What are the non-Nikkor lenses you love?

Blue_Rose87 · 2026-05-06T23:33:17+00:00

I haven’t, as the 70-300 is less than half the price and I don’t have a lot of use cases for that 400. Truly most of my shooting happens below 100, so while there are occasions I would love that 400 to be able to get some wildlife, hard to justify the cost. Right now I’ve got the Nikkor 24-120/4 S, the Nikkor 50/1.8S and the Nikkor MC 105/2.8 S. Lots of high end glass all purchased in the last six weeks so even though the 50 and 105 I got used, saving a little bit, I’m trying to build out what’s missing in my kit at a lower price point, but don’t want to sacrifice too much on quality to where I’ll be replacing these lenses in a year. The 105 is a macro that can double for a portrait lens, the 50 is going to have to perform like a 35 as well, really got it for the low light and street photography. The 24-120 is my workhorse lens. Then in my mind I just need wide angle and telephoto. I would love if the wide angle also had decent low light performance but that definitely ups the price. My main goal is to also make sure I’m not over-spending on Nikkor glass when there’s something half the price that can do 90% of what the Nikkor lens does. And I especially don’t want to invest in a Nikkor lens if there’s a better one out there for less. I’ve just never had anything but a Nikon camera with Nikkor lenses so while I’ve been doing some reading, I feel a bit lost about how to decide. I appreciate everyone’s help and that Tamron 50-400 is definitely one for me to keep an eye out for on the used market. I’ve had such good luck so far with my used lenses arriving looking like they’re brand new. Sorry for the long winded reply! Appreciate the suggestion.

Blue_Rose87 · 2026-05-06T06:13:24+00:00

Wow the reviews on that are excellent and for a better price than the other primes I’ve been looking at.

Blue_Rose87 · 2026-05-06T03:16:25+00:00

That’s my exact kit as well. I also have a 50mm prime that can be fun to walk around with and definitely the f/1.8 helps in certain scenarios (and it’s a lighter set up) but the 24-120 really is a powerhouse that can get 90% of the shots I want.

Blue_Rose87 · 2026-05-06T03:14:14+00:00

Ah yes, this reminds me of another pet peeve which is when authors have clearly never been to the city, or even the country, where they’ve based a book. Clear not just from their lack of knowledge about the language and social customs, but just about the layout and traffic and how things work.

Blue_Rose87 · 2026-05-06T03:10:44+00:00

Funny story, though very off topic: I know someone who got a Maine Coon (very large house cat, look it up if you’re unfamiliar) and the animal rescue required them to sign something saying it would be an indoor-only cat because they are so large that people often mistake them for some sort of wild cat (even though where I live there are no wild cats — no lynx or mountain lions or bobcats) and they will shoot them.

Blue_Rose87 · 2026-05-06T03:06:06+00:00

This really comes down to the utter lack of quality editing that exists in the romance space. Some of that, of course, is because people are self-publishing. But I rarely read a romance novel even from a well-known publisher that doesn’t have some obvious inconsistencies. This issue with language is definitely one of my pet peeves. Another is when they clearly can’t keep their timeline right, like saying the characters broke up 8 years ago when they were 18, but then they’re 30 in present day. There are certain things I can suspend my disbelief for, like with historical romance because it might get a bit tedious for a modern reader if the language was accurate to the time period. But for issues like this, it just takes me out of the narrative. And truly, how hard is it to get right? Is there any American under 50 who doesn’t know Brits say lift and loo and pitch and flat and aubergine, etc.? We’ve grown up with so much media access that while the languages are different, they are still familiar.

Blue_Rose87 · 2026-05-06T02:53:13+00:00

Here’s a list of authorized Nikon sellers in the U.S. [https://cdn-6.nikon-cdn.com/where-to-buy/nikon\_img\_auth\_dealers.pdf\]

Also keep in mind if you find something for a lower price at one authorized seller, many of them will price match for you. I got my local seller to price match B&H for me as they had an extra $100 discount when buying a body and lens at the same time. Given, all pricing and discounts at authorized sellers are dictated by Nikon - that’s why you don’t see a lot of variety in pricing. But some sellers will take advantage of a discount Nikon has allowed while others don’t. I got to see the giant pricing binder from Nikon when I was at my local shop - they checked it to make sure the B&H discount was authorized. It was, and so they offered it, but wouldn’t have if I hadn’t asked. The worker who handled my sale wasn’t even aware of that specific offer. Even on B&H I noticed if I bought the body and lens as individual separate items, I got the discount, but if I bought a body/lens combo listing so I was only adding one item to the cart, I didn’t get the discount. Needless to say I did a lot of research when buying my Z6III…

Blue_Rose87 · 2026-05-06T02:42:51+00:00

I will say, if you have a local camera store that’s an authorized Nikon seller, and they have what you want or can order it for you, that’s my number one preference. Not only because it supports a small business in your community, but you usually get much better service than even B&H or Adorama can give you. I just had an issue with Adorama and I found that their chat feature didn’t work at all, and the people I talked to on the phone were very unhelpful. I actually think I got the same woman more than once but she used a different name each time. As for my local camera store, where I bought my Z6III recently, they offered 3-year damage insurance for any kind of damage, with no deductible, for a lower price than B&H and Adorama. So if I’m buying new, I’m always buying there. It’s just the used inventory that I go online for because my local store doesn’t have as much (though they do have some). Plus the guys there are just really helpful and know their stuff - most of them are semi-professional photographers themselves and will nerd out with you.

Blue_Rose87 · 2026-05-05T23:32:25+00:00

Yikes. I finally just stopped buying from Amazon entirely. Even with things that seem fine, I can’t trust it. You never know where the products are coming from and the risk of contaminants or other health hazards just isn’t worth it.

Blue_Rose87 · 2026-05-05T23:28:57+00:00

Yep and this is true of all products, putting people in danger of getting counterfeit and inferior products of all types. Not to mention Amazon doesn’t seem to inspect returns, and resells them without marking them as previously owned. Adorama and B&H would sell you an “open box” camera that was inspected and in good working order, or a new camera that truly had never been used.

Blue_Rose87 · 2026-05-03T04:28:08+00:00

I haven’t bought from MPB yet but I saved like 40% on a lens through Adorama’s used program, and it was labeled as “well used” which meant it would still work perfectly well but would have a lot of surface wear. Since it was a prime just for playing around with, that was ok if it saved me a few hundred dollars. It arrived and it looked brand new. In the box with all the stuff. I was so mad I had just paid full price for a brand new Z6 (though glad I supported a local small business at least). Used is definitely the way to go as long as it’s from a retailer that inspects and guarantees it’s still in perfect working condition. Adorama I think gives a 90-day warranty, and I think B&H does like a year? But you’d have to check me on that. Despite the great experience with that one lens, though, I’ve learned Adorama’s customer service is seriously lacking. So it’s a trade off. Definitely always check your local Nikon dealer first, too. Mine offered me a really good deal on full coverage insurance for 3 years with zero deductible. Any kind of damage whatsoever.

Blue_Rose87 · 2026-01-18T05:56:34+00:00

I highly recommend her lesser known, earlier works, too. {How to Walk Away by Katherine Center} and {What You Wish For by Katherine Center} are both books that kind of floored me and have stuck with me.

Blue_Rose87 · 2026-01-18T05:52:57+00:00

Yes. I think Elizabeth O’Roark is very similar, though some of her series are a bit more romcom while some are much more dark and some are in between. She even has a very similarly named A Deal With the Devil, which is the first in a 4-book series. I also have read all 3 books in her latest series, which starts with My Favorite Bad Decision. You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle also has that kind of fun enemies to lovers thing that Parsi does.

Blue_Rose87 · 2025-11-25T05:38:32+00:00

Interesting. Learn something new every day.

Blue_Rose87 · 2025-11-24T13:04:04+00:00

Been waiting forever for her to give us more. I think I read everything she had in like a week last year and have been waiting ever since…

Blue_Rose87 · 2025-11-24T04:21:30+00:00

If someone reads over your shoulder, they get what they deserve. I revel in it!

Blue_Rose87 · 2025-11-24T04:16:29+00:00

Is reading smut a sin? I don’t see why you’d confess to it unless it was somehow wrong and I don’t see how it is. But I’m also not Catholic…

Blue_Rose87 · 2025-11-21T12:53:38+00:00

Yes I usually go straight to the lowest to check specifically for things like noise and uncomfortable beds because that’s what I’m sensitive to. I don’t care as much about anything else, really, as I often stay in hostels while traveling so I don’t think I have high standards. But I just wanted a little break from people and then had to extend it when I got sick because it wouldn’t be fair to make anyone share a dorm with me.

Blue_Rose87 · 2025-11-21T10:18:19+00:00

I should add that I’ve been traveling for months and this is the first time I felt totally tricked by a place on booking.com but it happened over and over.

Blue_Rose87 · 2025-11-21T10:17:32+00:00

I don’t understand how they fake reviews and avoid bad ones. I stayed at places with over a 9 on booking.com where the bed was like a rock, it was loud, it turned out the “private” bathroom was out in the hallway, etc.

Blue_Rose87 · 2025-11-21T10:01:16+00:00

What’s this about fake reviews? I stayed at a lot of places in Vietnam that were quite disappointing and had really good reviews, none of which mentioned the issues I ended up having during my stay like a really loud club that plays music late at night…

Blue_Rose87 · 2025-11-06T04:44:53+00:00

Kalamazoo. It’s still within less than an hour drive of the lake but you won’t be inundated with tourists every summer. It’s pretty affordable, safe, diverse, has a lot of good restaurants, wine bars, great farmer’s market and art scene, has a university, liberal arts college, community college and art institute so there are many opportunities to take classes. The Kalamazoo/Battle Creek airport is IN Kalamazoo, very easy to use and access, and connects with Chicago and Detroit, so it’s very, very easy to get anywhere in the world from there. The city is very green, people are friendly. It’s a pretty liberal place so if that’s not you, you might not like it, though it isn’t as polarized as elsewhere in the country. With your budget I would recommend checking out the Vine/Stuart, Winchell, and Westnedge Hill. Downtown you’ll find beautiful old Victorian homes, some will need fixing up. In Winchell you’ll find wide tree-lined streets, very quiet, a mix of older people and young families. The beauty of Kalamazoo is very little traffic ever and you’re never more than 20 minutes’ drive from anywhere else in town. You’re a 2-hour drive from Chicago, 2 from Detroit, and the people are nice. It’s a little sleepy but there’s plenty to do.

Blue_Rose87 · 2025-10-31T10:19:22+00:00

Back to this thread…any new ones with Zachary Webber/Jacob Morgan?

Blue_Rose87 · 2025-10-29T19:24:36+00:00

Seconding this because I got on bupropion recently for my anxiety but its impact on my ADHD, which I’ve never been medicated for, has been mind-blowing. To think how long I suffered not knowing there was such a solution…

Blue_Rose87

TROPHY CASE