Off Topic You guys know everything.

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purest

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Oct 22, 2019
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So... Off Topic, but I love the Busse forum and seriously, someone here has an answer for literally everything. Do any of you know of a "The Exchange" type forum out there for the US for camera bodies and lenses (Nikon user here)?

I know there are auction sites, refurbished gear companies, and some discount type internet sites, but I'm looking for someplace that has trustworthy members like our exchange does.

If any of you know, I'd be very grateful for the info.
 
I will check it out, thanks!

My local photographer friends are next to useless when it comes to information.
 
I used to frequent fredmiranda dot com.
But I haven't been active on photography forums of late.
 
There are a few Nikon user forums that have classified or marketplace sections. I like Nikonites.com. A few of the members are well-known Nikon experts.
 
lmcq784 said:
https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/board/10

Some how, I cannot access their page (haven't been able to the last few times I tried), but their Facebook group is active and still links there. I can see their website via Facebook app, but when I try to "open in safari", it fails.
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Safari within the past couple of releases have added some "security" features to keep some less secure features of webpages from being able to run. That could be the issue with their site.

Their webpage appears to work okay in FireFox in Windows.
 
lmcq784 said:
https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/board/10

Some how, I cannot access their page (haven't been able to the last few times I tried), but their Facebook group is active and still links there. I can see their website via Facebook app, but when I try to "open in safari", it fails.
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desmobob said:
There are a few Nikon user forums that have classified or marketplace sections. I like Nikonites.com. A few of the members are well-known Nikon experts.
Click to expand...

Dangerneck said:
What about https://www.natcam.com? Also, I bet if you went to the sub-Reddit r/photography they can direct you to the best places.
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Thank you all for your suggestion! I have not heard of any of these, I will definitely spend some time checking them out. I was incredibly lucky on two lenses I picked up, one from the big auction site, and another from the obnoxious big internet site that sells everything. Somehow managed to pick up an old AFS-D 80-400 for $395, and a AFS 70-200, the one with 3 manual focus stops for $330, and they both work perfectly. They were both new at like $2800 when they came out. But some of the more niche stuff I am looking for, it's just really hard to find available at all, let alone in good condition, and it seems most of it is stuff that is completely fake, or shipped from another country. I don't like to take risks when it comes to electronics to the tune for a couple grand.
 
Glad to hear you found a couple of good ones!

I'm using an older AF-D 80-200 f/2.8 that I picked up in like-new condition for a song. Nikon's fast glass is pretty impressive and, even at the full price, there are rarely regrets.
 
desmobob said:
Glad to hear you found a couple of good ones!

I'm using an older AF-D 80-200 f/2.8 that I picked up in like-new condition for a song. Nikon's fast glass is pretty impressive and, even at the full price, there are rarely regrets.
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The 80-200 I picked up was also an f/2.8. The 80-400 is an f4.5-f5.6 with VR. The only thing I don't like about the f2.8 is it has rounded blades so no flares, and no VR. I shoot most everything at night, completely night, outside. So without VR it's harder to get some things and I just hate using a tripod, it limits angles. Either way, I grabbed them both for under $800 combined. I want the newest of that family the f2.8 70-200 with 4 focus locks so bad, but really, there isn't much of a difference between it and the 80-200 besides having gen3 VR, I can't drop $3k for just VR.

Plus, I really prefer the 400mm range because I shoot at long distances, but the AF-D 80-400 is the slowest AF Nikon lens ever made and at night using manual focus outside of Live View (blech) is almost impossible because there is no focus film in the bodies over the mirror anymore.

The lens I'm really on the hunt for is the f2 105mm DC. That thing is amazing.

I'd also like to pick up a couple things like whatever the focal range is in f2.8 something like 14-70... Can't remember without getting on Rockwell's site or being in the camera shop. And a couple wide and ultra wide lenses. Like a prime 16mm and a prime 10mm. I really need to upgrade my 35mm to the pro glass one. It was the first lens I bought and I really like it, I didn't see the difference at the time from the 1.8 to the 1.4 for a $600-700 price difference and the weight. But after a year of using what I have, the $1000 version of the 1.4 lens is really where I should have gone to begin with. It's really to bad they don't have something as good as the nifty fifty in 35mm. But oh well.

I don't expect that I'll be finding the stuff that I want/need now as easily for cheap prices. But that's really because the 80-200 and 80-400 lenses are so widely available used. The Macro's, the 35mm's, and the f2 DC lenses are specialty and you won't see people that have a bunch of money who bought one and now are dis-investing in them. They're pretty much only picked up by pros and when they are up for sale, they are thrashed.

I could do a refurbishes. But refurbished is almost the same price as new, without a real warranty and depending on who refurbished it, may not be worth the time it takes to mount the lens. But I'm sure you're very aware if you shoot with quality lenses yourself my trepidation on refurbished stuff.
 
It kills me to spend big money on new lenses because I started shooting with an F2S way back when, and I had accumulated a good selection of some very nice manual focus Nikkors. Almost anything I buy will duplicate coverage of lenses I already have, and I'm hesitant to sell old MF lenses for some reason.

When the F4S came out and I bought one, I started buying AF glass. A couple of those early lenses are stellar performers: the AF 180mm f/2.8 and the AF 300mm f/4 come to mind. The 180 is one of my all-time favorite Nikkors. It's magic.

I don't make money with photography, so it's hard for me to justify spending a lot, especially now that I'm retired. But man... some of the new Nikkors are incredible! I also avoid refurbished. My one experience (though not with Nikkor) was negative.

Regarding your dislike of the tripod, what head are you using? One of the things I hesitated to buy for a long time was an Arca Swiss B1 ballhead. Once I got it, I wished I had bought it years previous. I don't use a tripod as much as I should but, when I do, the ballhead makes it a pleasure.

A budget alternative wide-angle zoom I think is an amazing deal is the AF-S ED IF 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5G. It's not that fast but is as sharp as primes... incredible bang for the buck. Paired with the AF-S ED IF VR 24-85 f/3.5-3.5G, you can cover a lot of ground with two affordable lenses.
 
purest said:
The 80-200 I picked up was also an f/2.8. The 80-400 is an f4.5-f5.6 with VR. The only thing I don't like about the f2.8 is it has rounded blades so no flares, and no VR. I shoot most everything at night, completely night, outside. So without VR it's harder to get some things and I just hate using a tripod, it limits angles. Either way, I grabbed them both for under $800 combined. I want the newest of that family the f2.8 70-200 with 4 focus locks so bad, but really, there isn't much of a difference between it and the 80-200 besides having gen3 VR, I can't drop $3k for just VR.

Plus, I really prefer the 400mm range because I shoot at long distances, but the AF-D 80-400 is the slowest AF Nikon lens ever made and at night using manual focus outside of Live View (blech) is almost impossible because there is no focus film in the bodies over the mirror anymore.

The lens I'm really on the hunt for is the f2 105mm DC. That thing is amazing.

I'd also like to pick up a couple things like whatever the focal range is in f2.8 something like 14-70... Can't remember without getting on Rockwell's site or being in the camera shop. And a couple wide and ultra wide lenses. Like a prime 16mm and a prime 10mm. I really need to upgrade my 35mm to the pro glass one. It was the first lens I bought and I really like it, I didn't see the difference at the time from the 1.8 to the 1.4 for a $600-700 price difference and the weight. But after a year of using what I have, the $1000 version of the 1.4 lens is really where I should have gone to begin with. It's really to bad they don't have something as good as the nifty fifty in 35mm. But oh well.

I don't expect that I'll be finding the stuff that I want/need now as easily for cheap prices. But that's really because the 80-200 and 80-400 lenses are so widely available used. The Macro's, the 35mm's, and the f2 DC lenses are specialty and you won't see people that have a bunch of money who bought one and now are dis-investing in them. They're pretty much only picked up by pros and when they are up for sale, they are thrashed.

I could do a refurbishes. But refurbished is almost the same price as new, without a real warranty and depending on who refurbished it, may not be worth the time it takes to mount the lens. But I'm sure you're very aware if you shoot with quality lenses yourself my trepidation on refurbished stuff.
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If you want a high quality fast 35mm, check out the Sigma ART 35/1.4. That thing is a beauty. One of my favorite lenses. Better than anything Nikon has at 35mm.
 
lmcq784 said:
If you want a high quality fast 35mm, check out the Sigma ART 35/1.4. That thing is a beauty. One of my favorite lenses. Better than anything Nikon has at 35mm.
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I appreciate the suggestion. I've never looked into Sigma lenses because pretty much everyone here recommends the Tamron lenses as the non-Nikon branded Nikon compatible more cost friendly alternatives. Long of the short, I've been totally unimpressed with everything I have picked up from them to try out when comparing it side by side with the Nikon products. I got to the point that I just kind of figured all of the off brand lenses would be the same, but if anything is try about optics, you can't eliminate an option without trying it. I've saved, or spent double, when it comes to buying riflescopes just because one brand has something that completely outperforms the entire field at certain price points. I really have no brand alliance with optics products unless they have a zero warranty.

Thanks again!
 
Way back when, I used to avoid third-party lenses. They tended to be very inexpensive but usually had performance that matched the price. Today, some of the third-party makers offer premium models which are sometimes rated/tested superior to similar OEM lenses or may have a hidden gem or two in their line-ups.

For the first time in many years, I bought a Tokina lens. It's an AT-X PRO D 100mm f/2.8 AF Macro that some reviewers claim is as good or better than the OEM Nikkor and Canon versions. Let's just say it was a little bit cheaper than either of the two Micro-NIKKOR lenses I bought years ago.

The Sigma ART series have a great reputation so far.
 
purest said:
I appreciate the suggestion. I've never looked into Sigma lenses because pretty much everyone here recommends the Tamron lenses as the non-Nikon branded Nikon compatible more cost friendly alternatives. Long of the short, I've been totally unimpressed with everything I have picked up from them to try out when comparing it side by side with the Nikon products. I got to the point that I just kind of figured all of the off brand lenses would be the same, but if anything is try about optics, you can't eliminate an option without trying it. I've saved, or spent double, when it comes to buying riflescopes just because one brand has something that completely outperforms the entire field at certain price points. I really have no brand alliance with optics products unless they have a zero warranty.

Thanks again!
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Yeah I was that way as well back in the early 2000's.

Hated third party lenses, especially Sigma, since they had a lot of compatibility issues. But since sigma had a reworking of their lenses, and developed their Art, Contemporary and Sport lines, I've been quite impressed with their ART series (and to a certain extent, the SPORT line as well). They've been extraordinarily good in performance, not just matching, but actually topping Nikon's offerings. The 35/1.4ART is one such lens. Yes, I do have this lens and love using it! If you're shooting DX also, I also recommend looking into their 18-35/1.8... basically a fun two-prime-in-one equivalent. A fun lens that punches above its price would suggest.
 
desmobob said:
Way back when, I used to avoid third-party lenses. They tended to be very inexpensive but usually had performance that matched the price. Today, some of the third-party makers offer premium models which are sometimes rated/tested superior to similar OEM lenses or may have a hidden gem or two in their line-ups.

For the first time in many years, I bought a Tokina lens. It's an AT-X PRO D 100mm f/2.8 AF Macro that some reviewers claim is as good or better than the OEM Nikkor and Canon versions. Let's just say it was a little bit cheaper than either of the two Micro-NIKKOR lenses I bought years ago.

The Sigma ART series have a great reputation so far.
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Wow, Tokina? Really? I'm stunned. I have 2 Tokina lenses in this house. They are basically paperweights. Even though they aren't heavy enough to hold down a pidce of paper. That's crazy. These are from like 30 years ago though. The feel like children's toys when you pick them up.

I bet with was cheaper. I think the current gen 105 Macro from Nikon is just about $1400. But I didn't look it up, I'm going off memory which isn't so good. It's a great lens and I've shot a few pics with it, but I don't really have a need for a macro so it was just to get a feel for the lens system. I shoot enough Macro that believe it or not, I picked up a set of those cheap as hell Vivitar Macro filters (1x, 2x, 4x, 10x) in 77mm. The 4x and 10x are almost useless from the fall off, and you can't use the 10x from any further away than about 3 inches. But the 1x and 2x actually work surprisingly well for the quite literally two shots I needed a macro lens for. I can't say I would recommend them to anyone, I just saw someone had them as a "make offer" on ebay for $25 or something, and I threw out a joke offer of $3 and he accepted it.... I thought I wasted money to be honest, but I gave the 10x to my mom as a magnifying glass. LOL.
 
lmcq784 said:
Yeah I was that way as well back in the early 2000's.

Hated third party lenses, especially Sigma, since they had a lot of compatibility issues. But since sigma had a reworking of their lenses, and developed their Art, Contemporary and Sport lines, I've been quite impressed with their ART series (and to a certain extent, the SPORT line as well). They've been extraordinarily good in performance, not just matching, but actually topping Nikon's offerings. The 35/1.4ART is one such lens. Yes, I do have this lens and love using it! If you're shooting DX also, I also recommend looking into their 18-35/1.8... basically a fun two-prime-in-one equivalent. A fun lens that punches above its price would suggest.
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I am currently shooting DX... But only because I wasn't sure how much I wanted to spend when I got my first body. It's a D7500. Very quickly the kit lenses (two weeks) went bye bye after using a friends gold rings. I have about 10k shots through it in the last year. Mostly astro-photography, drag racing, and my dogs, for the everyday stuff. The pictures I have that I am most proud of and show off to people typically have nothing to do with any of those three. For example, I have a few bee pictures that are just absolutely stunning. It's crazy what types of things you'll discover interest you with a camera that never interested you before. My favorite style of shooting though has to be panning shots. I love making it look like something is going 1000 MPH when it could be a model train.

Every lens I have bought I have gotten in FX because I made the decision a while ago that I really can't stand the DX 1.43 crop factor. Call it OCD, but I like to be able to know if I pick up a 50mm, it's a 50mm. The DX has helped with cheating on a few things though at 400mm, like shooting. It does give a little more reach. Anyway, I have a d850 planned for the near future when I can offload a few blades. I just don't want to sell in the current economic climate and take a bath to then go buy something at full retail. So it'll have to wait. That's the plan anyway, because it's clear to me already that I have to get a second body to shoot with. You can't lens swap in real time during fast paced events. For what I usually shoot I need something in the 80-400mm range, but have to stand so far away, it makes it really hard to get some of the really good shots I get with my 35 and 50mm. In fact, if I had to choose, I would prefer to shoot everything in the lowest focal range I could before hitting something considered wide or ultra wide angle. If I could shoot at 18-20mm all the time, it would be great. But when things are moving away from you very quickly, it's really nice to have that 80-200 (considerably faster AF), or 80-400 (VR) mounted.
 
I bought a D750 a while back. I also have an old DX body I really enjoy: a D200. It seems that everyone is going mirrorless these days but I can't see myself buying anything new. The last thing I needed to upgrade was my tripod. I sold two knives, a small Busse and an an Effingham, IL Blackjack, to finance it. I'm hoping to use the stuff I have 'till the end of my days.

Yes... the Tokina is a surprise. Do a search for the Tokina AT-X PRO D 100mm f/2.8 Macro and read some reviews. It's one of those hidden gems and a real bargain. It's hefty and solid as a brick, too... a pleasant surprise. I got mine used in like-new condition from KEH in Atlanta for cheap. It fills the gap between my Micro-Nikkor 55mm and 200mm lenses (also purchased used many years ago) and does a fine job.
 
purest said:
I am currently shooting DX... But only because I wasn't sure how much I wanted to spend when I got my first body. It's a D7500. Very quickly the kit lenses (two weeks) went bye bye after using a friends gold rings. I have about 10k shots through it in the last year. Mostly astro-photography, drag racing, and my dogs, for the everyday stuff. The pictures I have that I am most proud of and show off to people typically have nothing to do with any of those three. For example, I have a few bee pictures that are just absolutely stunning. It's crazy what types of things you'll discover interest you with a camera that never interested you before. My favorite style of shooting though has to be panning shots. I love making it look like something is going 1000 MPH when it could be a model train.

Every lens I have bought I have gotten in FX because I made the decision a while ago that I really can't stand the DX 1.43 crop factor. Call it OCD, but I like to be able to know if I pick up a 50mm, it's a 50mm. The DX has helped with cheating on a few things though at 400mm, like shooting. It does give a little more reach. Anyway, I have a d850 planned for the near future when I can offload a few blades. I just don't want to sell in the current economic climate and take a bath to then go buy something at full retail. So it'll have to wait. That's the plan anyway, because it's clear to me already that I have to get a second body to shoot with. You can't lens swap in real time during fast paced events. For what I usually shoot I need something in the 80-400mm range, but have to stand so far away, it makes it really hard to get some of the really good shots I get with my 35 and 50mm. In fact, if I had to choose, I would prefer to shoot everything in the lowest focal range I could before hitting something considered wide or ultra wide angle. If I could shoot at 18-20mm all the time, it would be great. But when things are moving away from you very quickly, it's really nice to have that 80-200 (considerably faster AF), or 80-400 (VR) mounted.
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I shot both FX and DX for good reason. Lots of people are DX as a disadvantage or a limitation, but I see it as another tool... Like INFI vs SR-101 - you just gotta learn to use the tool to you advantage. With sports, events, weddings, etc., I do a long/short 2-body combo, with tele on DX ("free" 1.5x tele converter with no light loss), and normal to wide on FX. I shoot a D800e and a D500 right now, and this works quite well for me.

I have the two 80-400s (VR I & VRII) but always found it either too show or too much of a compromise. I end up using it very little compared to my other lenses. I do a lot of portraiture and dream of owning the Sigma 85/1.4 ART... Just not in the cards right now. With work schedules and lifestyle, my photography took a back seat in Row 45. The once or twice per year I get my camera out now is for my kids' birthday portraits and holiday card pictures. Haven't had time to do any photography for myself or for pay in the last few years. Sad when a hobby concedes to you're job demands.
 
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