Having just added 2 new items to the lineup, it’s time to play a bit and explore them. The first isn’t a lens as such, but a new phone with some impressive optical specs.
Here’s the new Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra:
The main reason I went with this phone is because Anita’s concert of a lifetime is fast approaching (Garth Brooks at Gillette stadium in Foxboro), and I won’t be able to bring my Nikons with me. All the press and specs on the camera systems in this phone lead me to believe I’ll be able to get some decent shots that night, and I’ll be able to shoot in RAW, so I can bring them into Lightroom and work them after the show.
In my early tests, I am impressed. The zoom range is insane, as these 2 shots from the same exact spot show:
Sitting in my Adirondack chair at one end of the backyard, I took these two shots, one at the UltraWide setting and then one at the 10X (optical) zoom. That the zoom is optical made all the difference, as digital zoom is horrible.
The color rendition right out of the box with no editing is impressive too:
I’ll have a good chance to test the phone under venue lighting conditions this week, as we’re going to see Brit Floyd on Wednesday night. I’ll be using this as a means to fine tune my camera settings on the phone while enjoying some seriously good music!
Now, let’s go to true glass… I just added this monster to the fleet:
This is one serious piece of glass. It’s regarded as Nikon’s finest wide angle zoom, a clear member of their Pro lineup, and a welcome addition to my bag.
I had a chance to do a couple quick shots in the nearby park yesterday, and I was not disappointed!
The color rendition and sharpness are as advertised. I shot these in my Df in Aperture Priority mode at f6.3 as I strolled around the park after the rain when the sun broke through and made the afternoon actually feel like Spring. I’m now anxious to get out to the shore with this and capture the expanse of the ocean along our shoreline.
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