Better Glass

Last month, when we experienced a partial lunar eclipse, I ran outside with my camera, on a tripod, and mounted my most powerful telephoto lens on it to get the shot.

It wasn't a great shot.

Even at maximum magnification, on a cropped-sensor body (which essentially made it an equivalent of 450mm), the moon only filled a fraction of the frame. Cropping the photo, it was obvious that it wasn't a clear image.

I posted the photos on Mastodon and Theads but wasn't happy with the result, so largely forgot about them.

When DW and I started thinking about our next vacation for 2025, two places came to mind but I was hesitant.

"I'm not going to either of these places until I have a better telephoto lens."

For years, I've wanted a better lens than what I have in my 70-300mm zoom. Sure, it takes some decent photos but if I want to crop a photo to magnify the subject more, the photo starts losing sharpness.

I've wanted a prime telephoto lens, either a 600mm or 800mm, but those start at about $9,000. Without a benefactor, I'm not going to ever have something like that.

Now that people seem to be switching to mirrorless cameras, there are good deals that can be found on lenses for D-SLRs. A few months ago, I saw a used 500mm lens in a camera store, but they still wanted $4K for it.

"That's more than the price of our trip to Akumal," DW said when I called her about it. "Don't you dare!"

Sigh.

When we settled on a destination for our 2025 trip, I said I didn't want to go unless I had some good glass.

So, we searched used equipment sites: I went to Kijiji; DW searched Facebook Marketplace.

We both spotted a Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6 lens that might be suitable. Several folks were selling it, in various states of condition and at various prices.

One person said that her lens was three years old and she had only used it a couple of times, and was asking only a few hundred less than a new lens. I tried to negotiate but she wouldn't budge on her asking price.

Another person had the same lens and said he didn't use it often. And before the warranty expired, he sent it to Nikon for an inspection and cleaning.

He has the receipt.

I was able to negotiate for the price I'm willing to pay and we're meeting later today. He recommended that I bring my camera body to try it out before I hand over any cash.

I'm bringing both D-SLRs.

Fingers crossed. I'm hoping that the next time I shoot the moon, it'll be worth sharing.

Happy Friday!