I used to have a lot of gear, including my old Nikon D500 and Sigma 105mm lens I used to take these photos. This remains one of my favorite DSLR gear at all and I would love to tell you why.
What you see here is a Nikon D750 full-frame camera and a Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 manual focus lens.
The camera is pretty standard, although it's a full-frame. I love it.
But the Crown's jewel is this lens. Is a classic 50mm lens with full manual focus and manual aperture. It doesn't have any autofocus nor auto aperture. Therefore, you need a little bit of a learning curve to use it properly.
But there are two things amazing about the lens:
1 - the aperture of f/1.2 is truly amazing, one of the widest apertures ever - it can capture so much amount of line and the bokeh is so unique. How many people have you seen taking photos at f/1.2 aperture?
2 - If you step the lens down to f/5.6, this is one of the sharpest lenses in the world, BY FAR! I have done tests and comparisons in the past, I tested it in every single way. I couldn't see any sharper results from the dozen of lenses I tried and owned. But this happens only at f/5.6
Therefore, this remains the main DSLR gear I currently use.
To capture images with manual focus you need a lot of practice. You will have a lot of trial and error.
But once you get the hang of it, you will be able to be in total control of the camera and lens, and shape the image as per your like.
So, what's your favorite photography gear, and why?
