The Limbo Connection's photos with the keyword: close up

This bear has led a largely quiet life punctuated by brief moments of exhilaration. Being something of a deep thinker, he does not object to his own company. But it would be fair to say that the Covid thing has upset his equilibrium a bit. Nikon D2Xs + Nikkor-O.C Auto 35mm f/2 lens. Lens made circa 1973. Bear made a good deal earlier.

This is a close-up of one of the stones in the Avebury circle. This type of stone is called ‘sarsen’. (Originally the name was ‘Saracen’ but the Wiltshire dialect likes its words short). Sarsen stone is found on Salisbury Plain and Marlborough Downs; at one time it was commonplace on the surface but has been significantly tidied up in modern times, presumably for agricultural purposes. Sarsen is mighty hard stone and in less enlightened times many of the Avebury stones were broken up by various techniques to provide building material. Hard as it is, sarsen is not ideal for building houses because it is disagreeably damp in the winter. A scheme for houses built of stone recycled from the Avebury circle bankrupted investors because the houses proved to be unsaleable. For reasons I have not ascertained, they were also prone to burning down. Being indestructable, sarsen is good for steps and kerbs.

Nikon D2Xs + Nikkor DX AF-S 35mm f/1.8G lens.

Nikon D2Xs + Nikkor DX AF-S 35mm f/1.8G lens.

Nikon D90 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 AF-D lens.

I used a Nikkor 70-210mm f/4 AF lens on a Nikon D50. Here it faced a stern test: 1600 ISO; 210mm; 1/100th (far too slow - you can see the camera shake) and wide open at f/4. I broke practically all the rules. The Nikkor 70-210mm f/4 AF lens, introduced in 1986, was made for only 18 months, and was replaced by the smaller, slower and cheaper AF 70-210mm f/4-5.6. The AF 70-210mm f/4 is largely distortion-free, whereas the successor AF 70-210mm f/4-5.6 is handicapped by high levels of distortion. This lens is useful on several counts. If your digital SLR has the AF screw drive, you can use all the features of this lens without hindrance. It is a good deal lighter to carry than an f/2.8 alternative, and only one stop different throughout the focal range, being a lens of constant aperture.