You said you had a request to use a fisheye lens, then said you shoot real estate in a later comment. Sounds like you do not want a fisheye lens? So if you are taking shots for real estate, I take it you want to use a lens that is rectilinear in order to keep the vertical lines true? Then the best solutions were posted by math78. First you will need a full frame body. That allows you to take advantage of several good wide lenses. But, you also can try your current DX wide zoom lens with a full frame body, and then crop before distortion or vignetting is apparent. I have done that successfully in the past. Many very wide zooms can be pushed a little further than advertised when they are mounted on a full frame. You do have to trick the full frame body into taking a full frame shot with a Dx lens, easy enough in the camera menu. Can you borrow a full frame body from a friend and try it? And the second suggestion was to take several exposures while panning the scene. Then stitch them together. But be aware the camera will need to be held level and rotated as level as possible in order to make the stitching easy. Most might use a tripod and level the camera base first before shooting. And there are special panoramic tripod heads that make the chore simple. Good luck!
I have had a lot of cameras, and sometimes the new ones were a result of GAS I admit. But since you like to shoot your grandchildren a camera body capable of good quality images at very high ISO, taken in very dim light should be enough to settle this question? And the much wider dynamic range is also a big plus. Most of us use the GAS to drive moving up from one generation of hardware to the next one. But you are taking a giant leap over many generations. You will immediately see a vast difference in capability. Your money will be very well spent.
A great double cable for the newer pb-6 bellows, or use on older bellows with the mentioned adapter. Or get the adapter BR-6 and use with reversed lenses. A nice smooth feel while activating the shutter. You are selling it for a great price, super deal for someone wanting to getting into macro!
Terrific image, and very imaginative!
Try looking at "Cloudy Nights", a forum dedicated to astronomy and free to join. Lots of nice people on there, a good forum to be a member of if you find yourself enjoying Astronomy. Taking pics of solar objects like the moon, and planets should be fine, even if your scope mount is not finely tuned. And proper Celestron tripods for that scope, with a larger top plate, bracing, and properly spaced mounting holes are often found used in that forums: "for sale" section. But you will not likely find anything for $25. You got an unbelievable deal on that scope! I think a used Celestron tripod, sized for an 8 inch scope like yours, some even with a wedge, will run about $100-150. Keep in mind that astronomy is a lot like photography, expensive to upgrade. Enjoy the hobby, it is a blast. My first scope was an 8inch Meade. The whole system, used, ran me $1300 if I recall. But money well spent. Now if I can only stop with my 16 inch scope?
Nice work, love the first one, so much going on.
Many into astronomy use those sights. I have one and it is quick to use and easy too. The advantage may be that the user sees not just what is in the gun sight , but outside of it as well. So with a wide view beyond the sight picture you see what is going on around you and can react to things as they change. No tunnel vision of only using the viewfinder of the camera.
I bought the cheapest one on E-Bay, sent to me from China. It was junk! Spent a couple days remaking it and now it is pretty good. But I have a metal lathe and a milling machine in my workshop. Made a teflon bearing for it and a brass bushing. Re milled some surfaces to make them radial and true. So unless you have the time and skills, figure to pay more! I have seen some in the 100-200 dollar range that are decent out of the box. If you want to do nice panels and need to take several images to make the panoramic, make sure that the camera is centered over the top of the rotation bearing. Otherwise panos become less accurate. I have seen even higher buck heads that did not line up the camera mount over the center of the rotation axis.
The Nikon 70-200 f2.8 are generally all good lenses. Three of the latest versions all have VR. They are quite hand holdable. I have owned the VR1, and loved it. Sold it when I retired as a wedding pro for more than I paid for it new! I had gotten some great candid portraits with that lens while working as a full time photographer. I felt like a sniper using it to pick out some fun expressions of unaware subjects using room light alone. I missed that lens enough that I now have the middle version VRII, and love it as well. I have seen no need to spend more for the latest e-version. But have heard great things about the latest version. Any of those three are great bang for the buck. IF you need the capabilities they provide. But be aware they are not light in weight.
If saving money, then go for version 1, used, you will enjoy it! Just make sure any used version has the rotating tripod clamp with it. Those tripod mounts are not cheap on the used market. BUT you will still need a wide to lower tele zoom to have a range suitable for walk around use. There are many available that are quite good. I have always felt that having only one lens to do it all never worked perfectly for me. Since I have a full frame camera, I prefer the 24-120 to walk around with. You might prefer something a little wider with a crop camera? Best of luck!
Quite thought provoking, well done !
Cool image! Makes for a lot of thought, both by the photographer and the viewer!
Nicely composed, exposed, and focused image!
Maybe start out using window light, or a constant light source, like LED? Use either another constant LED as a fill, or a simple reflector? Use your meter and measure the difference between main and fill lights. When you get a good idea of what you like, then use the meter in flash mode and set up your lighting to duplicate the same ratios. Always easiest to use constant light sources to learn the trade. Another fun thing for learning is to go to the museum. Look at the dutch masters use of light and shadow in their portraits. Really look at the paintings and figure out where the light sources are, and determine the quality of the light source, i.e: soft, harsh, direct, indirect. Study the shadows cast by the nose. Also find a human sculpture that you can walk around. Start from head on and notice the types of lights used to illuminate it. Then slowly walk around to either side and see how the play of light and shadow affect the face. The light stays fixed and your movement changes the portrait! All are fun exercises, and you can take your family with you to enjoy the day.
You did mention using a focus rail. Some members are indicating it is a bellows unit. Not true. While better bellows systems also incorporate a focus rail, I would never purchase a bellows without a built in focus rail myself, some less expensive brand name bellows systems do not have a built in focus rail. A simple focus rail is used to move the camera plus lens attached, (can be a macro lens, reversed, on bellows, with filters etc) forward and back until you find the best focus point and composition. Some may incorporate a short lateral rail to move side to side slightly. But fore and aft, for focussing is the main purpose, mounted on a solid tripod and head of course. A focus rail is never used without a tripod.