A Sweet 35 Memorial Day

The last time I used my Lensbaby composer was at the Reeves-Reed Arboretum on my D610. It was great to finally be able shoot aperture priority AE, even if it did mean stopped-down metering. I could concentrate on focusing and composition, and at last work at 50mm instead of 75. 

I quickly learned the drawback of Waterhouse stops. Those little magnetic disks are great fun…until you have to actually use them in the field. Studio work, no problem. But there must be a better way. And there is. 

Last December I treated myself to a Sweet 35, and a new Composer. Not the newest Composer Pro II, but the previous Composer Pro. I was not particularly impressed with the newer model, which actually has a lesser degree of tilt than its predecessor.

I don’t often sell my old gear, but I would be willing to let go of my original Composer. The new model’s wonderfully smooth and damped focus ring and ball pivot are a tremendous improvement. And then there’s the Sweet 35 optic. It was very easy to quickly hone my technique.

I start by setting up a 35mm f/2.5 non-CPU lens configuration. The D610’s focus sensors now go up to f/8.0, so I set the Sweet 35’s aperture ring to f/5.6 this is easily bright enough to compose and then set focus with the matte screen when the sweet spot is off-center (fastest). But if I adjust the focus point, I can use the focus confirmation dot from f/4 (periphery) to f/8 (dead center).

Focusing, even on this overcast Memorial Day, is very easy, and silky smooth. It almost feels like a traditional, old school MF AI-s lens. 

Once I’ve got my sweet spot where I want it, and my composition and focus is in a good place, I reach for that aperture ring and give it a click (f/8) or two (f/11). This is the great part, because now I can dial in the effect I want, something I could never do before.

Later, when I’ve gotten my fill of shots, I swap out to my AF NIKKOR 35mm f/2.0 D. And, I don’t even bother flipping the AF lever on the D610. The NIKKOR 35’s manual focus is also silky-smooth (in that non-damped, auto-focus kind of way) and very satisfying. I even use its aperture instead of the command dial, which the D610 lets me do. Unlike the focus ring, it’s not the best experience, but certainly good enough, and very nostalgic. 

All this extra work and thinking makes me feel like I’m making a photograph, not just taking a photograph. And that means a world of difference.