call me Wimpy

 - but not for the hamburgers!

I've just resigned my campaign for slower DX/36x24 lenses, and ordered a Nikkor 55-200 VR². Yes, it will shoot at 10½ Mpixels on the Z6, which sucks. It will be an 80-300 mm/effective focal length.. which is what I'd like to find in a compact FX lens. If only I could shoot this at 1:1 or 5:4 with the entire sensor height.. but apparently Nikon frowns on such creativity. 

What counters the suck?

• it has VR². VR just showed me its value on the 24-85G lens with the Z6. And this VR is one better :)
• it cost $75. Not $250 (50-250 Z version), nor $475 (Tam rxd 70-300), nor >$700.
• it weighs 425 grams - with the FTZ adapter! Less than every mid-long telephoto I've looked into, even the bargain Sigma 70-300apo (630g) that I've been trying this week.

At some point one must choose our compromise. Here's mine. The Z50-250 has points in its favor, but neither are weather sealed. The dx 70-300vr would be ~550g and provide even more effective telephoto range - for a price.

Price is big because I'm not sold on 10Mpx± .. but we'll find out soon how much it hurts to shoot with that resolution. 

	Nikon Z6
	Viltrox 20
	Nikkor-z 40
	dx 55-200mm vr²
	Vivitar 70-150
	nikkor VR 24-85
	Qray 300
	Sig apo 70-300

24-85G Nikkor contest!

"Would that it 'twere so simple" - from Hail, Caesar! 

Well, this test was an easy one. Bummer that my preferred answer did not pan out.

I put the two 24-85 Nikkors G (VR and previous) in a dimly-lit room and shot it out. ISO 500, f/5.6 and an instruction manual about six feet away. Shutter was 1/2.5 seconds for easy VR evaluation. Elbows on knees but little other support; with ftz the lenses are just over 500g.

First up was the VR lens, fully engaged. Wow: an excellent result with lens and sensor VR in effect. No surprise? Well, 85mm and 1/4 second is 8+ stops - so an image this sharp was a surprise.

Turning off VR is simple, as the lens switch disables both internal and lens VR. It took me three tries and much more rigorous technique to achieve a nearly not-blurry shot. The other two were awful. 

Lens #2 with in-body VR was better than no VR.. but not by much. The internal VR definitely couldn't handle the shutter speed used in this scenario. Coming from Pentax and Lumix S5, it was disappointing. However: internal VR improves to a 5-axis system with Z-native lenses; bonus points for the marketing team for that 🫤 but my wallet is displeased. 

So about five minutes of testing convinced me that the slightly heavier VR lens is a keeper, and a 72mm cpl filter is in my future. I had hoped to run with just 52+67mm filters; oh well. At least I already have a 72mm split ND! 

Wow! on several levels

 After a sleepless night I did some browsing yesterday. I had a z6 in hand and lenses on the way, but the path they were taking was slow and tortuous - or maybe I was just impatient?

In any case, I encountered a 'used well' copy of the 24-85G that I had bought but just leaving New Jersey. This copy was a pinch less expensive and sitting in Adorama (New York) seeking adoption. I bought it and upgraded to fast shipping for under $10.

It arrived in 24 hours to our home in SW Washington! And we do not live in Portland or Vancouver, we're an hour away in a semi-rural Longview 'suburb'.  Wow.

When I opened it up, I noticed it had a 72mm lens cap. That's odd, the copy I sought and the online image all said 67mm. Oh, look at that - this was the 24-85G VR lens. Wow!!

I hadn't sought VR since the z6 body has its own within, but it can make use of the lens' internals to improve slow-expo images even more - so absolutely no complaints here. Well, maybe one: I suppose now I need few new filters.

Thanks Adorama!

And of course let's not forget: the non-VR lens is coming soon (it's probably past Philadelphia by now). 

While the front glass on the VR is larger and overall weight is up a few grams, most reviews I've seen rate the image qualities as essentially identical. The non-VR copy takes 67mm filters (also on their way as I write), so I suppose a showdown is coming. 

Inevitably. 

springy!

 We'll take it!

This is an ideal start to June - morning clouds, afternoon sunshine, max temps in the mid-70s. Since I cannot lift heavy objects yet post-surgery, the air conditioner can wait another 10 days. Tomorrow is the warmest in the forecast, so just one day of discomfort.

Nice.

Update - the Wx Underground forecast graphic is for valley-floor locations, which is always ~4 degrees off from our hill-top site. It's generally warmer in summer with thicker atmosphere, but colder in winter thanks to cold-air seepage. We reached 80° Friday up here, and NWS temperatures near 750' show mid-upper 60s next week. 

Nearly as nice!

kit, reborn - part LXVI-I-I

Looking ahead?

28 May 25

---

> The Z Kit  

After much reviewing of options, I allowed myself to save some cash by shifting the Big Kit to Nikon's Z6. I've nothing against them, but the Lumix S kit was refreshing in good ways. The S5 wasn't great for my uses but I felt the S1 was worth the extra bulk for what it brought me. The trouble was that a Z6 could do that for far less bulk and a few hundred $$ less - tilting touchscreen, ImgStab within, some moisture protection and nearly Lumix-identical sensor specs.

So here's what it will look like as of now:

• It began as a Z6, Viltrox 20/2.8, Nikkor 40/2, FTZ adapter,  and Vivitar 70-150/3.8 plus Pentax primes + a cute little Quantaray 300/5.6 catadioptric to 'cover' the long end :^)
• Phase Two arrived swiftly: Nikkor 24-85g VR + Sigma 70-300 lenses. That will provide an easy two-lens option for plenty of range, along with the primes! After a few tests I'm rethinking the 70-300 and will test-drive a dx 55-200 vr² as my crop telezoom. 

In my dreams, phase 3 would include the elder 35-150mm (Nikon-F f/2.8-4) . Plenty fast enough, great range and much lighter than the Z-native f/2-2.8 model. That depends on the Sigma and Vivitar lenses' performance, so it might remain a dream! I have no plans to initiate phase 3 in 2025.

Slow down, dude... 

Part of the funding for the Z6 came from returning the eM1.ii that I was attempting to bond with. That's a loss I can accept due to.. well, read on.

>  μ43 remains in play  

Someone at FredMir* decided to release their silver Lumix GX7 back into the wild. I've always been a sucker for that body, and my knowledge of it softens the loss of the somewhat unfamiliar eM1ß. It came with a silver Lumix 14-42ii, so I also sent in my Oly EZ lens and requested a silver Sigma 60/2.8. Plenty of flashiness in the new kit - and an onboard flash too, for times when that's useful!

>  Pentax  

Several K-mount lenses remain in play, mostly primes. Thanks to my .71x speed booster they have bonus focal lengths on the GXvii! The massive 80-200 f/2.8 with speed boost becomes an 112-284mm, f/2.5-equivalent beast!

Not shown:

• Vivitar 24mm prime - awaiting surgery for a focusing problem. A loose element, perhaps?
• Rikenon 70-150/4  - a decent lens, butthe Focal 80-200/3.5 seems to perform better. It's a 925g beast but much lighter than all f/2.8 AF equivalents.

Zomething New

I've tried to steer my big kit back toward Lumix S .. but the S9 refuses to drop into my price range, the S1 is hovering just out of reach (both price and kilograms!) and the s5 .. well it didn't quite suit me. The Lumix II bodies are most excellent, and substantially beyond my budget.

Other trends are intent on shifting me to Nikon Z!

In the Z world, the z5 is priced right but feels.. wrong. Not a bad camera, just too similar to the S5 and with more video limitations. The next step up is the z6, which .. really feels like a fair match. A tilting touchscreen that is almost to Lumix level of interaction, decently 4k capable, and a viewfinder better than most (above S5, below S1) for using manual-focus lenses. It has fewer aspect ratios that impress me in the Lumix bodies, but it does include 1:1 which allows many dx/aps-c lenses to play nicely. I gratefully accept! Sadly the 'open gate' (video on full 3:2 sensor) video option is Lumix-only in my price range :^(

Mirrorless systems did not play nice with my Minolta A- or Sigma SA- mount lenses. Both SA-L & A-E adapter setups came with many limitations. The FTZ solution apparently does not have those problems; also, nikon-G slr lenses* are both talented and available at good prices.

---

How to decide?

At some point one must choose from two decent options. Here's my z6 logic:

• 

  apotelyt table screen-shot

  Bsi sensor: z6 (though no dxo-rated difference)
• aa filter: s1 has none
• Screen: both excellent but s1 better
• Tilt screen: nice on both, again s1 better
• Hdmi: neither is micro = good
• autofocus: z6, though will vary by type of shooting
• Battery life: z6 test results are curiously low?
• Weight: z6 in a landslide :^0

Many features are pretty much a draw, but both options are preferable for me over Sonys or the s5. Low weight, phaseAF and improved sensor vs. massive with very good build and more aspect ratios for both stills And video. 

I wasted plenty of time & energy attempting to adapt SA>L and A>E -with very limited success (despite each one dealing with a single company - sigma is SA and an L member, Sony owns A and E). It seems that Nikon took this more seriously with its FTZ protocol so I can use nikon G* with very few constraints! Farewell to lost causes..

* though no af drive for D lenses :-/

Timely migrants

The first call of a swainsons' thrush was heard on 5/18, right on schedule! Our first grosbeaks (black headed) were seen and heard five days later. We love both songs and it's nice to see and hear them.

We also had a deer family drop by, a mom and two small ones from last year. They camped out for most of two hours! 

My surgery in early May was followed by damp weather, which has allowed the grass to grow tall. This coming weekend should be dry, so it should be taken down several inches soon!