Nikon V1 with the FT-1 lens Adapter

Just back from Tenerife after a week in the sun. Just before I left the UK the Nikon FT-1 Lens Adapter for my Nikon V1 arrived. Not having had time to try it out before I left took with me a DX 18-55mm and 28-300mm FX lenses. F-mount lenses mounted on the FT-1 have a crop factor of 2.7×.

I was not expecting a too much from using FT-1 and F-mount lenses with the V1 so I was very pleasantly surprised with the results. First off the the 28-300mm lens when attached to the V1 comes in at a bonkers 75-800mm with the sensor crop and the 18-55mm is a more realistic 48-148mm. 

The 28-300mm is a big lump of glass and the V1 lens adepter looked very small and delicate compared to it so I did not think the lens adapter would be able to cope with shoving all that glass around when focusing. However the FT-1  worked absolutly fine, although not blisteringly fast focusing was quite up to the mark. Focusing with the 18-55mm lens was a lot quicker and felt more natural. 

As for the results here are a few shots. I have made some showing the amount of zoom achieved with a rough cropping rectangle and the actual shot underneath. To sum up the Nikon V1 FT-1 with the attached F mount lenses was a  very positive experience and he images where much better than I imagined they would be. Shots were well saturated and surprisingly sharp with the lenses I used.  

Although I think the battery life was shortened by having to work harder with the the f mount lenses the battery was still going after 400 shots. My usual travel set Camera set up would be a D7000, 18-55mm and 28-300mm but for future traveling the V1 plus FT-1 mount is the equivalent taking a huge tele lens with you which can be quite useful on occasions.The down side of using the FT-1 are the recycling times between shots is somewhat slow and manual adjustments are limited, but still, having the possibility of an 800mm in your pocket is still quite exciting.

Edinburgh Welcomes in 2012 with an Impressive Display

With the rain easing off we headed off to Napier's University Craighouse Campus with has a panoramic view of Edinburgh and perfect viewing position for the Hogmanay Fireworks. When the bells struck 12 fellow revellers on the hill broke into a spontaneous "happy new year" quickly followed by the detonation of the fireworks at the castle.
Despite the dismal economic outlook it was good to see there was no cost cutting at the Edniburgh firework dept. as it was fine display lasting a good 6 mins with a breathtaking finale.
Then as if on cue the rain started again........time to head home for a large whisky or three.

River of Fire and Vikings Torch Edinburgh

Despite being a dreich night thousands of torch-bearers produced spectacular river of fire through the Scottish capital's Old Town and New Town at the start of the three-day Edinburgh's Hogmanay festival celebrations last night.

With organisers reporting a record crowd of between 27,000 and 30,000, 6,500 being torch carriers. Also in the mix where the Up Helly Aa’ Vikings from Shetland and a collection pipe bands leading Edinburgh's annual Torchlight Procession from St Giles Cathedral to Calton Hill. As if there was not enough fire and smoke in the air the Vikings set their torches to an amazing  bonfire burning off an effigy representing this year’s Hogmanay theme of "Let’s Play" The evening went out with a bang with a spectacular fireworks finale.

Organisers said that there were record pre-sales of torches this year, and 6,500 torches - the largest number ever - were all sold out before the start of the procession. Proceeds from the torch sales, which cost £6 in advance, go to Radio Forth Cash for Kids and Barnardo’s Scotland.

Lord Provost George Grubb said in his opening speech “I can't think of a better place in the world than Edinburgh to “see in” the New Year. Our world famous celebrations are broadcast across the globe, and last year the ‘midnight moment’ of fireworks over the castle was shown in over 150 countries. I would like to extend a very warm welcome to all participants in this year's Torchlight Procession and especially to those who are visiting the city for Hogmanay.”