Grasshopper

After returning from my usual hike this morning (9/17/2010), I got the coffee machine running, then opened my email program. As I began to select the usual pile of messages for deletion, my granddaughter ran into my office saying, “You have to get your camera and bring it outside. There’s a grasshopper eating one of the flowers.” I followed her to the flowerbed and took a few photos of the bug she pointed out, using the Nikon 18-105mm VR lens that I usually have mounted when I’m hiking. It is definitely not a Macro lens, a specialized lens for close-up work, but I like using it for landscapes at the wide end, which is equivalent to 28mm on a 35mm film camera (or full frame digital), and the widest lens I have for the DSLR.

Ken Rockwell calls this a “boring” lens. I’m not sure why the Nikon 18-105mm VR lens bores him, though it is possible that it doesn’t cover a long enough range, but it works fine for me as my default walking around lens, and is also well suited for photographing my grandson’s motocross racing. What I don’t like about the Nikon DSLR is the occasional times when the Nikon autofocus system, purportedly the “best”, makes choices that I wouldn’t, and the photos I captured of the grasshopper illustrated that.

The photos above were made after I reviewed the first batch of photos, then returned to the flowerbed with the Nikon 28mm f/2.8 prime lens. The 28mm isn’t a Macro lens, either. But I like the results better.