# Respect for yesterday's photo journalist



## jcdeboever (Mar 26, 2020)

I  challenged myself a lot last year with all manual photography. I have a great deal of respect for those sports photo men back in the day. It was fun and hopefully I can do some more this year.... I was literally called an idiot by a older man (mid to late 60's, maybe early 70's. He said, I had a camera like that long ago, are you some kind of idiot? I LMAO....

Nikon F2, 300mm f/4.5 AI, Fujifilm 400H. Darkroom lab developed. 

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## tirediron (Mar 26, 2020)

Nice!  We often forget how easy we have it now... a project like this is a good way to remind ourselves, 'We're lucky!'


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## jcdeboever (Mar 26, 2020)

tirediron said:


> Nice!  We often forget how easy we have it now... a project like this is a good way to remind ourselves, 'We're lucky!'


I guess that does make me an idiot...


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## Derrel (Mar 26, 2020)

"It's better to be a lucky idiot than just a regular idiot." Abraham Lincoln.


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## tirediron (Mar 26, 2020)

Derrel said:


> "It's better to be a lucky idiot than just a regular idiot." Abraham Lincoln.


In this case, maybe 'Skilled Idiot'?


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## Derrel (Mar 26, 2020)

The 70-300 AF-S G VR is shown on the left, and the 300 mm f / 4.5 ED~IF is shown on the right. The 300 ED~IF is a manual focus lens, yes, but it has a light-touch internal focusing system which uses a mid-barrel focusing group for fast and accurate manual Focus. I first used this lens model as a college-age photojournalism student around 1986. I bought the above sample around 2005. It is a fairly light and a fairly small lens ,and it's fairly easy to carry.


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## Derrel (Mar 26, 2020)

I still have a couple of F2-a models, as well as my F Photomic FTN.. for which I also have a very clean non metered prism. I actually like the F better than the F2.

For a short time in 1985 I owned  an F2-Asb,which used a silicone blue metering system and had a match-diode meter.


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## zulu42 (Mar 26, 2020)

Wonderful shooting. I feel like I'm looking at the sports section in 1980. love it.


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## photoflyer (Mar 26, 2020)

In aviation pilots build their own airplanes.  Foodies cook what they can get at a restaurant.    Patrons go to plays when they could just watch it on TV at home.  Travellers cross great distances to experience what they could read about in books.

Well done.  Keep being an idiot.


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## ac12 (Mar 29, 2020)

jcdeboever said:


> I  challenged myself a lot last year with all manual photography. I have a great deal of respect for those sports photo men back in the day. It was fun and hopefully I can do some more this year.... I was literally called an idiot by a older man (mid to late 60's, maybe early 70's. He said, I had a camera like that long ago, are you some kind of idiot? I LMAO....
> 
> Nikon F2, 300mm f/4.5 AI, Fujifilm 400H. Darkroom lab developed.



That was probably because HE could not use his camera.
There were those people then, and there are those people now.


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## ac12 (Mar 29, 2020)

There are times NOW that I will switch to full manual exposure.  This is usually when the lighting is too difficult for the camera's meter to properly handle.
So it IS a good skill to maintain.

One thing that manual lenses never had problems with was when a player or ump ran in front of me.  With an autofocus, camera, the lens changes focus to the person who got in my way, causing me to lose focus on the subject.

Get an 80-200/4.5.  If you get a good copy, the zoom ring on that lens is butter smooth.  Perfect for shooting field sports like football and soccer.  That is one of my favorite zoom lens.


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## jcdeboever (Mar 29, 2020)

ac12 said:


> There are times NOW that I will switch to full manual exposure.  This is usually when the lighting is too difficult for the camera's meter to properly handle.
> So it IS a good skill to maintain.
> 
> One thing that manual lenses never had problems with was when a player or ump ran in front of me.  With an autofocus, camera, the lens changes focus to the person who got in my way, causing me to lose focus on the subject.
> ...



Cool. I have one but mine has lens creep. I don't mind the creep, I figured out how to use it that way. It is a very nice lens and renders like a prime.


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## Derrel (Mar 29, 2020)

The newer 80-200 f/4  is a fine lens as well...priced low these days.


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## ac12 (Mar 29, 2020)

jcdeboever said:


> ac12 said:
> 
> 
> > There are times NOW that I will switch to full manual exposure.  This is usually when the lighting is too difficult for the camera's meter to properly handle.
> ...



I don't understand why people talk so much about "lens creep," and why it is seemingly such an issue with so many people.
OK if you put the camera on a tripod and point the camera down, the zoom position may change.  But I never used my push/pull 80-200/4.5 like that.​When I shoot sports, my hand is ALWAYS on the zoom ring, so there is no "creep" while in use.

When I shoot sports, I want a light easy to use zoom ring.  The lighter the better.  
Drag (to prevent creep), just makes it harder to use the zoom.  Because I am then fighting the drag whenever I zoom the lens, and that makes follow zooming of a moving subject harder.

Today, I use the Nikon 70-200/4 (when it gets back from Nikon repair), on my D7200.  I can zoom with my fingers, and it is EASY to follow zoom a moving subject.  
On my Olympus, I have to grab the zoom ring with my hand and turn it with my arm, follow zooming is more difficult and not as precise.


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## jcdeboever (Mar 29, 2020)

ac12 said:


> jcdeboever said:
> 
> 
> > ac12 said:
> ...


I find it the same way. It really is not a big deal. I put a strip of gaffer tape on it because the wobble irritated me. It still creeps but no wobble.


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## jcdeboever (Mar 29, 2020)

Derrel said:


> I still have a couple of F2-a models, as well as my F Photomic FTN.. for which I also have a very clean non metered prism. I actually like the F better than the F2.
> 
> For a short time in 1985 I owned  an F2-Asb,which used a silicone blue metering system and had a match-diode meter.


I was like that at first but I had my F2 serviced by Sover Wong and it's like a fine watch. I two gun it quite often and my F is the other. I also have a F3HP and a F4 that hardly sees any action. At some point I will acquire the F5 and F6 to complete my collection. I have also been looking for a nice all black F or F2 for some time now but very over priced.


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## Derrel (Mar 29, 2020)

I shot the F3HP from 1985 to 2001... great viewfinder for those of us who wear eyeglasses. The HP stands for "high eye point". One could see the entire viewfinfer image with the eye as far back as 25 mm. Today's Nikon digitals offer an eyepoint of 17 or 18 mm.


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## Derrel (Mar 29, 2020)

I think that painting a chrome camera would be the best way to get an all black one. There are some great camera painters in Japan, and a good article on painting cameras at www.cameraquest.com


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## Original katomi (Mar 30, 2020)

Talking of lens creep
I have an old ef 35 105 that I use a lot for table top photos lens pointing down . Over the last year the creep has got so bad the zoom will not stay at all just got loose with abuse er I mean use lol


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## K9Kirk (Mar 30, 2020)

Nice shots. You laughed at him when he was politely, 'insulting you' ... some millennial's would consider your actions to be rude.


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## ac12 (Mar 30, 2020)

Original katomi said:


> Talking of lens creep
> I have an old ef 35 105 that I use a lot for table top photos lens pointing down . Over the last year the creep has got so bad the zoom will not stay at all just got loose with abuse er I mean use lol



I wish the lens designers. of lens with zoom rings would increase the zoom throw, from less than 90 degrees to 120+ degrees.  That way the cam angle of the zoom, to move the optics, would be less steep.  That simple mechanical solution would reduce the tendency of an extending zoom to creep out, without having to dampen it with a lot of grease.  And that would also make the zoom ring easier to turn.


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## Dave Maciak (Jul 25, 2020)

jcdeboever said:


> I  challenged myself a lot last year with all manual photography. I have a great deal of respect for those sports photo men back in the day. It was fun and hopefully I can do some more this year.... I was literally called an idiot by a older man (mid to late 60's, maybe early 70's. He said, I had a camera like that long ago, are you some kind of idiot? I LMAO....
> 
> Nikon F2, 300mm f/4.5 AI, Fujifilm 400H. Darkroom lab developed.
> 
> ...


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## Dave Maciak (Jul 25, 2020)

Good for you!  I never thought about settings and such---my film back in the day was good ol" 400asa Kodak.  Tri-X.
Hanging from a helicopter during an operation or dodging protesters/rioters in a city it was pretty much a seat of the pants deal.  You instinctively set controls ahead of time.  Focus? Set to infinity at f/8 (usually!) got a good image.
Of course in the tropical jungle with outrageous temps and humidity--film going bad was always an issue as well.
Shoot more film--your images are great!  And, that F2 is a great camera for the job.
get the image


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## Derrel (Jul 25, 2020)

80-200 f/4,AI-S, 62mm filter size, bought 10 years ago, used.


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## vintagesnaps (Jul 25, 2020)

I've always shot sports (hockey) focusing manually. That's how I learned and to me isn't hard to do. Guess it just took a lot of practice and once you learn it you don't forget it. Takes anticipating the action, I like to let them skate into my viewfinder.

I don't use zoom lenses so no creeping lenses for me (and at first what came to mind was 'creepy' lenses!)

Derrel you forgot to take the sticker off. (jk I know then half the time when you do then there's residue from the sticker...)


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## ac12 (Jul 25, 2020)

Derrel said:


> 80-200 f/4,AI-S, 62mm filter size, bought 10 years ago, used.View attachment 195033



I bought two of them used, and both had binding zooms    One REALLY BAD.
Whoever had them knocked them hard against something.  
I was advised on the first one, that it was not worth the cost to repair it.
So I'm still looking for a good one.

But I have the 80-200/4.5 which is butter smooth.


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