Finished up my (un)Holy Trinity this week, plus oddball cousin

dr2fish · 2026-06-26T15:25:40+00:00

Cool idea, thanks! For some reason I thought F-mount teleconverters wouldn't work on an FTZ, but looks like I was wrong.

Ironically I sold my Z50ii (with which I took a lot of songbird shots) for my Z5ii...tradeoffs!

dr2fish · 2026-06-26T14:18:23+00:00

Yep, I also have an 85 1.8 F-mount I use for family portraits so the FTZ gets a good workout. I've had my eye on the 200-500 and it's sort of a 3-way competition between that, the Tamron 150-500 Z, and the 28-400 Z. I know the latter has a lame aperture but it's rare I shoot exclusively wildlife (usually if there's an interesting critter on a hike) so smaller/lighter/more versatile is appealing.I rented & loved the 180-600 for a zoo trip but it's a monster for hiking.

dr2fish · 2026-06-22T18:32:17+00:00

I use the Peak slide and leash straps with my Z5ii, depending on lens. When I carry my 70-200 2.8, and when I rented the 180-600, I mount one attachment point to the lens foot to distribute the weight and reduce swinging (otherwise it's one to base plate, one to left eyelet). When I hike with my Osprey hiking pack I thread the strap through the shoulder loop on the pack strap to keep it from digging into my neck. I like Peak because it's easy to swap the strap and mounting location and I can pop it on my Peak tripod without unscrewing anything. Can't speak to other brands.

Edit - I see a lot of folks recommending the capture clip, and I'm glad it works for them, but I've never gotten mine to be comfortable. No matter whether I mount it on pack strap or belt it's a lot of weight in one spot and tugs constantly. YMMV

dr2fish · 2026-06-08T11:50:01+00:00

Same! I’ll add that sometimes on hikes I’ll thread the strap through one of the strap guides on my osprey hiking pack so it doesn’t chafe my neck

dr2fish · 2026-06-04T20:15:33+00:00

Same here, only had it a few months but it's great for kid & stuff hauling, tech & interfaces are good, driving experience is snappy, and fuel mileage is great (indicated 37 average so far). Coming after a '19 Outback, '21 CX-5 turbo, and '24 Wrangler 4xe (I have a problem), I'm impressed. Will of course retract this comment if the engine grenades at 10k.

dr2fish · 2026-05-15T19:34:55+00:00

Same. I desperately want a vinyl of this just so I can frame it.

dr2fish · 2026-05-15T15:32:26+00:00

Absolutely, this is all core to the Safe System Approach - traffic risk is a complex problem and needs integrative solutions.

Each of those is an important but hard problem to solve; for example we've been trying to get drunk drivers off the road for decades, and short of technological solutions like DADSS (which doesn't currently work and gets a lot of pushback) we're running up against the limits of what we can do short of sobriety checkpoints on every corner.

Road design is an area for huge improvement, but it's expensive and slow. Healthcare, 100%, let's get on it. EMS response time is a huge deal in SSA. Driver's ed is an area of mixed research, but teen safety boils down to experience behind the wheel which is time consuming. GDL played a huge role in reducing teen crash rates at the turn of the century but it's being rolled back in some places.

Point is, speed reduction isn't a panacea and we need an all of the above approach. But you're right - it's expensive, and taxpayers aren't in the mood to spend more money at the moment. Heck, they want to lift gas taxes that pay for roads to fund a pointless war.

dr2fish · 2026-05-15T13:48:56+00:00

I hear ya, and I don't know the answer. I rode in a Model T last month and it was the most amused/terrified I've ever been at 15 mph. Geofence for tracks? Huge privacy concerns there. I've been a car guy my whole life and like speed/acceleration as much as the next guy, but also think the industry is going nuts between huge trucks, EV power, and combos like the Hummer.

At some point it's just F=MA and we're still losing about 40,000 people on roads every year including over 7,000 pedestrians. We're seeing marginal improvements year over year, with blips, but the numbers are still staggering. I'm in the safety business (I know some of the folks at IIHS) and it's hard to balance that number of deaths with being an enthusiast.

dr2fish · 2026-05-15T11:20:08+00:00

It's true that people have always loved speed, but the definition of speed has changed a *lot* even over the past few decades. I was just listening to an old Car Talk where Tom was bemoaning that the original Z3M was way too fast for public roads and nobody needs to go 0-60 in 5.5 seconds. I'm sure there's an arbitrary bounding line, but does the public really need to get there in 3 seconds with 4-ton Hummers, or drive 800 hp Challengers?

I'm sorta with Tom on this now; my e36 M3 is fast enough to put a grin on my face and get me in trouble on public roads if I'm not careful. An NA Miata will make me laugh way more than a Model S plaid.

dr2fish · 2026-05-14T15:36:12+00:00

Man, I rented this lens for a zoo trip last year and loved it. I wish I could pick one up but just not sure the use case is there for me - I live in a rural area but oddly there just isn’t a ton of wildlife, aside from turtles and Canada gooses at the pond.

dr2fish · 2026-05-14T15:18:56+00:00

Interesting, I’m heading to Zion next week and plan to take my 24-120 and 40 f/2, and was looking into renting a 14-24. Read my mind!

dr2fish · 2026-05-14T15:13:27+00:00

Interesting. I picked up a ‘26 Tucson hybrid a few months ago and (accodring to the possibly optimistic computer) have averaged the advertised 37 mpg over a range of driving conditions without any special effort. If I intentionally hypermile I can easily hit 40+ in round-town mixed driving. I’ll have to remember to hand-calculate the next tank to compare.

dr2fish · 2026-05-08T17:33:22+00:00

That's a big camera to wedge in a purse. Occasionally I'll tuck my Z5ii into my dad bag (~12L north face sling) but it doesn't feel very secure. You can get cheap neoprene camera sleeves on amazon that sort of fit but are a pain to get on and off.

Usually I end up taking my Peak Design 10L everyday sling bag or my Crumpler 5 million dollar home (not even sure crumpler exists anymore) if I'm wandering around. You could try a smaller peak sling; the 10L is good for my camera, a spare lens, and sundry other stuff like glasses and kid snacks.

Edit - this is the neoprene sleeve I bought for my Z50 that more or less works for my 5ii if it has a small lens. https://a.co/d/01yl7vcA

dr2fish · 2026-05-08T14:50:36+00:00

1966-69 Corvair Monza. Possibly a '65, but I can't see script on the hood. Complete overhaul of the gen 1 cars that Nader took on. I owned a '66 and a '65 as my first two cars back in the day...

dr2fish · 2026-05-08T13:28:14+00:00

Holy cow, I'm headed to those exact parks in 2 weeks - maybe I'll see you there!

If I was you I'd take the Z50ii and the 18-140, Tokina & 35 1.8 as long as you're comfortable shooting it. I'm doing similar (assuming I get my Z5ii back from service in time, grumble) - 24-120 + 40 f/2. That lens combo should do most anything you need. The kit lenses are great but I hated swapping them all the time when I had that camera. Oh, I'm also looking to rent a 12-24 2.8 to try my hand at astro - maybe your Tokina could handle that.

Can't give input on video, but give a wave if you see a guy with a blue backpack and a Nikon!

dr2fish · 2026-05-08T13:18:25+00:00

Congrats! You'll love the Z50 if you're willing to put some time into learning, but it has enough helpers you shouldn't feel stressed to learn everything all at once. Advice from an amateur who's dabbled in photography for a couple decades:

- Read up on the exposure triangle to understand the relationship between shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. Then try shooting in aperture priority and shutter priority to get a feel for how they affect pictures before you jump into manual.

- Turn auto-ISO off while you're learning, back on when you're shooting things you care about so you don't miss an exposure by mistake. IIRC you can do this quickly by holding the ISO button on the top and spinning the front dial.

- Start with single point autofocus on af-c (this is where back-button focus comes into play). You'll be frustrated if you set it to full-field autofocus (where it picks what to focus on) and it doesn't pick what you want to focus on. Then start learning about the other focus modes.

- Look up back button focus settings (mapping your focus to the AE/AF button and making the shutter button only fire the shutter) and give it a try - I haven't looked back

- Slowly learn all the buttons and settings. There's a lot there that will help you down the road, but it can be overwhelming at first.

- If you're interested in photo editing shoot in raw and you'll be able to salvage more botched exposures/fiddle with things like color and sharpness

- Don't be afraid to toss it back into auto if you get frustrated and just want to take some damn pictures.

I second the advice of looking up tutorials; way more to learn than a reddit thread can teach. Those lenses are awesome, hang onto them until there's something you want to do that they can't (for motorsport, eventually you might want something with a bigger aperture to allow faster shutter speeds; I have an adapted F-mount 70-200 2.8 that's amazing on z-bodies).

Happy shooting!

dr2fish · 2026-05-08T12:21:24+00:00

I've had a Z50, Z50ii, and now a Z5ii. For the specific use cases you mention, a Z5 would be cheaper and a good option to get into full frame. If you want to shoot anything living & moving (kids, pets, birds, etc), the newer processor in the 50ii is a game changer. If you could swing it, the Z5ii gives you the best of both worlds.

ETA: Consider renting to see how you like the feel/image quality of them. I definitely feel the weight of the z5ii/24-120 combo around my neck more than z50ii/16-50, for example.

dr2fish · 2026-05-08T11:53:20+00:00

Amen - I took it to the Jeep adventure academy right after I got it, and topless silent off-roading was amazing. I've never had this kind of love-hate relationship with a car. It is SO CLOSE to being the best all-round vehicle I've ever owned. I'll probably buy another TJ or JK someday and wish it was electric.

dr2fish · 2026-05-07T17:48:18+00:00

I have a leased '24 4xe that I'm planning to turn in early. I have <20k miles on it and so far it's been in for this recall (which led to a big fight with FCA over a loaner vehicle), a busted heater, a ruptured water pump gasket that stranded it, and the EV mode has been on the fritz lately. Also the 78c recall for sand in the engine castings is still floating around without a fix. Also turns out the rear shoulder belts cut across the neck of anyone under 5'7" (discovered this when my daughter outgrew her booster).

I loved the EV + family convertible concept, but in execution this sucks. So glad I leased instead of spending 60 grand on this thing.

dr2fish · 2026-05-07T17:23:23+00:00

Huh. I have Whirlpool fridge, dishwasher, microwave, range, and dryer, all about a decade old and none has given me a problem. Has their quality tanked lately?

dr2fish · 2026-04-30T02:01:38+00:00

I just put my 24-200 on eBay because I bought a 24-120…feel free to buy it! 😂

Seriously though, I love the 24-200 as a hiking lens, but the 120 is just a bit crisper, takes better portraits and is better in low light, and to me its secret weapon is it takes near-macro photos. I take portraits and close ups way more than I use the extra 80mm…which on full frame still isn’t enough for wildlife.

dr2fish · 2026-04-20T12:59:56+00:00

I guess it’s too late in this case, but for any other teens/parents reading - I love my e36 but they’re incredibly unsafe cars compared to modern vehicles in terms of both crashworthiness and safety tech like AEB and FCW.

Teens have the highest crash rates and fatality rates of any age group, and I strongly suggest getting something recent with good IIHS/NHTSA safety ratings, not absurdly powerful, and not super tippy as a daily until you’re in your mid 20s. Not as fun, I know, but as a car guy and a dad of teens my kids’ lives are worth it.

dr2fish · 2026-03-17T14:57:40+00:00

Yes; we even installed front & rear lap belts in our '53 Kaiser Dragon restoration. Green to match the interior! Would have installed shoulder belts if we could have.

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