I recall that Ken Rockwell’s comment on Nikon’s series of DX 18-XXX lenses is that one should to get the focal length you need. He liked the DX 18-300 because of its utility, but no complaints about the DX 18-200. My wife and I have used all of these and found them very satisfactory for general photography.

Weii, no, unless your pocket can fit a boombox with big speakers. How are you going to bother a whole neighborhood with the puny sound that comes out of a phone?

I take the point, though. These are the days of miracles and wonder.

My primary shooting involves birds and hand-held long lenses. As I meander through the swamps, my camera is on a Black Rapid cross-body strap attached to the lens foot. The height is set so that my right hand can also hold the lens foot. Very easy to swing the rig into shooting position.

Nice sharp captures of the sparrows.

The backgrounds in these images are distracting. Could you find spots in your backyard with less foliage?

For these specfic images, did you mask the backgrounds and blur them? For a single image, that may work, but to see the same technique in two shots in a row makes us more aware of the manipulation.

To minimize the ratio of subject to background, you might try a vertical orientation.

If you choose to rework these, please post the results

Nikon AF-P 10-20 f4.5-5.6 VR for a very good lightweight lens; Tokina 11-16 f2.8 or 11-20 f2.8 (various versions) for wider apertures. All of these are DX. Full frame wide angles get heavier and more expensive.

For sale is one of my favorite f-mount lenses. This Tamron 35-150 has a very useful focal length and faster apertures that the normal consumer zoom. Tamron marketed this as a "portrait lens" and a "travel lens" because of its focal range, and it would be great for these uses. Personally, I have used this for concert photography, where both wide and telephoto shots are needed in not-so-good lighting. I have even used this recently on my Z8 with an adapter, but finally gave in and bought the Z-mount version. The lens is in very good condition, with both caps and the original hood. Glass is clean, and has been protected by a UV filter for as long as I have owned it. There are one or two small smudges on the exterior but nothing major.

The price is $350 net to me, so shipping and PayPal fees (if any) will be a little extra. In addition to PayPal, i would accept Venmo, Zelle, etc.

PLEASE PM ME WITH INTEREST OR QUESTIONS.

One of the first writing assignments in my graduate MBA program was to describe a business situation as concisely as possible. If you turned in anything longer than one page, you failed the assignment. Good habit to develop.

Sure. If you were young and in love, maybe you have a favorite song/track/mix that is part of your common experience. Who knows the mysteries of the human heart?

Better yet, they encouraged recording, with areas of the venue set aside for the purpose. They understood the power of “social media” long before the internet.

I am an amateur musician and an amateur photographer. I LOVE taking pictures of other musicians playing. The issue of concert photography is one I watch closely. If possible, I always ask the musician or venue personnel if I can take pictures.

In my experience, most venues below the top tier allow non-flash photography. I have never had an artist prohibit me from taking pictures. I share the best with the artist.

As has been noted, large venues are more restrictive in their policies, but enforcement varies. As recently as last week, I was at a show at which a fully equipped audience member was running up to the front without being stopped. I took cell phone shots from my seat.

I have half a dozen emerging artists currently using my images for their web sites. Great relationships, great fun.

Have one sitting around gathering dust? I’ll give it a good home.

Please send me a Private Message.

Best,
Clark

Have not received a response from my PM (Private Message) from yesterday at 7:20 am. I feel it is better to discuss buy/sell issues in private, so hopefully we can continue a discussion via messages.

PM sent.

It may seem obvious in this case, but when you list your items for sale, you should add that your Nikon items are « USA » models, not grey market. Regardless of warranty status, Nikon US will refuse to service a product that was not purchased through their sales network. This is important to some buyers (including me), who would like the assurance that service is available if ever needed. If the original paperwork included a warranty for the US, you’re golden.

Burkphoto is an economist; i am a retired owner of market research company. The chart that we are commenting on is absurd. I’d be surprised if there was ever a survey to begin with. If there was, the survey writer should be fired. It combines actual experience with the economy (how are you doing?), and the “belief” in the CPI, which are totally different issues.

Clearly, from the comments in the thread, many people do not “believe” the official inflation numbers, and this could be probed further. Everybody has their own experience with prices based on what they are buying, and it would be unusual if any one person experienced exactly the rate of inflation expressed in the CPI composite.

But if people don’t trust statistics in general, this chart is a good example of the cause.