Rainbow Finch @ 85mm

Did I mention I picked up the Nikon 85mm f/1.8 prime this week?  This is simply a stunning piece of glass and a fraction of the price of the f/1.4.  Though I have never shot the 1.4 and can’t give valid comparative data (and won’t make up facts like the US government would) I can tell you that this is a fast, sharp and brilliant lens.  It takes stunning portraits that require little or no post-work.  Hell, this lens could even make Rosie O’Donnell sexy.

The shot above is of the Rainbow Finch, also known as the Lady Gouldian Finch or Gould’s Finch, taken from the Buttery Place in Weston, MA.  This shot was taken with fairly good lighting through frosted skylights at f/2 from about 2 feet away.  Luckily, the bird was used to people and didn’t flutter off at the site of my D700 in it’s face.  Not much had to be done with this shot in terms of clarity and color.  I did a slight curve in the new Photoshop CS5 to balance the light, but that’s about it for this one.  The lens and camera did all the rest.

See?  Who needs a D700x or D700s when the plain old everyday D700 can do this?

You can comment on the photo itself at my Flickr account if you care.  It’s actually doing well on Explore today – not that I give a crap about Explore.