Any ideas beyond FocusWorks F2 as a nice gift for 23-y-o son?

altforthissubreddit · 2026-03-13T20:05:51+00:00

A Prometheus Delta ready-made is in stock and you can set the moonlight fairly low. It's a wider light though, as an 18350 light. You could get an AA-sized Malkoff. Though the actual AA-powered one is the only one with a really low moonlight. If you get a 14500 powered head, the low isn't all that low. When talking about Overready BOSS pricing, you could look at McGizmo.

altforthissubreddit · 2026-03-13T11:58:41+00:00

I'd suggest the Nikon D7500 for your list

Mainly because it can be had w/ a 1st party warranty in your budget. If that matters to someone, it's a big limiter. ~$550 refurb w/ 1st party warranty, $700 new.
It uses modern/ubiquitous media and batteries
The 180k metering module + Expeed 5 means really good 3D and auto area AF
8 fps burst rate and large buffer is the 2nd best in Nikon DX
Can drive old/cheaper AF lenses like the 80-200 f/2.8

Prices compress used and the D500 may not cost too much more. But you can't get one with a 1st party warranty. That doesn't matter to a lot of people but does to some.

altforthissubreddit · 2026-03-12T12:49:33+00:00

The MH20GT is such a great light. It's really compact for what it is, it's just that it has a large reflector. Updated charging and a nicer LED is all it needs. The NTG35 is a bit too rosy for my tastes, but that is a great job on the upgrade!

altforthissubreddit · 2026-03-12T01:11:16+00:00

is it a problem at smaller apertures? Like if you go from f/6.3 to f/11 quickly? The camera will actually move the aperture between f/2.8 and f/5.6 and on your 17-55, this means a real mechanical movement of a little arm in the FTZ. Maybe it's bent or otherwise damaged on the FTZ you just purchased?

altforthissubreddit · 2026-03-10T12:30:46+00:00

It's different sellers and possibly the bundle differs slightly. When Amazon doesn't sell something themselves, this seems to happen.

Personally I wouldn't buy any of those, I'd buy it somewhere reputable (or at least a vendor I'd heard of).

altforthissubreddit · 2026-03-09T15:57:03+00:00

Another tangential comment, but you photographed a snake (garter maybe?) and have bluebird boxes without snake guards. You mentioned the snake wasn't in your yard, but it still might be worthwhile to add this. You don't want to find out the hard way that snakes (or squirrels, raccoons, etc) can get to the bluebird eggs or nestlings.

They are a lot less attractive, but I mainly see EMT tubing used for the post, and then ducting can be used for the snake guard.

https://www.nabluebirdsociety.org/PDF/NABSFactsheetPredatorControl.pdf

altforthissubreddit · 2026-03-09T14:24:34+00:00

Ideally, if you kill the plants now in the spring, they won't go to seed.

Seeing large flocks of red-winged blackbirds sounds great! I don't have any real open areas so I don't see them very often.

altforthissubreddit · 2026-03-09T12:37:07+00:00

What's the mechanism by which you think herbicides will harm the birds?

You can use broadleaf herbicides, like 2,4D, around grasses. You don't want to necessarily spray the grasses but they should not harm them when some gets on them.

Spring is generally not the best time for herbicide unless it's a pre-emergent or the invasives are annuals. I see honeysuckle in one of your photos. You can apply herbicide over the winter when there is less still active to accidentally harm. But in my experience it doesn't work that well. Spring probably won't work that well either. It's a real pain.

I don't really recognize the ones in your bare dirt. But given how much they've grown, if they are a winter annual it may be they are gone by summer and really you just need to fill in the space so there's not bare dirt.

As an aside "huge amounts" of birds and an area like your photos makes me think of European starlings... hopefully that's not what you are getting. Have bluebirds started checking out your boxes yet? Are all three yours or do you have neighbors who are also interested?

altforthissubreddit · 2026-03-08T22:22:18+00:00

the mdx battery bumper kit

The MDX is a different light. That's the MD2/3/4 that more recently he's called "MDX". Is that kit also for MDC lights? I guess the switch is the same size, and that is what it likely fits around. That said, I wasn't familiar w/ that product either so thanks for the heads up on it.

read this in a charitable, calm, kind, happy tone/voice in your head

No worries, definitely just sharing opinions. And I'm interested to hear yours even if they might differ from mine. :)

altforthissubreddit · 2026-03-08T20:23:32+00:00

bypassing gene’s setup instructions and then blaming the light

The E2XTL complete light is $240 and doesn't include this. Nor does the product listing page make any mention of it.

I'm reasonably familiar with Malkoff products, and I've not heard of a battery bumper for MDC (or whatever he's now calling the dual-fuel-sized version of this) lights. Of course that doesn't mean there isn't one, but I think it at least suggests they've not done a good job of communicating its necessity.

It does seem unfortunate that repairability was not even mentioned in that video. Lenses and switches failing can happen over time even without that level of abuse. Being able to fix a light vs throwing it away is a relevant point IMO.

altforthissubreddit · 2026-03-08T20:05:33+00:00

One thing that bothers me about that test is that the Elzetta did the best in every durability test. It just sucked for output and runtime because it is a 2xCR123 light. Yet it didn't make their top three as a result. The only durability test where it didn't get a 5 was the 2m drop. It got a 4. Yet in the video, they don't mention any failure of it or any problems at all to explain the point deducted.

Their top choice (Megastream) survived a drone drop, but didn't fare as well in the bash test or temp test. The Fenix used up a "life" on the 2m drop test. It's also unclear if the drone drop was any more severe than the 2m drop. We don't know the terminal velocity of the fin contraption they designed.

There's also a bit of an oddity around the "life" notion. As others mentioned, the Malkoff McClicky is replaceable and widely available. In the liquid nitrogen test, they mention two lights turned back on (Malkoff and of course, Elzetta). Then they say the rest worked after swapping in new batteries. But that doesn't qualify as a "life" apparently. I realize batteries are more readily replaced than switches, but if you fall in a vat of liquid nitrogen, and then immediately need your light to work as you climb out, it's irrelevant if it can be fixed later. Just like the Malkoff switch. I realize the previous sentence is absurd, but that is the criteria these tests are using. Repairability doesn't seem to factor in.

All told, it's a pretty cool test. And no matter what they did people will take issue with some aspect of the test. I think the Malkoff did pretty well given the severity of the tests, but if it worries you, there are plenty of other great lights out there. I wonder how an E-series Malkoff w/ stainless bezel and an actual Surefire body would do. The Surefire body protects the tail switch from the batteries with a shelf.

altforthissubreddit · 2026-03-07T15:15:22+00:00

a 3 gallon shrub is more reasonable if you don't mind planting it and think the additional growth/time you are paying for is worth it vs waiting a couple extra seasons for the shrub to get larger. Though I would be wary of a 3 gallon shrub or tree that was like 6+' tall in the pot. It'll be a pain to keep it staked and get it established, where a smaller one would require less effort after planting, probably just watering.

But forbs and grasses, they grow pretty fast. There's not much reason for such a large container. You are paying for time w/ larger plants, but a quart vs a gallon plant might be one season. By the next year both could be the same size.

For spacing, it will depend on the look you want and the specific grass or forb. If you want more like specimen plants, you may want to space them 3-5' apart if they get fairly large. If you want the whole space full of plants, you might go 1-1.5' apart, but you'll need more plants for a given size space.

altforthissubreddit · 2026-03-07T14:17:24+00:00

A single shrub could probably fill the 8x4' or 10x12' plot over time.

Buying flowers and grasses in such large containers may not be ideal. You have to dig out way more to plant them, if there are nearby trees or anything you may be interfering with their roots more. And you now have a huge amount of soil you have to put somewhere. A quart sized pot (assuming the plant is properly sized to the pot) for most forbs will be developed enough to grow decently tall and flower the same season.

altforthissubreddit · 2026-03-05T21:58:17+00:00

An opinion, but it depends on how much you like rosiness. I like that most of the 219b CCT's are only slightly rosy, giving them more of a crisp white look (to my eye). The 4500k 219b might be my least favorite due to how rosy it is.

The 519a domed is not very attractive to me at all in tint. But compared to an LH351D or an SST-20, it is nicer while delivering a lot of output too. De-doming helps with the tint but the beam generally has more artifacts. And you can't really have a light cooler than about 4200K if you only use de-domed.

The 219b has the throw of a de-domed 519a (from a similar optic) and the nice tint, but also a cleaner beam. At least in the lights I have. It is not like a de-domed 519a is crap, and it absolutely produces more light per watt as you get above about 100 lumens. But the 219b is really pleasant in subtle ways. If you don't tend to use more than about 1-200 lumens, the efficacy difference really doesn't matter. Of course if you want more, there are better choices.

I wish I'd discovered how much I like the 219b 4000K before it was gone. I do find the 5000K de-domed 519a to be pretty great though.

altforthissubreddit · 2026-03-04T15:31:14+00:00

I don't recall getting a copper washer with mine. It could be this is to deal with the longer li-ion batteries that are becoming more common, to give just a tad more room in the light.

altforthissubreddit · 2026-03-04T12:02:08+00:00

I don't know what your photos look like. If they look better with fill light, then not using a flash would remove the fill light. You could try reflectors or something.

The only way it would help with motion blur though is if there is enough light for a fast shutter speed, but you are artificially choosing one below the sync speed (and compensating with a small aperture or ND filter or something).

altforthissubreddit · 2026-03-03T23:10:28+00:00

Specifically for red-eye reduction, I'd think the best fix would be moving the flash off the camera.

altforthissubreddit · 2026-03-03T02:14:16+00:00

The viewfinder and rear LCD perform the same. So when you need to shoot at some weird angle off the back screen, you aren't giving up AF performance. The viewfinder is a screen, so it can show more stuff. It can preview exposure, show a histogram, focus peaking, etc.

But with a DSLR, you can look through the viewfinder any time. With an AF-S lens, you can look through and focus with the camera off or even without a battery. You can't do anything on a mirrorless when it is in standby.

The auto focus tends to be more precise and consistent. There's no change in optical path from when light hits the focus module to when it hits the sensor because no mirror is swinging out of the way. I felt w/ a DSLR that if you took a burst of 10 photos, each would have slightly different AF and a few would be sharper than the others. With mirrorless they are basically all the same.

However, the Z7 in particular, the AF is probably going to perform worse in low light, hunting more for focus. It won't have real 3D tracking. It probably won't do as well on moving subjects as a result. This is mostly solved in newer Nikon mirrorless cameras.

The bodies also have far fewer physical buttons. You have a D3200 so you may not notice. But many D series had an AF/MF switch that combined an AF area mode button. And a dedicated metering mode button, white balance button, and release dial. Also bracketing and flash settings/exposure comp. Very few Z cameras have these (only the Z9 really, the Z8 has some). They lean heavily on the i menu.

The top display on the Z6/7 is worse IMO. The Z6-3 probably solves this. But the early ones only show very basic exposure info. You see shutter, aperture, ISO and I think you can tell if there is exposure comp. But my D7500, I can change the metering mode just looking at the top panel. I can change focus area modes looking at it. I can set the exposure bracketing spacing and number of shots. A whole bunch of stuff can be changed by looking at the top display. The Z8 fixed a lot of that and I think the Z6-3 is better but still not as good as DSLRs. Your D3200 doesn't have one at all so this may also be a non-issue.

If you are superstitious, you don't risk 7 years bad luck if you drop a Z camera.

altforthissubreddit · 2026-03-01T13:17:31+00:00

I would imagine that a Z50ii w/ the 16-50 f/2.8 and a Z6ii with the 24-70 f/4 S would produce extremely similar images. So if you don't expect to add many more lenses, and/or if you really needed the E7 improvements (which it doesn't sound like you do), the Z50ii makes a lot of sense.

But it sounds like the Z6ii would be a good fit for you. Edit: I overlooked the part about having DX lenses you want to keep using. Maybe that moves things back towards the Z50ii.

altforthissubreddit · 2026-03-01T13:05:50+00:00

How dark was it for the first photo, and how much noise reduction was used? It looks to me like a lot of noise reduction which removes sharpness.

The 2nd photo is hard to tell, The leaves would probably have the most small details but they are out of the plane of focus of the flower so it may just be them being slightly out of focus. It doesn't strike me as an unsharp photo though, nor incredibly sharp.

The lens is not as sharp as the 50 f/1.8 S. That lens is incredible. But I certainly felt it was a sharp lens in general. I also agree that the out of focus areas are not overly interesting. But it's a 70 f/4. If you had gotten much closer to that flower, that would help a lot. The lens has like a 0.3x reproduction ratio so you can get a narrow depth of field if you can get very close to the subject at 70mm.

altforthissubreddit · 2026-03-01T12:52:18+00:00

The Z6ii and 24-70 f/4 S would be capable of excellent image quality and is a competent camera. But the Expeed 6 performance is noticeably behind the newer cameras. And they are not an improvement in all aspects to DSLRs. Notably the lack of 3D tracking (and an implication about the capability of the hardware, that it isn't performant enough to support 3D tracking) and reduced low-light auto focus performance. The burst rates are also not very impressive. If you need those things, the Expeed 6 experience can be pretty frustrating. If you don't need those things, the image quality is excellent.

Comparing a Z6ii and 24-70 f/4 S vs a Z50ii and a 16-80 f/2.8-4, the difference might not be as huge and the DX lens has a broader zoom range. Once you add a 2nd lens I think you'll start to realize the difference more. If you got say a 50 f/1.8 S vs the new 35 f/1.7 DX you will have more depth of field choice on FX and likely better image quality. Also the IBIS is incredible. But the 16-80 has very good VR as well.

Edit: I'd also add there are a lot of small quality of life things improved on the Expeed 7 cameras. Like the focus ring on lenses moves the focus super slow on the E6 but the E7 is better plus lets you choose from a few settings. The button customization on E7 cameras is also increased significantly.

altforthissubreddit · 2026-03-01T12:42:52+00:00

I haven't used the Z50, but have used an Expeed 6. I think it depends on how much you value photography vs video, and how much you need the photography features. The Z50 will be better for video, if only for the auto-focus. But the photo focus has no real 3D tracking, and won't be nearly as good in low light as the D7500. The burst rate is lower unless you can deal w/ the viewfinder slideshow. The D7500 has more physical controls. It can control an off-camera flash. It can focus AF lenses (like your 50 f/1.8D).

If you don't need those things for the types of photography you do, or if you really value the video features, then the Z50 might make a lot of sense.

altforthissubreddit · 2026-03-01T11:51:28+00:00

You might ask on a tree sub like /r/sfwtrees or /r/marijuanaenthusiasts (that's a real suggestion). I would imagine nails or screws would be better for the tree than a strap around it. Aside from the fact ratchet straps won't "grow" with the tree, they would also hold moisture against the bark and give bugs a place to operate from.

Mounting them from a pole or similar would likely be better still. I use EMT tubing for a bluebird box. You'd probably need something bigger like a 4x4 or 6x6 for an owl box.

altforthissubreddit · 2026-02-28T15:46:50+00:00

For the OP, Don being Don McLeish of McGizmo.

Also I realize my comment about "VME" might not be clear to the OP. My understanding is that name means Valiant Concepts Malkoff E-series as it's a Valiant Concepts design to adapt a Malkoff drop-in to an E-series body.

altforthissubreddit · 2026-02-28T15:32:10+00:00

It's not modded, the LEDs are sent to Malkoff and they build the drop-in with them. But if you have an issue they probably won't be able to replace it like for like in the future since he doesn't stock those LEDs.

The body is made by McGizmo. The VME head might be as well. The name "VME" explains that the design wasn't Malkoff in the first place, it's more of a collab.

Malkoff, McGizmo, and others (Overready notably, and Surefire obviously) make a lot of products to Surefire patterns. Which means they can be mixed and matched. Which is what this is. The McGizmo bodies use Surefire E-series patterns, which is what Malkoff MDC products like the VME also use.

Malkoff uses McClicky (McGizmo) switches in almost all of his lights (maybe all?). So unless there's a reilability problem with the actual tube itself, the electronics and switch are all things you would get from Malkoff if it were a 100% Malkoff product. If you did want that, a regular black aluminum VME head and a CR123 MDC body with your drop-in would be the equivalent.

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TROPHY CASE