Back to the Old 105!

Oh, the new kid on the block certainly won with the bling and I was taken in for quite some time but I have gone back to my dear and cherished friend, my old 105, and realise why I enjoyed it for so many years and regret putting it aside for most of the last year. This will now all be put to rights and old ways will become the new ways again.

It all began when my everyday camera lens, a multi-purpose Nikkor 18 – 200mm gave up the ghost after a long life of faithful service. The zoom feature, that sliding in and out to bring the subject closer or leave it far away, began to jam and jolt as though it had become rusty. Given its age, it didn’t merit the cost of repair and I replaced it with a new model, 18 – 30mm, and decided it might well be time to replace the camera as well – though the old camera is still with me, now as a stand-by.

There’s always a learning period with a new camera, new controls and settings and a different feel to the old one but I have become accustomed to it and now like it very much. The lens took my fancy much quicker as it is very versatile and covers almost all situations well. When the novelty had worn off I began to note its weaknesses a little and these were most noticeable when taking close-up shots of flowers, something I do a lot. This is what brought me back to my old 105 – a 105mm macro lens that I have used for years but had set aside, displaced by the newcomer. It was like slipping into an old favourite pair of comfortable shoes and the old 105 will be back into regular use from now on.

Here’s a selection from this afternoon: Click to enlarge or start a slideshow:

Allium ‘Purple Sensation’

Allium ‘Purple Sensation’

Aquilegia with bumblebee

Aquilegia

Astrantia

Astrantia

Bearded iris

Geranium endressii ‘Wargrave PInk’

Geranium macrorrhizum

Geranium maculatum ‘Red Leaf’

Geranium ‘Mount Venus’

Geranium renardii ‘Philippe Vapelle’

Geum ‘Dolly North’

Iris sibirica ‘Silver Edge’

Paeonia ‘Coral Charm’ showing the remarkable change in colour as the flower ages

Rosa ‘Hot Chocolate’

Rosa ‘Rhapsody in Blue’

Tulipa sprengeri