One body, one prime -- your thoughts

[Thorkil]

Thank you for the compliment! I've been massaging and tweaking the Ducati to suit my long-established likes and dislikes, it's coming near to done now. Just a couple of details left to go.

:thumbup: I must say it might be the most beautiful Ducatis I have seen, but the old 750 SS and 900 SS (the one Mike Hailwood won TT at Isle of Man 1978) or just the old Sportmodels of both are beauties too

I love the Morgan three wheelers, a friend of mine here in the USA owns one, but they're a bit tight for my comfort (I'm not a small guy... ). Another friend in the UK has a gorgeous Morgan Plus 4 in black that is just a delight to ride in; I haven't had the pleasure to drive it yet.

The only car I would kill for, is the 3-wheeler, but an Aero 8 or even better an Aeromax could do it as a second choise, and if everything failed the Plus 8 might comfort the lost dream of the others. But luckily its totally our of reach

But when it comes to cars, I've come to realize that I prefer the Mercedes Benz SLK typ 171 series more than nearly anything else: I'm delighted with my 2006 SLK280. It combines the joy of a nippy roadster with the comfort, quiet, and long-distance capability of a hardtop coupé.

I have to be modest when I buy all these oldfashioned Nikkor-lenses, so a VW will do...:angel:

If I went for a TTL body as my "one body, one prime", I'd choose my Leica SL fitted with the Macro-Elmarit-R 60mm f/2.8 lens. I tend to prefer slightly longer (or significantly wider) lenses on a TTL body compared to what works best for me on the M rangefinder nowadays. G

Yes a lovely machine indeed, the wide lenses provoke me to sort of take heartbeating "risks" in the street, while its can be rather exhausting, it can also give pleasure and be rewarding, but yes the longer ones are more comfortable

thorkil

 

[Godfrey]

:thumbup: I must say it might be the most beautiful Ducatis I have seen, but the old 750 SS and 900 SS (the one Mike Hailwood won TT at Isle of Man 1978) or just the old Sportmodels of both are beauties too ...

Quite the compliment, thank you!

I had a 1972 Ducati 750 Sport once upon a time, one of the most beautiful bikes of that era IMO. This new Ducati Scrambler model felt to me a direct descendent of my long beloved 1975 Ducati 750GT when I test rode it, and I've been tweaking its bodywork, ergonomics, etc, to suit that even more. I rode the three 750GTs I had for many many miles, over a period of nearly twenty years, and the last of them became a very special machine that I built from the ground up:

​

... Leica SL and Macro-Elmarit-R 60mm ...
Yes a lovely machine indeed, the wide lenses provoke me to sort of take heartbeating "risks" in the street, while its can be rather exhausting, it can also give pleasure and be rewarding, but yes the longer ones are more comfortable

My second most used lens on the Leica SL is the Super-Elmar-R 15mm f/3.5 ultrawide. Set to square format, it nets images that really do it for me, but I doubt I could consider that to be my "one camera, one lens" choice. It's a bit too extreme.

G

 

[Thorkil]

Yes thats the one Godfrey, what a beauty!
I builded in a 850 Norton Commando MKII engine in a Norton Manx featherbed racing frame, it stands very rusty in the garage under an open window (dont even mention it, I know...)
Before Jack is lifting his eyebrows I will just say, that, if you dont know the story, you have to google it, how Hailwood after many years in car-racing came back to motorcycle-racing at the Ducati that was prepared for him, without any practice at all, as far as I remember,
and won the TT. He later got killed in a car accident.
Yes I also got a feeling for the ultra-wide, specially when I had the nikkor 14-24, but most other people think 14mm is too weird, I don't, the 14-24 at 14mm was about the only setting and the only lens I used on the D3 for several years.
best thorkil

 

[Jack]

Okay, if Foto-C got both I will persuade Henning to lent them to me at Nyhavn for an hour, and give the Sigma a chance, I promise :angel:

thorkil

:thumbs: I think you'll be glad you did.

I just reviewed a few images I've made with both the 50 and 24 ART and was again almost stunned by how crisply they both render, yet also smoothly at the same time, without the harshness other very sharp lenses lean toward...

 

[Thorkil]

:thumbs: I think you'll be glad you did.

I just reviewed a few images I've made with both the 50 and 24 ART and was again almost stunned by how crisply they both render, yet also smoothly at the same time, without the harshness other very sharp lenses lean toward...

Thanks. But Nasim Mansurov claims that corners are more bad on the Sigma at 1.4-2.0, but what the heck , but also that the one example of the lens was bad, the other very good. But one got try try it before buying...I will take a look.
best thorkil

 

[jlancasterd]

I'm picking up the D850 I ordered tomorrow and will be tempted to see what it will do paired with my Sigma ART 35mm – potentially a good versatile combination and relatively light weight for travel.

 

[Jorgen Udvang]

Here's my "one body, one prime", at least for the time being. Lens is the Samyang 135mm f/2. The camera body... those who don't recognise it will be transferred to the micro sensor forum as punishment. Photo taken at some cool beach resort in Bali, with young, even cooler, surfers battling the waves and me taking photos of the local fishermen. Life could be worse, but tomorrow, reality hits again...

LG K10, my $150 mobile device

 

[Jack]

Right now, my goto is going to remain a high MP body (D8xx) and the 28 asph OLD.

 

[DougDolde]

I've changed my opinion on this. A7R III plus 25mm Batis

 

[Mr.Gale]

On lens? You've got to be kidding. :ROTFL:
I'm going to New Zealand next week and I'm taking my new D850 plus my old stand by's, 24-70-mm and 80-400mm.

Mr.G

 

[Godfrey]

On my recent trip to Palm Springs and other points in SoCal, I carried the Leica M-D and both Summicron-M 50 and Summilux 35mm lenses. But I only used the 50mm lens. It always makes me smile when I see what can be done with just a single nice normal lens:

Stealth Spaceship - Buttonwillow 2017
Leica M-D + Summicron-M 50mm f/2
ISO 250 @ f/6.8 @ 1/500 sec


Leica M-D + Summicron-M 50mm f/2
ISO 400 @ f/8 @ 1/500 sec
Six frame panorama, hand-held, stitched with Lightroom 6​

enjoy,
G

 

[Frankly]

I travel with a D810 and Zeiss 50/1.4. When I want a wide angle I simply make a few shots and stitch them together. It won't work for group portraits but those are best left for phones anyway, they never go beyond social media.

The new style fat paracord style camera straps make carrying much easier. They are bulkier but much more comfortable.

 

[Godfrey]

Oh yes ... I see I listed a photo of the Ducati Scrambler in this thread. A quick update:

The Scrambler drove me crazy in the end. I worked on it for three months, adjusting ergonomics, engine, seat, etc, and I just could not make it handle the way I wanted it to or be comfortable to ride. Every time I rode it, I hit 30 miles and my back and butt were in screaming pain. The suspension was awful and needed $2500 worth of upgraded components to fix it. Ya da, ya da ... in three months, it barely got 300 miles on it. I decided I'd had enough pain with it.

I went for a test ride on The Other Bike I'd been interested in at a new dealer nearby. I traded the Scrambler for it on the spot...

2017 Moto Guzzi V7III Racer

Racer is about the nicest looking, most comfortable bike for me since I sold my Moto Guzzi LeMans V and 850T bikes a dozen years ago. It needed nothing at all, although of course I've done a little bit of personal configuration work. It's easy to work on, super comfortable, and (to my eye) really pretty. In four weeks I've already put a thousand miles on it ...

Life is good.

Back to the one body-one prime ... I'm heading off to visit my uncle and his daughter's family in Houston, Texas today. Driving there to enjoy the road trip: three days each way plus whatever side trips come up. The SLK is all prepped and I grabbed the Leica M-D with the 50mm on it again. Yes, I do have the 35mm in the bag as well as the spare battery. All ready to go.

Happy Thanksgiving all'y'all!

onwards!
G

 

[Thorkil]

Oh yes ... I see I listed a photo of the Ducati Scrambler in this thread. A quick update:

The Scrambler drove me crazy in the end. I worked on it for three months, adjusting ergonomics, engine, seat, etc, and I just could not make it handle the way I wanted it to or be comfortable to ride. Every time I rode it, I hit 30 miles and my back and butt were in screaming pain. The suspension was awful and needed $2500 worth of upgraded components to fix it. Ya da, ya da ... in three months, it barely got 300 miles on it. I decided I'd had enough pain with it.

I went for a test ride on The Other Bike I'd been interested in at a new dealer nearby. I traded the Scrambler for it on the spot...

2017 Moto Guzzi V7III Racer

Racer is about the nicest looking, most comfortable bike for me since I sold my Moto Guzzi LeMans V and 850T bikes a dozen years ago. It needed nothing at all, although of course I've done a little bit of personal configuration work. It's easy to work on, super comfortable, and (to my eye) really pretty. In four weeks I've already put a thousand miles on it ...

Life is good.

Back to the one body-one prime ... I'm heading off to visit my uncle and his daughter's family in Houston, Texas today. Driving there to enjoy the road trip: three days each way plus whatever side trips come up. The SLK is all prepped and I grabbed the Leica M-D with the 50mm on it again. Yes, I do have the 35mm in the bag as well as the spare battery. All ready to go.

Happy Thanksgiving all'y'all!

onwards!
G

beautiful Godfrey! Yes I do understand, the Moto Guzzi would also be my first take of a goto machine nowadays....but I dare not even restore my Manx/Commando 850..it could be dangerous...I was driving too wild when I was young, you know, at the backwheel at the trafficlights, and further 150meters (about the same in yards) down the road, but it was fun...:angel:
..av'a nice tour!
thorkil
PS, I'm sure Jack would think we are a bit off topic, but he woun't fingerpoint I'm sure ..:angel:
PPS, I can se you'h got Öhlin dampers and progressiv springs(S&W I guess) mounted

 

[Godfrey]

Thank you!

The rear suspension is all Ohlins, direct from the factory. Really really good stuff!

I fitted bar end mirrors and a set of Agostini mufflers, loaded a custom map for the engine control computer to set up the mixtures and spark timing properly. The mufflers were mostly to get a lighter weight and a little richer sound... they help Racer make a bit more power too, but it's not a huge change. Beyond that,I put a higher output headlamp bulb in and set the rear suspension adjustments up properly. It handles very very well and is quite fast enough.

I used to ride a lot faster when I was young and immortal. I'm content to piddle along now, too old for such speed. I still like to run quickly down a curvy road, however: It's more fun to ride a modestly powered, good handling bike quickly than to ride an overpowered, ill handling bike fast...

I'm stopped for lunch at the junction of Hwy 152 and I-5 in California now. I hope to be in Arizona when I stop for the night. Miles to go, miles to go... I see a few photo ops, do I take the time to make a few snaps. I'll see in a few minutes. ;-)

Onwards!
G

 

[Thorkil]

Safe ride Godfrey, even if its "just" a SLK.
Considering one camera, one lens - my pt. consideration is perhaps downscaling instead of upscaling (the D850), perhaps just a Fuji X-E3 with the cult-pancake-lens 18/2(sharp in the middle, at the edges it render a bit like the 6'ties wide open), as an pocket-camera (almost at least), could perhaps be like a new GR for me...even though manual prefocusing will not be as easy as the GR's snap-distance-settings which is genius
and then wait patiently for a mirrorless Nikon FF..and let time tell..hurry up Nikon(!).
But actual Nikon-otherwise it would be, for the time being, the Df+28/1.4D, hard to beat..

 

[Thorkil]

well..just while we are in the bike-thread ...and in Italian-mood - here is an bit old picture (sorry for unprocessed, but only had preserved them in Jpegs) of the famous
Laverda 750 SFC - Nikon D3 with 14-24

thorkil

 

[Godfrey]

Lovely Laverda 750SFC ... My buddy Keith used to race one of those, and a Jota as well.

One camera, one lens: Got up this morning in Needles, CA. Cook a little drive around and snapped a couple of photos with the Leica ... still haven't taken the 50mm off of it. Then a few more with the iPhone, including the two old boys pictured in the attachment. Actual quote: "Pardon me while I kickstart my pacemaker."

They were fun.

Onwards!
G

 

[Thorkil]

Wonderful remarks from the guys.
I envy your patience to do the M, had to sell my ME because of unpatience.
Yes the 1000 3 cyl. Jota was a monster and a beauty!, with special sound from the 3 120 degree offset pistonmovement
:thumbup:
thorkil

 

[DougDolde]

Well it's been decided. My D850 arrives next week as well as a Zeiss ZF.2 28mm lens.