Somebody had a good night! I’ve been messing around with the new Nikon 85mm 1.8g lens. I usually purchase my lenses from Keh.com… but thanks to the wonder of Amazon Rewards I was able to buy this one new. Because of the D200 crop factor, I hadn’t been craving an 85, but it is a great lens that should be at the top of your list if you don’t already have one in the range.

I have to admit, I have not had time to do any serious shooting with the D800, but I’ve been forcing myself to lug it in on my commute a few days a week, mostly with this lens attached.

My favorite D800 feature is the Auto ISO implementation. I have it set to keep the shutter speed at 2x the lens focal length with a max ISO of 6400. Combined with a fast prime like the 85mm, I’ve been taking shots I never would have tried with my previous cameras, and getting some great results. I also have a permanent 1/2 stop of underexposure dialed into the Exposure Fine Tuning setting.

I’ve been trying to force myself not to pixel peep as much with this camera… 50% view is now my default in Lightroom for checking focus, noise and sharpening. Lightroom is bogging down a bit, but after turning off Noise Reduction, Sharpening and Lens correction, its a bit quicker when going into develop mode.

As a side note, I did some testing to see if I had the dreaded “Left-AF Point” issue… I tried with both a 24mm and the 85, and I don’t see it. None of my buttons or dials have fallen off yet either. There are some deals showing up for the Nikon extended warranty… I will probably wind up getting one.

— end transmission —

Sean