenses so that if I do ever upgrade I can have lenses for a FX body.  The 17-35mm was too expensive and the 16-35mm I don't think would suit me needs (however that has changed). I needed a lens can do many things really well, but if I wanted perfection I could use my 105mm Macro VR or my Tokina 11-16mm.  So the 17-55mm was really my only option for a fixed aperture zoom lens for a D90 body.  

So, sadly this lens was the only one that fit my wants/needs so I got it.  I didn't feel comfortable getting the lens just because it was the only one in that category but oh well.  Also it didn't help that it was a lens that was just shy of $1,700.  So onto how I think about this beast.

I have only had this lens for about a month or so now and so far so good.  In the first week of owning this lens I did a photo shoot and left this lens on my body the whole time.  I wanted to see what this thing could do as well as it was outside portraiture and I wanted to get more background in the portraits.  It worked well, and it was nice to be able to not have to move my body forwards and backwards to frame the shot.  So, I love primes and I know zooms can make photographers lazy because they don't have to move however it is handy sometimes.  I was laying on an old railroad bridge taking a portrait shot.  I needed to move closer however I had my iPhone in one pocket, and my apartment keys in the other.  So if I started wiggling around to move back and forth on the wooden beams, I could see either my keys or phone going for a swim.  So that was a nice change from my primes.  

As I am writing this, I am currently in northern Quebec and on the drive up here I past the Rupert River.  Other than Niagara Falls I have not seen rapids/water falls that big.  So I used my Tokina 11-16mm first but then hiked on the other side of the river to a look out that is right beside the falls.  There I used the 17-55mm.  It was very good I found.  It was nice zooming out and getting the whole falls or the bridge in the distance as well as zooming in on the rainbows in the mist.  

It is a useful lens for me so far which is good since I paid a lot of money for the glass.  Honestly it may be a little over priced however for myself in the long run it is worth it.  However this is one of those lenses for me that I need to use for a couple of years before I feel it is 100% justified.  

I find that it is sharp but compared to my 50mm and 105mm the zoom isn't as good.  It is very good for a zoom however when you do a 100% crop on a photo with the 17-55mm, you can see it isn't as sharp as a prime.  However I knew this before I got the lens that I would not have the same sharpness as my primes.  Nevertheless it is a zoom lens so you do gain some other benefits for losing a little sharpness.  

This is a big lens, well for me that is.  Compared to my other lenses, I think this is the bulkiest.  With lens hoods on, the 105mm still is longer however with the lens being fairly long with a 77mm filter, so it's big.  So it is a small workout carrying it around however it is not a problem personally.  I have the MB-D80 battery grip for my D90 so it does help balance things out nicely.  

The zoom ring is smooth however it isn't uniform.  There are sections where you do have to give it an extra push to get the lens to zoom which corresponds usually between 35-55mm and 17-24mm in the zoom range.  The extra energy is to get the lens barrel to extend.  I am sure as I use the lens more, this will not be that noticeable as well as starting off for me it isn't that large of an issue.  So I am not too worried about the zoom ring.  The focus ring is nice as smooth as well and the focusing is very quiet.  The speed is also fast on my D90 which is good. 

I may update this review more because I just realized this is more of my "initial thoughts and opinions."

Usage:

I have used this lens for portraits as well as for landscapes and it has performed well.  I have used it on a hike as well but there wasn't a lot of subject material for photos so the photos were decent.  However all and all this lens as performed well to my standards.

Pros:

- Good work horse lens

- Fixed f/2.8

- Pro glass

- Fairly sharp

- Manageable amount of distortion at each end ( 17 & 55 )

- Weather sealed

Cons:

- Expensive

- VR could be handy

- Some people could find it heavy (but some people like that)

Just a side note thing:  I personally find the lens hood more cumbersome than the lens.  The hood it really wide so it doesn't fit in my bag being inverted on the lens.  So I have to not bring my flash if I want to being the lens hood.  I will try to figure an easy way to transport the hood however as I said to a buddy of mine, it might just be worth it to wear as a bracelet  to and from shoots.  It is large enough I can fit my tokina's 11-16mm lens hood partially in the 17-55mm's hood.   

Sample Images:

Portrait - 17-55mm

Bridge over Rupert River, Quebec - 17-55mm

Flower, Eastmain, Quebec - 17-55mm

Conclusions:

So far this a great lens that fits into my kit really well.  I enjoy looking forward to using it at events, parties and such as well as outside portraits again.  It has performed well when I have used it, and I knew it wasn't going to be as sharp as a prime.  As I mentioned earlier, it is maybe a little over priced for the lens but I will hopefully have it for a long time so I don't see myself not getting my money's worth. 

I have not reached any large conclusions as of yet with this lens other than I am excited to use it more.  When I do I will pass more of a judgement on the lens.  So I guess stay tuned in for that.

I have a Flickr Set for this lens where I put my favourite photos of the lens.  This is the link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomjbh/sets/72157626557136368/

Rating: Overall: 4/5

Landscape: 4/5

Portrait: 3.5/5

Events: 4/5

Overall: 4/5

Here is my link to my video review of this lens:  http://youtu.be/SLtmMbAeaQA

Lens Review: AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G

Lens Review: Nikkor 35mm f/1.8 G

Thoughts and Opinions:

Well to be honest, I don't love this lens as much as the other lenses I have.  Not to say it isn't a good lens, it just doesn't tickle my fancy.  I bought it for doing events in smaller areas where I couldn't back up more and use my 50mm.  The 35mm is good for the events but after I bought it I realized thats all I wanted to use it for.  Which is decent however I like having versatile lenses, which some would argue the 35mm is.  However for my use, the focal length doesn't quite do it for me in other type of photos.

It is a sharp lens, very quiet focusing.  It is also made for DX cameras which means it is cheaper than most lenses.  I believe Nikon released this lens so that it could be more affordable for beginners because the lens construction isn't anything a semi-pro or pro photographer would drool over.  The body is plastic and the focusing ring is a little wobbly.  

This lens is light weight and small which is nice.  I now have run out of room in my camera bag for my gear so I now have to choose what I bring with me place to place.  The 35mm usually gets the cut.  However I do have a new lens that kinda replaces it which is why.  I have the 17-55mm so the 35mm will only get used if I don't want to lug around the 17-55mm at a event.  Or if I am afraid the 17-55mm may get damaged, then I will bring the 35mm.

So there isn't anything really wrong with this lens really.  The build construction could be viewed as a little poor on Nikon's part however I understand they wanted a more inexpensive lens to be available for starting out photographers.  So it is a good lens for someone who is just starting into photography and wants a versatile lens however for my use and what perspectives I like, it doesn't fit for me personally.  I have another cousin that is into photography and he got the 35mm f/1.8 as well.  I believe He does like it and I can add a link to his Flickr Page at the end of the review.

Usage:

I got it solely for event photography when my 50mm wasn't wide enough.  I took it on a winter hike as well, just to give it a shot to see what it could do.  I have also used it for portraits to give it a shot there as well.  I was very sharp in all the photos however the perspective wasn't doing it for me.

Pros:

- Small

- Light weight

- Sharp

- Very quiet and fast focusing

- Inexpensive

Cons:

- Plastic construction (just a little to cheap for me but it works)

And as a personal note it isn't a perspective that does it for me at 35mm.  

Sample Images:

Portrait - 35mm

Portrait - 35mm

Tree, winter hike - 35mm - Unedited

Flickr Set:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomjbh/sets/72157625847201926/

Conclusions: 

It is a good lens, does a nice job with photos however it isn't the right perspective I wanted.  That doesn't mean it is a bad lens minus the semi-cheap construction.  I hope after you read all this you don't think this is a bad lens.  It isn't, but just for what I like doing and what perspective I like it didn't really do it for me.  I guess there were sometimes that I did like having the 35mm perspective when I didn't want a flattening of the perspective.  The top photo probably wouldn't look as good if it was taken with the 50mm.  I think I may be being to hard on this lens but it didn't "wow" like my others.  I was thinking about selling it when I got the 17-55mm however I did decide to keep it to see what happens.  If I do end up using it more, I will rewrite this review.  

It is a good lens minus the semi-cheap construction I mentioned.  I have tried the 35mm out with everything I do however out side of events, I don't really use it.  But that is just from my personal taste in the lens' perspective.  So it could be a very good lens, or even one of my best however I just have not loved the perspective other than at an event.  

Cousin's Flickr account (With the 35mm):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/56368755@N07

Second review thoughts (December 3rd, 2011):

So I have noticed that this is my most viewed post and therefore thought it would be useful if I added my recent thoughts about this lens.  Just recently I build a studio in my apartment.  This allows me to do a lot more photography since it cuts down on travel time and such if I want to just do a simple shoot.  My 50mm f/1.4D is not wide enough to get full body shots so I started using my 35mm for portraits if I need a wider view.  So from using it in a couple of shoots I am impressed with it's picture quality.  I still don't like the build quality since it is a pretty cheap feeling lens with the plastic and semi lose focus ring.  But it delivers the sharp photos so I guess there are no complaints there.  I can't say I love the perspective it gives but it is perfect for the size of my studio.  Here are some recent photos from my 35mm in the studio:

Portrait - 35mm f/1.8 G

Portrait - 35mm f/1.8 G

Thank you for reading my blog and if you have any questions please don't hesitate to e-mail me at tomhoustphotography@gmail.com.  Also if you are interested in visiting my photography website to see my top work, please visit it here: www.tomhoustonphotography.ca,

Review of the 35mm f/1.8G on my youtube channel: http://youtu.be/Ke4Avj5bwOA

Tom

Rating: Overall: 4/5

Full Body Portraits: 4/5
Low Light: 4/5
Overall: 4/5

Lens Review: AF 50mm f/1.4 D

Lens Review: 50mm f/1.4 D

Thoughts and Opinions:

This is a magnificent lens.  As mentioned in my 50mm f/1.8 D review, I sold the f/1.8 so that I could upgrade to get the f/1.4D.  And was it ever worth it.  

The lens has a nice shallow depth of field and it is very sharp at f/1.4.  Focuses nice, fast and quietly on my D90.  I have had no major complaints with it at all.   It is nice and small so it isn't a scary lens to have on your camera for shy portraits.  Also it fits quite nicely in my camera bag.  

I like this lens because it a a great focal length for what I do.  On a D90 it is more like a 75mm which is nice for portraits but you can still get 1-3 people in the photo.  It is very good for having at an event where you need a small lens to be discrete.  It is also good for portraits for the same reason.  

It doesn't come with a lens hood which is sort of annoying but you just have to make sure no one bumps into it.  I still use my lens hoods inside so that it helps prevent people touch the front of my lens.  Which has happened before at a party.  I looked down at my lens after showing some of the photos I had taken. One of the girls in the group helped to hold my camera and left a nice finger print on the filter..  As for blocking out sun rays, I have not used it outside yet so I am not sure what the flares and ghosts are like.  If they are bad I will edit this post to discuss outside use for this lens.

Usage:

I have taken portraits with this lens as well as used it at events.  It is a good lens for being discrete as I have mentioned and it is a very sharp lens.  It is great for low light scenarios.  I used this lens at a concert and it did really well to capture the light.

Pros:

- Small

- Very sharp

- Smooth and quiet focusing

- Large aperture

- Lightweight

Cons:

- No supplied lens hood

Sample Images:

Portrait - 50mm f/1.4D

Portrait - 50mm f/1.4D

Portrait - 50mm f/1.4D

Portrait - 50mm f/1.4D



Flickr Set:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomjbh/sets/72157626016219574/

Conclusions: 

All and all a very good lens.  It is a step up from the f/1.8 D however if you do not have the extra money to upgrade to the f/1.4 D, then just get/keep the f/1.8 because it is a very good lens as well.  But if you do have the extra money it is a good upgrade.  I thought it was worth it.  Also it is my only f/1.4 glass at the moment and it is very nice.  

So if you do portraits or events and need a small fast lens this is a good one.  However for the reasons I  love it are drawbacks during a large event because you will be able to take large group shots with the 50mm.  

A 50mm as most people would say is a classic lens that everyone should have.  It is a sharp, simple and fun lens to have.  You can use a 50mm for pretty much any type of photography.  


Rating: Overall 4.5/5


Portrait: 4.5/5
Low Light: 4.9/5
Overall: 4.5/5

Good News:

I have internet so I will be able to still blog up in Northern Quebec.  And to start I will toss up a photo I took on the drive up.

Waterfall, Northern Quebec.  17-55mm.

Review: Nikon ML-L3 Remote

Review: ML-L3 Remote

Thoughts and Opinions:

This will be short but I decided to write it anyways since the remote is a useful tool.  So for those of you who may not know, this is Nikon's infrared remote that is a shutter release.  Personally I have only used it for long exposure for the most part.  It is really handy because you can push it once and the shutter opens.  Once you push the again it closes the shutter.  This is nice because you don't need to hold down the button to keep the shutter open.  

This comes in handy for long exposure photography.  It is nice that it is wireless however that does mean the battery could die.  I have not drained the battery yet however I do not use it a lot.    

Usage:

I have used the remote to take self-portraits to test lighting ideas when I didn't have a model.  I have used it as I said for long exposure shots as well.  I would use it if I was doing macro shots with my tripod to make sure there is no shake however I personally rarely use my tripod for marco shots.  Not using my tripod for macro but it opens up more possibilities for me.  I will go into this more when I review my macro lens.

Pros:

- Wireless

- Small

- Useful

Cons:

- Battery operated 

Conclusions: 

If you do a lot of long exposure or need to open your shutter from a distance then this is a useful tool.  I like having it because I never know when I will need it.  I was in Alberta and there was a storm coming over the flat lands between Wetaskiwin and Ermineskin and it was handy to have.  Also if I decide to use my tripod more for macro shots then it will be useful to have.  

AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED

Lens Review: Nikkor 105mm Macro VR

Thoughts and Opinions:

Where to begin... well lens may be my favourite lens.  I just thought about it for a second there and concluded that it is my favourite lens.  I thoroughly love this lens.  Here is why:

This lens is tack sharp, hands down.  The detail it can pick up just makes you want to take pictures of everything to see what things look like at a macro level.  It is a great macro lens.  It is great at taking 1:1 photos and they look great.  I can go on about why this is a good macro lens but I would rather keep this review shorter than a novel if I can.  

If I have space to back up, I use this lens for portraits as well because it is tact sharp.  Turns out it is a wonderful portrait lens.  Personally, I want a 85mm however between a 50mm and this 105mm, a 85mm might not have it's own niche there.  I have decided that if I keep doing portraits a lot and such, I may get a 85mm but as it stands my 105mm does the trick just fine.  

One bad habit that this lens allows me to get away with is not having to lug around my tripod with me everywhere I go.  Now this is just from my personal experience and I do not suggest doing this but, the VR on this lens lets me get away without using my tripod.  Any website you find on taking macro shots will have "use a tripod" in there however I find it just limits what I can do.  Yes, I am sure I could have better shots if I use a tripod.  I agree there, but I was in Saskatchewan and I was chasing shy dragonflies around these bushes which was difficult to begin with.  It was hard to slowly sneak up on the dragonflies and would have been nearly impossible with a tripod.  Another time I was balancing myself on a branch on a muddy river bank to take photos of frogs.  Again, it was very difficult and if I had my tripod I could have ended up swimming with it in the river.  So that is just my personal view and I know it isn't the best way but it works for me.  I can't promise it would work for you but I can tell you this is an amazing lens.

The cost has dropped since I bought it but that only means it is even better for its cost performance.  Also a lens this good, which has the Nikon's pro gold ring around it, is a no brainer if you like macro or want a good sharp versatile lens.  It is pro glass and it less than $1000.  

One thing about this lens that always makes me happy is the colour rendition.  As I mentioned in my Tokina 11-16mm review, I want photos that look like what I saw with my eyes.  The closer the photo is to what I saw then the happier I am.  My examples of this is taking photos of leaves in the fall because I find with other lenses the colours get a little darker and muddier looking.  I took a photo of yellow leaves in the fall and it was exactly how I saw it.  Also I took photos of a pow wow in Saskatchewan and the colours of the all the outfits was truly amazing.  And again, the 105mm passed with flying colours with colour rendition.

Before I got this lens, I tried out my Godfather's macro lens.  He owns the Tamron 90mm.  This was a good lens and I got some nice shots with it however I had a few issues with it during the short time I had it.  The autofocus was slow and loud.  I know AF is not used for 1:1 because it is easier using manual focus but I wanted a lens for more than just macro.  A slow and loud AF wouldn't be fun for portraits other other non-macro uses.  I could be wrong but I don't believe it had any vibration reduction either.  This was also a negative because I didn't want to have to be attached to a tripod for everything I did with a macro lens.  Another feature that caused the Tamron to lose points was the lens did not have internal focusing.  The barrel extended almost half of the original length of the lens.  It was almost far enough when you are doing 1:1 you could bump into things.  Also having this large object moving towards a shy insect could be troublesome.  Because of these things, I ruled out the Tamron.

I put a lot of thought into getting the Sigma 150mm Macro.  It was a worthy contender however it did not have stabilization as well, and I know sigmas are known to be heavy.  For these two reasons I did not want to chance it if I wanted it to work well being hand held and hiking with it. 

My only bone to pick with this lens is that it actually is not a fixed aperture lens.  Depending on focusing distance, it can go up to f/4.  It is a minor detail since that is only when you are very close to something which helps most of the time because it gives you larger depth of field (DOF) which aids with macro photography.  At f/2.8 in a 1:1 photo, the DOF would be smaller than a dragonfly's head.  

Just as a side note, the lens hood for this lens is very good.  It stops the sun from coming in from bad angles for outside shots as well as protects the front element from easily being hit by anything.  

Usage:

As I have mentioned, I use this lens for macro work, portraits and anything where I want the colours to be perfect.  

Pros:

- Sharpness

- VR

- Relatively fast and quiet focusing

- Internal focus

- Good for macro, portraits and vibrant coloured photos

- Cost for performance 

- Pro glass

- Not too heavy

- Built like a tank

- Focus range switch

- Nice lens hood

- FX lens

Cons:

- Aperture changes with distance, but that helps increase depth of field which is nice for macro shots

Sample Images:

Portrait of Hayleigh - 105mm (Portraiture) 

Frog - 105mm (Macro work)

Fall Leaves - 105mm (Colour rendition)

Conclusions: 

As I am sure I you’ve noticed, I think very highly of this lens.  The Nikkor 105mm Macro VR is a very good lens.  I highly recommend it for macro use as well as portrait or nature shots.  It doesn’t have a lot of reach with this lens for only being 105mm however for my purposes I find 105mm is perfect.  Also on the D90 it is more around 150mm because of the crop factor.  Anyways, this is a very solid and sharp lens.  For the price and the versatility of the lens it would be a little silly not to own.  Haha, but that is just my opinion.  So in conclusion this is my favourite lens, and I am very happy with it so far.  If you are thinking about purchasing this lens, I would, but if my word is not good enough I would keep reading reviews of it and you’ll find nine times out of ten this is the lens people pick for macro work.  I did a good month of research into macro lenses and that is what I found.  Hope this helps if you are sitting on the fence.

I would definitely give this a near perfect score if I had a rating system.  


If you have any questions please don't hesitate to e-mail me at tomhoustphotography@gmail.com.  Also if you are interested in visiting my photography website to see my top work, please visit it here: www.tomhoustonphotography.ca.


Rating: Overall 4.5/5


Macro Photography: 4.9/5
Portrait: 4.5/5
Overall: 4.5/5


Lastly, I have started doing video instead of writing my long blog posts.  I started up a Youtube channel and I will be re-reviewing all my gear there in a video so here is my one for the 105mm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfbknCpkio0

Hope that helps!

Review: SB-600

Review: Nikon SB-600 Flash

Thoughts and Opinions:

This is a useful tool that I have used with my photography.  It is not the fanciest flash but I personally find that it does the trick quite nicely.  I use it with the Nikon CLS system most of the time so I can have the flash off my camera.  The flash is fairly easy to use however it is not that user friendly.  But I don't have enough money to justify buying a new flash just so that it is easier to use.  

The flash pumps out enough power for my use but I am not doing anything too crazy with it.  The ability for the head to swivel and tilt up is useful.  However I believe that usually comes standard with flashes of that level of flash.  

The SB-600 is no longer being manufactured sadly, however it was a great starting flash.  I personally do not do enough flash work that I have a need for a SB-700/800/900 yet.  For my flash work I just want the ability to have good lighting that I can control however I have not tackled anything to large that I need more than just my one SB-600.  

Usage:

I use the most basic Opus lighting system with a light stand, adaptor and umbrella.  I also have a simple diffuser for it as well.  This is how I help create a larger light source to create better lighting for my portraits.  


The flash comes out for all my portraits now for the most part.  Any portraits inside I will have my umbrella setup out.  I use my flash for events as well which gives nice lighting if the venue doesn't have good light.  


Also having a flash around is nice because then you can stop down a little to get more depth of field which is nice.  A group shot is a good example when it is nice to use a flash. It is good to gain more depth of field so that people are not out of focus in the shot.  


It is nice to use rechargeable batteries for the flash.  I have 2 sets of 4 AA's with a charger for them.  I just swap out the batteries with charged ones.  Usually a good idea to have back up batteries.


Pros:


- Not too expensive
- Simple
- Good build
- Reliable (I've had no issues with it)

Cons:

- Controls are not that user friendly 
- Doesn't have much of a range for focusing the light (zoom)
- Not being made anymore


Sample Images:

Portrait, SB-600

Portrait, SB-600

Conclusions: 


The SB-600 is a very useful tool I have found for my photography that I do.  I would suggest investing in a flash if you do a lot of portraits and you want to control your lighting more.  Also I would suggest a flash instead of going all out with continuous lighting with studio lights.  Personally I like the versatility of a off camera flash.  It is small, light weight and you don't have to lug around the studio lights and batteries around.  Also the off camera flashes fit into camera bags easily.  


All and all if you have the money it is a useful tool if you think you will use it.