lloydl2 Loc: Gilbert, AZ

Went to the DEsert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix, bright and early this morning for probably the last visit until fall... Most of the blooming is history although there are still plenty of wild flowers in bloom but seemingly no more of the beautiful cactus flowers that unfortunately only last a day or so. Here are some exposures to enjoy!

(Download)


(Download)



blooming Sugauro

(Download)


(Download)

meatyore

Very nice set- !

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Are these the ones near Superior?

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

I wouldn't know about Cactus flowers in AZ but in CA they are sneaky. They usually bloom early in the Morning in the dark and close up by Noon. We also have some different native Cacti. I believe all Saguaro Cactus are only native to AZ. Nice pix!

lloydl2 Loc: Gilbert, AZ

No! These were all shot at the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix, AZ

tainkc Loc: Kansas City

These are really nice, Lloyd. I Especially like the lighting. What surprises me is that you are the first person that I have seen on UHH that regularly uses an A99. I almost bought an an A99 since I am a Sony shooter and I have a bunch of A mount lenses that are already designed for full frame. I almost pulled the trigger on one but unfortunately, other things more imp[ortant came up. What do you really like about this camera?

Tom

lloydl2 Loc: Gilbert, AZ

Tom, I love this sony camera! The reason I went sony is because I used to shoot Minolta Maxxum and had lenses... I originally had the alpah a100 and it was just okay, not good in low light. The a99 with its translucent mirror and live view and feature laden programmable buttons have allowed me to set up this camera exactly how I shoot, which is manual, center focus, spot exposure and back button focus, all doable with buttons on the camera and not needing to go into the menu system. The fullframe sensor is great in low light too, unlike my previous sony cameras which were noisy. I've gotten to the point where I can look at the live view in the view finder and adjust the exposure without even looking at the meter readings allowing me to nail those backlit scenes and other unusual lighting. I also have a Sony rx100 m3 and this is a wonderful camera as well, I use it when I don't feel like schleping the big and heavy a99. Thanks for the compliments on my photos so which sony do you shoot?

[quote=tainkc]These are really nice, Lloyd. I Especially like the lighting. What surprises me is that you are the first person that I have seen on UHH that regularly uses an A99. I almost bought an an A99 since I am a Sony shooter and I have a bunch of A mount lenses that are already designed for full frame. I almost pulled the trigger on one but unfortunately, other things more imp[ortant came up. What do you really like about this camera?

Tom[/quote]

lloydl2 Loc: Gilbert, AZ

thanks!

lloydl2 Loc: Gilbert, AZ

thanks!

tainkc Loc: Kansas City

Thanks for your quick reply, Lloyd. I shoot with the Sony A580. I started with the Sony A500, which I gave to my daughter when she had her first child. The reason I went with Sony was basically the sames as yours. Before going into digital, I shot with a Minolta Maxxum also. Therefore, I already had some good lenses (not kit lenses either). While deciding on which brand to go with, I did some additional homework and figured out that if I were to duplicate these lenses by going with either Nikon or Canon, and even the new Sony lenses for that matter, I would have to spend at least an additional $10,000.00. That sealed the deal for me.

What is funny is that I was about to buy my wife either a Sony hx300 or 400 just to keep things simple for her. Yesterday, she went out and bought a Galaxy 5 smart phone. That ended that idea. It also saved me some money.

Tom

lloydl2 Loc: Gilbert, AZ

thanks for sharing! I assume you are pleased with your a580? ....... I also have a sumsung s 5 and a samsung s tablet 10.5. The S5 has a 16 Megapixel camera and takes pretty decent pictures ... but I still prefer a real camera.. the RX100 allows me the versatility of shooting raw and manual as well as fully automatic. I spent considerable time setting up the menu options on it to get it to shoot the way I do on the big a99 and got it pretty close.. It doesn't have back button focus but I can easily drop it into manual focus... which prevents it from trying to refocus without having to hold the shutter button 1/2 down while I recompose..

Good shooting!

tainkc Loc: Kansas City

Yes. I like the A580 very much. It is about used up though. I need to send it in (I have an extended warranty) for some minor stuff such as it won't focus sharp anymore no matter which lens I am using or if I am in AF or manual. The fn button is also sticking (probably because I hardly ever need to go there).

I also think that this camera is so good and that is one of the reasons that I don't go full frame. I really don't need to.

lloydl2 Loc: Gilbert, AZ

yeah, I hear you! I gave plenty of thought about going with the A77, although I had heard the first model of it had some noise issues so decided to splurge and go for the fullframe.. and haven't looked back since.

tainkc Loc: Kansas City

Terrific!

dennisallard Loc: Southern Maine

Excellent set. The lighting is really unique.