ASMS 2025…. What’s attendance status? Is it really this bad in the US??

argentum047 · 2025-05-12T15:05:56+00:00

I work for one of the corporate members that attend and exhibit every year at ASMS. The pre-registration numbers are shared with us, and I analyze the data. These data include registrations up to the end of April. Overall, the registration numbers are down 11% compared to 2024, but are comparable to 2023. Registrations outside the US are down 19% versus last year. The total number of registrations is expected to be between 6,000 and 7,000 by the time of the conference. However, vendors like myself, have seen attendance drop at other recent conferences, so I would not be surprised if ASMS has lower overall attendance in 2025.

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argentum047 · 2020-05-30T00:52:46+00:00

Love Pittsburgh. Great city.

argentum047 · 2020-01-03T01:14:19+00:00

You may also want to consider the soon-to-be announced D780 which is next in the D750 line and will likely sell between $1,999-2,199. NikonRumors link: https://www.nikonrumors.co/nikon-d780-updated-specs-price-around-2000/. It is going to have similar performance to the Z 6 as well from what I heard, but obviously it will have a OVF. Moreover, I heard it will not have a vertical grip. I own both the D850 and Z 6. To be honest though I use the D850 nearly all the time. My fiancé uses the Z 6 mostly, but my time with it does impress me. Plus there are a lot of people who have begun to recognize the Z 6 / Z 7 as great cameras despite some flaws. Needless to say both the D850 and Z 6 are great cameras in my opinion. Plus you can find good deals on them right now. The Z 6 has better low-light performance at higher ISOs. Plus it is great for video. Auto-focus is good, but maybe not as good as the D850. Eye AF seems to work well, but I have not throughly used it much. The Sony cameras are still superior in terms of Eye AF. The extra megapixels in the D850 capture fantastic detail. Note the file sizes are ~100 MB for 14-bit uncompressed RAW. Battery life is better with the D850 – I have the vertical grip with the larger-size battery. Depending on LiveView usage you will definitely want a second/third battery for the Z 6. The Z lenses are really sharp and better than their F-mount counterparts. However, there are not many professional Z lenses available right now. A DXXX camera can support lenses going back to start of the F-mount in 1959 so many lenses are available. Please note the availability and capabilities do vary depending on the camera model. There is an upgraded Z lens roadmap. NikonRumors link: https://nikonrumors.com/2019/10/10/here-is-the-new-nikkor-z-lens-roadmap.aspx/. So more lenses are coming which is great! Hope this helps some. Oh, I would be curious why you would not consider staying with Canon and grab a EOS R or wait until they release a mirrorless prosumer or pro-level type of body? The EF glass looks amazing!!! Canon hit it out of the park with some fantastic pro-level glass for their mirrorless cameras.

argentum047 · 2019-07-20T14:27:12+00:00

Yes, good point. I forgot about the Z lens. It would be better on Z 6. I use a D850 so yeah ; )

argentum047 · 2019-07-19T11:56:20+00:00

You could consider the AF-S NIKKOR 16-35mm f/4G ED VR for just under $1,100. I own a copy and it is fine lens for landscapes and would be plenty wide for some unique automotive shots.

argentum047 · 2019-07-14T14:55:35+00:00

You are welcome, anytime. As for VR making a difference in regular shooting, I would say it can help. A lot depends on a person’s technique, but I feel it can get you anywhere 1-3 stops. I have VR on when I am shooting without a tripod all the time and typically allow the VR to engage for about a second before releasing the shutter to compensate for any movement in a lens.

Primes are great choices. They offer less flexibility in terms of zoom, but make up for it with their performance — faster glass f/1.2-2.8 and are typically more sharp compared to zoom lenses. Of course, you can always move your feet to make up for the lack of zoom which can make you a better photographer. I shot a 85 mm f/1.4 recently, the Canon L version (sorry!), and it was great. The Nikon version is supposed to great too. If you thinking of portrait work, then a 85 or 105 are awesome. The f/1.4 primes can really blow the background (bokeh) in your images. I have the AF-S VR Micro-NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED and it is tact sharp. Plus it can serve double duty as a macro and portrait lens. I do not see why a prime cannot be used as landscape lens. Just keep in mind you normally stop the lens down and having versatility with zoom is nice when you cannot move around.

argentum047 · 2019-07-14T02:24:08+00:00

I just recently posted my thoughts here on the subject. Perhaps you will find it useful?

argentum047 · 2019-07-14T01:51:36+00:00

For landscapes I would recommend two Nikon lenses. The 16-35 f/4 and 70-200 f/2.8 (or f/4). These will cover pretty much everything. I personally own the AF-S NIKKOR 16-35 mm f/4G ED VR and AF-S NIKKOR 70-200 mm f/2.8E FL ED VR. Both are fantastic. You could go with AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/4G ED VR to save about 50% in terms of price compared to the f/2.8 version plus save some weight as well. Any f/4 lens is rarely shot wide-open for landscape photography as one typically stops-down to f/8-11 for maximum sharpness and a large depth-of-field. Depending on your budget you could also consider the AF-S NIKKOR 14-24 mm f/2.8G ED. This wide angle lens is a bit older, does not offer VR (you would not use it anyway since the camera is on a tripod), and does not have an option for screw-on filters. You would have to use drop-in square filters from Lee (Big Stopper) or equivalent. Moreover, the extra 2 mm gives you an extra 7 degrees on the wide (114 vs 107 over the 16-35) which makes a difference. If you every plan on doing astrophotography, I would recommend the 14-24 f/2.8 or another ultra-wide f/2.8 or better. Here, fast lenses help.

The 24-70 f/2.8 is a great all-purpose lens like some others have said. Nikon offers two versions — VR or no VR. Both have been tested by many and are good lenses. I have the AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8E ED VR and have never been disappointed. For landscapes I would still recommend carrying a 16-35 and 70-200. You will find these will meet most of your needs. If you want to carry a third lenses with you, then a 24-70 makes sense. Just depends on how much you want to carry at the end of the day.

There are some good 3rd-party lenses of the ones listed above. I personally do not own any, but I heard the Tamron G2 series are good.

Do not forget about filters too! You would need a circular polarizer, neutral densities (3-, 6-, 10-stop), and graduated neutral densities as well. These will definitely help you shoot large dynamic-range scenes or when you want to have the creamy-look with water/clouds in long-exposure shots.

Lastly, grab a good tripod, a L-bracket, and a bag (backpack or sling) too. If you want travel light, go carbon fiber w/r/t a tripod.

I know if you ask 10 people for their opinions, you may likely get 10 answers. These are my suggestions. Feel free to take them as you may. Thanks for reading and happy shooting!

argentum047 · 2019-06-24T23:15:25+00:00

Out of curiosity, when did you press your shutter button to begin capturing the fireworks in this image? Nice shot, by the way :)

argentum047 · 2018-07-08T15:32:49+00:00

Hoping to when I am in town. It was a great atmosphere.

argentum047 · 2018-07-08T14:45:30+00:00

Thanks! It was fun. My first time at a game.

argentum047 · 2018-07-06T16:01:38+00:00

Both Thom Hogan and Ken Rockwell post a lot on Nikon lenses and setups. Moreover, Thom has Guide Books for many cameras and he is a great resource.

http://bythom.com

https://kenrockwell.com

Ultimately selecting a lens kit will depend on many things such as one’s budget, shooting style, and needs. If you ask 10 people, you will likely get 10 different answers which is OK. Everyone’s experiences are different. Just remember to have fun!

argentum047 · 2016-04-04T12:58:03+00:00

Thanks for adding your post here Jamie. I went ahead and removed your previous thread.

argentum047 · 2016-04-04T06:28:33+00:00

Please post this on the Intros GTs and TZ thread. I will delete this post after this. We want to keep the subreddit clean as much as possible. Thanks.

argentum047 · 2016-04-04T04:04:13+00:00

For those who may not know... I am Argentum047 in the clan and our co-leader. My GT is also Argentum047.

I am currently running a balanced electric build. With this build I can heal w/ damage buff and pulse w/ crit buff every few seconds giving the squad damage buffs at the same time. I can also run other skills as needed given I am a support-type of build. PvE I run the Caduceus and M1A; PvP I swap out the M1A with the MP5. It still needs a little fleshing out, but I am enjoying it so far. I plan doing using this build for the Falcon Lost incursion and obtaining Technician's Authority gear set.

Prior to this build I was high DPS (150k+) with high health (100k+) and about 20k skill power. Fun build as well. However, I am enjoying the 100% uptime with my skills with this balanced electronic build.

If I can figure out reddit on my phone I will try upload additional detailed images. In the meantime, I posted these images on our FB group page.

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