Product Photography: Autofocus Helps

Readers know that I strongly favor the Zeiss ZF.2 for Nikon and Zeiss ZE lenses for Canon DSLRs.

Why then do I shoot the Nikon D3s and the Nikon AF-S 60mm f/2.8G for my cycling equipment images (instead of the Zeiss 50mm f/2 or 100mm f/2 Makro-Planars)?

Simple— when feasible, I shoot most of these images at dusk for ideal lighting. I must get them done quickly before the light becomes too dim to shoot handheld (I don’t use a tripod— too slow working). I also like to try a variety of angles and framings quickly, and autofocus makes that approach easier.

The Nikon AF-S 60mm f/2.8G works very well, and offers outstanding sharpness with a flat image field (no field curvature). While it sometimes has difficulty focusing where I’d like, by and large it focuses spot-on with little effort on my part.

For more examples, see the Moots YBB 26 and Trek Top Fuel 9.9 SSL and Trek Gary Fisher SuperFly 100 Elite. and Trek Madone 6.9 SSL. All of those pages have high-res images for viewing, by clicking the smaller ones.

Moots MootoX RSL 29er mountain bike frame
Nikon D3s + Nikon 60mm f/2.8G