Record breaking day

Nikon D5100 55-300mm lens

Yesterday it was 30 selsius + in parts of the UK. Hotter than Barcelona, Athens and Los Angeles! This on October 1st. well into autumn.

Leica M9 Voigtlander 28mm f/2 Ultron

It was a glorious day, with an almost still sea.

Nikon D5100 55-300mm lens

 

Leica M9 Voigtlander 75mm f/2.5 Heliar

Leica M9 Voigtlander 28mm f/2 Ultron

Nikon D5100 55-300mm lens

2011 has been a strange year, with a cold winter, warm sunny spring and autumn and a pretty mediocre summer. Not great for holidaymakers but its been a really good year for photography and I don't remember taking so many pictures in a single year before. And its not over yet. We are promised a spectacular autumn because of this hot spell, though there is another forecast that says we will get snow in a couple of weeks!!

The weather is a constant topic of conversation in the UK and we are somewhat obsessed with it. It does provide varied, yet unpredictable conditions for photography however, and fortunately I'm in a position to take advantage of that.

Nikons D7000, D5100 and no more Micro Four Thirds.

So the transition is complete. Yesterday I sold my the last of my m4/3 cameras and lenses plus the Fuji X100 on ebay. Its optical viewfinders all the way now.

I have my four cameras, as this is my superstition, after having two cameras out of action on a trip to France and the 3rd. one I was left with struggling with a winder problem.

Its two Leicas and two Nikons with lots of shared lenses. I'm happy with the image quality from all of them. I'm happy with the handling of the Nikons especially. They are certainly very fast, very efficient and a delight to use.

I would have liked them to be lighter, but anything lighter will have an EVF, and I would rather have to carry a bit of extra weight if it cuts down on the migraine problem.

The D5100 + 16-85mm lens is however a pretty light outfit and should prove ideal for long distance work.

So enough testing, enough buying and selling. All I need now is some sunshine to start using all of this to take some pictures with.