Bill Smith's Photography

 The Nikkor AF-D 50 f1.8 is an autofocus cheap and cheerful nifty 50 that while a flyweight can take down heavyweights with little effort. This lens replaced the second genration Nikkor AF 50 f1.8 with improvement for camera being able to perform better in 3D colour matrix metering mode and two, estimate distance better making auto focus more accurate. On the likes of the F100 body, it becomes lighting fast when focusing.  Pair this lens with the F100 you have an extremely powerful point and shoot, and extremely comfortable to use.  Camera: Nikon F100, AF-D 50 f1.8 lens.  Film: Bergger Pancro 400, HC110 B. 

 I"m sticking to my midweek hikes and a few weeks ago I was out on the trail with my friend Rebecca at a mutually favourite spot, Credit River Conservation Authority's Silver Creek Conservation Area. It is completely dead during the week. The fall colours were just getting started when we went out, and this time did the Esker Loop counter clockwise, more on that next post.  The Nikon F100 just plain rocks in this situation.  Camera: Nikon F100, AF-D 28-105 F3.5-4.5 macro zoom lens.  Film: Kodak Portra 400 

 I was two weeks too early for fall colours at Boyne Valley Provincial Park, if you have a good year, the vistas are downright stunning. I want to revisit the north end of the park inside the Valley, when I shot it, the colour was green.  Seeing the scans from the weekend has me rethinking my colour workflow, the magic of matrix metering with C-41 film (haven't shot slide in a while, I have go shoot a roll before fall colours wind down. There some advantages shooting with the F90(x) body and its descendent the legendary F100 (more on that next week). Again Boyne Valley while officially classified as "moderate" a hike, there's a lot of topography to navigate and if you have been out on semi technical hikes, this will be nothing, those used to flatter pathes and more infrastructure will find it tough.  Camera: F90, Nikkor AF-D 28-105 F3.5-4.5 lens.  Film: Kodak Portra 400. 

 Boyne Valley is considered "moderate" in terms of Bruce Trail hikes, depending on your level of physical conidtioning it could a be a serious 8.5 km long trek with a lot of up and down through some of the most beautiful landscape in Southern Ontario. My friend Nicole and I had a good long walk through some pre-fall colours landscape on the first cool fall day. The big thing with this hike and I like to put the fear into anyone coming along for the first time, because once you start, you are committed to the whole loop which takes a couple of hours. If you're in decent shape, you'll come out the other end slightly achy but in a blissful state of mind from all the forest oxygen.  I took my Nikon F90 and AF-D 28-105 zoom lens. with me on this hike and used Kodak Portra 400. I was pleasently surprised, I usually struggle with this film in terms of scanning and colour correction. I had the F90 on 3D Colour Matrix metering and apertuer priority. Everything looked almost pe...