Sunrise with an extra element in the image.

I got a new toy in the mail the day before yesterday, not exactly a lens but still a chunk of glass that forms an image; an 80mm lens ball. I braved below freezing temperatures and an even colder wind chill this morning to get this image of a sunrise with the D850 and 24mm f/2 AIS Nikkor. I went out yesterday to the site and did a dry run, playing with angles and focal lengths since I was not going to have time to experiment the day of the shoot. The 24mm seemed to give me the best combination of near to far depth of field @ f/11 and size of the ball in relation to the rest of the image. The 15mm and 18mm gave great perspective, but even with the ball less than a foot away from the front element of the lens, it was too small in the frame for my liking. I could not get the depth of field I wanted with the 35mm f/1.4 so it did not get the job either.

Nice capture! Just be careful with the lens ball. If it is made from a good quality, they can heat up quickly even if carried in a pocket. And when I say heat up, I mean to the point where you'd need to drop it to prevent getting burned. Even when I used mine in the fall (cooler temps), I kept having to stick it back in my camera bag. Just putting it in the little protective sleeve that came with mine didn't stop the ball from getting immensely hot.

I've only used mine handheld with a 105mm lens (to shoot through the ball). I like your perspective! :encouragement: