Borbin the 🐱

A short walk through the Bellevue Downtown Park.

Entrance of the Bellevue Downtown Park

Bellevue apparently keeps the largest Christmas tree all year.

1/800s f/5,6 ISO 100/21° 18-140mm f/3,5-6,3 VR f=18mm/27mm

At The Fountain

The place was lively, though the frame suggests otherwise. A quiet trick of timing made it possible.

1/800s f/5,6 ISO 100/21° 18-140mm f/3,5-6,3 VR f=18mm/27mm

View to Downtown Bellevue

A calm view of a busy city arranged as if waiting for its next frame.

1/320s f/9 ISO 100/21° 18-140mm f/3,5-6,3 VR f=22mm/33mm

Bellevue Ice Skating Arena

A quiet scene around the arena, everything held in a clear winter light.

1/200s f/7,1 ISO 100/21° 18-140mm f/3,5-6,3 VR f=18mm/27mm

Views from the Walking Path

1/250s f/8 ISO 100/21° 18-140mm f/3,5-6,3 VR f=38mm/57mm

Watched closely under Tiny Director Protocol, a silhouette with the calm presence of an agent making sure the panorama was in order¹.

1/500s f/6,3 ISO 100/21° 18-140mm f/3,5-6,3 VR f=140mm/210mm

Piloti Scupture²

Geometry and shade, stitched into a brief vertical view.

1/250s f/8 ISO 100/21° 18-140mm f/3,5-6,3 VR f=18mm/27mm

Piloti scupture taken with two vertical aligned pictures.

1/320s f/9 ISO 100/21° 18-140mm f/3,5-6,3 VR f=18mm/27mm

Back at the Bellevue Square

A clear sweep across the skyline, settling the scene before the light shifted again.

1/800s f/5,6 ISO 100/21° 18-140mm f/3,5-6,3 VR f=21mm/31mm

The Last Frame

And the sunny day ended quietly over Downtown Bellevue.

1/30s f/3,2 ISO 640/29° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=25mm/38mm

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See also panoramas from the Bellevue Downtown Park in 2025

Sarasota is a coastal city in Southwest Florida on the Gulf of Mexico. The horizon opens to the west, the afternoon light settles low across the water, and shallow tides draw long arcs along the coast. North is the Tampa Bay area, while to the south the beaches open into clear water and soft light.

It is a place that opens fully only in a wide view, and the panoramas from those days capture a completeness that no simple photograph can match.

A panorama brings the whole scene into the picture instead of only the view in front of you.

• Art Ovation Hotel
• The Jumping Fish
• Gulfstream Park
• Marina Drive
• War Memorial
• Five Points Roundabout
• Siesta Key Beach
• Bayfront Park
• Milan Art Gallery
• Katy's Cat Cafe
• Farmers Market
• Ringling Museum of Art
• Coquina Beach
• Lido Beach

Art Ovation Hotel

An evening with a clear sky and a full moon above the rooftop pool marked the beginning of a winter escape in Sarasota, a quiet moment that shaped the days ahead.

Interactive Panorama Rooftop Pool

1/10s f/5,6 ISO 2500/35° f=7,5mm

The Jumping Fish

A morning view with The Jumping Fish sculpture in the first sunlight, a small piece of Sarasota art set in the roundabout near our hotel.

Interactive Panorama The Jumping Fish

1/800s f/5,6 ISO 100/21° f=7,5mm

Afternoon streetview approaching The Jumping Fish roundabout.

1/500s f/8 ISO 250/25° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=16mm/24mm

Gulfstream Park

Gulfstream Park sits between the waterfront and downtown, a small strip of green that links the marina area with the city streets. The pond in the center gives the park its quiet character, with a few paths and patches of shade that slow the pace for a moment. It is a simple space, but it fits naturally into Sarasota's mix of water, traffic, and public art.

Interactive Panorama Gulfstream Park

1/800s f/5,6 ISO 100/21° f=7,5mm

Marina Drive

Marina Drive runs just behind Gulfstream Park and borders the marina itself. It is a short stretch where boats, water, and the edge of downtown meet. Palm trees everywhere.

1/500s f/8 ISO 100/21° f=17mm/18mm

1/400s f/7,1 ISO 100/21° f=21mm

Interactive Panorama Marina Drive

1/1250s f/5,6 ISO 100/21° f=7,5mm

War Memorial

The War Memorial stands at the edge of J.D. Hamel Park, marking Sarasota's tribute to residents who served in World War I and the conflicts that followed. The bronze Doughboy figure adds a direct link to the era, reproduced from a 1920 design and placed here after a later restoration. It is a small but steady presence on the bayfront, easy to pass but worth a quiet look.

Interactive Panorama War Memorial

1/800s f/5,6 ISO 100/21° f=7,5mm

Five Points Roundabout

The Five Points Roundabout sits at the center of downtown and pulls several streets into one compact junction. Traffic moves steadily around it, framed by shops, cafés, and a bit of midday noise. It is one of those places where you notice how close the city, the bayfront, and the quieter neighborhoods actually are.

Interactive Panorama Five Points Roundabout

1/1000s f/5,6 ISO 100/21° f=7,5mm

Next to the roundabout is Selby Five Points Park.
A Christmas market is missing here with all the good things: air that smells like roasted almonds and gingerbread, and you are mysteriously holding a Bratwurst in one hand and a paper cone of roasted chestnuts in the other.
Once in France I came across a Christmas market that kept going well into February.

1/40s f/2,8 ISO 1250/32° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=16mm/24mm

Half a block further you arrive at the Opera House of Sarasota. It has a sign, it has a door, and yet at first glance you could be forgiven for thinking you are entering a well behaved municipal building. If you pause for a moment, a faint aria seems to rise through the stairwell, as if the building is politely reminding you of its true purpose.

1/640s f/5,6 ISO 100/21° f=7,5mm

Siesta Key Beach

Siesta Key³ Beach is all about light sand, a wide beach, and a clear horizon. Even on busy days, the shoreline still feels open, with shallow waves and long stretches to walk. It is the quiet blend of sun, breeze, and open space that makes Siesta Key stand out on Sarasota's coast.

Interactive Panorama Siesta Key Beach 1

1/1250s f/5,6 ISO 100/21° f=7,5mm

Siesta Key Desert Planet

Exploration of perception for the Worldwide Panoramas event.

Perception is shaped not only by what is visible, but also by the position from which it is experienced.

Just off the beach but not out in the water, that in-between place changes the way the scene reads. At the edge, everything is in motion, and you are between two worlds, seeing both at once.

There are no footprints to hide here, but the moving waves bring their own challenges. Masks in the stitch editor guide the transitions between frames and help maintain alignment where the surface never stays still.

Photographed in winter, the scene carries a tropical atmosphere. That quiet inversion becomes part of the viewer's perception.

Interactive Panorama Siesta Key Beach 2

1/1250s f/5,6 ISO 100/21° f=7,5mm

With my camera in hand, I noticed a seagull staring and inspecting me. Surely one panorama should be acceptable, right? It watched calmly like a tiny director and never blinked⁴.

1/50s f/2,8 ISO 100/21° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=50mm/75mm

Driving away from the beach, the palm trees lined the street in a clean row, like they were guiding the way.

1/1546s f/1,9 ISO 47 f=5mm/25mm

Bayfront Park

Bayfront Park sits right on the water between the marina and the bay. A few paths, some shade, and benches facing the boats make it an easy stop on the way along the waterfront.

Equirectangular Projection

Mercator Projection

1/640s f/5,6 ISO 100/21° f=7,5mm

Interactive Panorama Bayfront Park 1

1/1000s f/5,6 ISO 100/21° f=7,5mm

Interactive Panorama Bayfront Park 2

1/1000s f/5,6 ISO 100/21° f=7,5mm

Interactive Panorama Bayfront Park 3

1/1000s f/5,6 ISO 100/21° f=7,5mm

Interactive Panorama Bayfront Park 4

1/1000s f/5,6 ISO 100/21° f=7,5mm

The four bronze dolphins by sculptor Steve Dickey rise in a clean upward arc. The figures stand a little over three and a half meters tall within a circular basin of about twelve meters. In the bright light the moment feels like a paused film frame, held just before the scene continues.

1/4000s f/2,8 ISO 100/21° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=37mm/55mm

We arrived by plane, not by boat.

1/500s f/8 ISO 100/21° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=28mm/42mm

Milan Art Gallery

Visited the Milan Art Gallery for the opening of the Mini Masterpieces Collection exhibition. It featured original works from a variety of artists. The paintings were striking, with a level of detail and character that kept drawing us back for a second look. It was part of Art Walk, a recurring evening that brings the local art scene together, and one of the highlights of the night.

Interactive Panorama Milan Art Gallery 1

1/80s f/5,6 ISO 500/28° f=7,5mm

Interactive Panorama Milan Art Gallery 2

1/80s f/5,6 ISO 500/28° f=7,5mm

Katy's Cat Cafe 🐱

Parsley checks the minimum focus distance.

1/500s f/2,8 ISO 6400/39° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=30mm/45mm

Audrey poses with the confidence of a professional model.

1/25s f/2,8 ISO 400/27° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=35mm/52mm

1/30s f/1,9 ISO 314/26° f=5mm/25mm

Farmers Market

Not many farmers, but lots of stitching errors. Handheld usually works fine; here it refused.

Interactive Panorama Farmers Market

1/320s f/5,6 ISO 500/28° f=7,5mm

Ringling Museum of Art

Panoramas from the Ringling Museum of Art, with views from galleries to courtyard.

Ringling Museum of Art

Coquina Beach

Soft light, almost no wind, and water that barely moved. Dark clouds moved in from the gulf, and the brightness faded. Minutes later, the storm closed in around the bay.

Interactive Panorama Coquina Beach

1/1000s f/5,6 ISO 100/21° f=7,5mm

Lido Beach

The last light of the day settled in as the sky dimmed, the colors softened, and the shoreline eased quietly toward evening.

1/4000s f/8 ISO 100/21° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=50mm/75mm

Interactive Panorama Lido Beach

1/800s f/5,6 ISO 100/21° f=7,5mm

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A winter escape at 25°C, with days shaped more by place than by schedule. The coast offered space, the water stayed calm, and the light guided the course of the trip. It became a quiet record of a season lived differently.

The day began bright and clear, the kind of winter light that makes everything sharp and calm. We drove toward Seattle with the skyline slowly rising ahead, glass and steel catching the sun as the streets narrowed into the heart of the city.

1/500s f/8 ISO 100/21° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=50mm/75mm

1/400s f/7,1 ISO 100/21° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=27mm/40mm

Pike Place Market was alive with its familiar rhythm. Old wooden storefronts and neon signs stood like markers of time, while the scent of coffee drifted through the crowd. Vendors called out, voices mingling with the hum of conversation, and for a moment it felt like the city was speaking in its own language.

1/500s f/8 ISO 200/24° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=50mm/75mm

1/250s f/5 ISO 200/24° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=31mm/47mm

1/125s f/2,8 ISO 400/27° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=16mm/24mm

1/125s f/2,8 ISO 900 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=16mm/24mm

From the Overlook Walk, the view opened wide. The waterfront stretched below, ferries tracing slow lines across the bay, and behind it all the skyline stood still against the pale sky. The skyline panorama frames capture the city in one continuous sweep, holding its full breadth in a single image.

1/500s f/8 ISO 100/21° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=23mm/35mm

1/320s f/6,3 ISO 100/21° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=16mm/24mm

1/1000s f/5,6 ISO 100/21° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=18mm/27mm

1/400s f/7,1 ISO 100/21° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=16mm/24mm

1/500s f/8 ISO 100/21°

1/400s f/8 ISO 100/21°

1/800s f/5,6 ISO 100/21° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=16mm/24mm

1/400s f/7,1 ISO 100/21° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=35mm/52mm

1/500s f/8 ISO 100/21° f=16mm/17mm

1/400s f/7,1 ISO 100/21° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=16mm/24mm

On the way back, the Space Needle appeared again, sudden and familiar against the clear blue. One last glance, one last photo, and the day folded into the drive home: simple, bright, and easy to remember.

1/320s f/6,3 ISO 100/21° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=16mm/24mm

Every masterpiece begins in silence. The 👩🏻‍🍳 sets the stage, then time, heat and patience compose a quiet piece of culinary art.

Stage 1: Raw Ambition

A turkey in its natural state is like an unread book, full of potential, but mostly cold and uninviting. At this point, the only evolution is your growing doubt about oven size.

1/13s f/2,8 ISO 250/25° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=28mm/42mm

Stage 2: The Great Migration

It moves from countertop to oven, a journey as inevitable as Monday mornings. Here, transformation begins quietly under heat and time.

1/10s f/2,8 ISO 250/25° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=44mm/66mm

Stage 3: The Slow Enlightenment

Hours pass. The turkey meditates in 170°C silence, contemplating its purpose. It emerges wiser, crispier, and slightly golden, proof that patience and heat can turn blandness into brilliance.

1/40s f/3,2 ISO 250/25° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=50mm/75mm⁵

Stage 4: The Final Form

On the table, surrounded by sides and expectations, the turkey achieves peak relevance. For a brief moment, it is the influencer of the dining room. Then, like all trends, it is consumed and forgotten.

1/20s f/2,8 ISO 400/27° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=34mm/51mm

A picture impossible to make with a single exposure

1/25s f/2,8 ISO 400/27° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=27mm/41mm

The shallow depth of field creates a beautifully blurred background, something that gives the image its depth and character. To achieve sharpness across the entire plate without losing that blur, two shots were taken: one focused on the front, the other on the back of the plate and then combined using Focus Stacking

Simply stopping down the aperture for more depth of field would have rendered the plate sharp, but also flattened the scene, turning it into the kind of phone photo where the background looks lifeless. This blend keeps the plate crisp while preserving the softness behind it.

Back to the kitchen:

At first it hides its promise. Add time, heat, and a little seasoning and it becomes a quiet piece of culinary work.

The day Nikon announced their new DX 16-50mm f/2.8 lens⁶, I opened the optical upgrade protocol with a preorder 🚀

My previous lenses lined up for eBay, forming a support group titled "Former Stars of the Camera Bag". They successfully negotiated their exit strategy with descriptions that read like dating profiles: "Still sharp, loves sunsets, seeks photographer who appreciates vintage charm and no diffraction tests under f/8".

Inside the Upgrade Shop⁷

Announcement - October 16, 2025 📰

The new NIKKOR DX lens is available soon. Compact, fast, and ready to redefine the setup.
Optical upgrade protocol signaled.

Preorder - October 16, 2025 🛒

Optical upgrade protocol opened.
Shipping date: October 30, just in time for the Halloween magic⁸

Delivery - November 5, 2025 📦

Signature required delivery confirmed, package has achieved indoor status.

The First Light 🌅

Optical upgrade protocol in progress: lens mounted and ready for action.
Lens on a Z30 and Z50 II

Through the New Lens

First Frames In: Precision and Agility from the Start
(All pictures taken with the Nikon Z50 II)

1/160s f/6,3 ISO 100/21° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=16mm/24mm

1/320s f/2,8 ISO 100/21° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=23mm/35mm

1/125s f/5,6 ISO 100/21° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=50mm/75mm

1/160s f/5,6 ISO 100/21° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=32mm/48mm

1/3200s f/2,8 ISO 100/21° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=50mm/75mm

1/400s f/2,8 ISO 100/21° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=50mm/75mm

1/80s f/6,3 ISO 100/21° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=25mm/37mm

1/640s f/2,8 ISO 100/21° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=50mm/75mm

1/640s f/11 ISO 1600/33° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=50mm/75mm

1/320s f/16 ISO 1600/33° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=50mm/75mm

1/160s f/22 ISO 1600/33° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=50mm/75mm

1/80s f/4 ISO 100/21° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=24mm/36mm

1/200s f/4 ISO 100/21° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=50mm/75mm

1/640s f/2,8 ISO 100/21° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=50mm/75mm

1/160s f/6,3 ISO 100/21° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=16mm/24mm

1/125s f/6,3 ISO 100/21° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=16mm/24mm

1/200s f/6,3 ISO 100/21° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=50mm/75mm

1/400s f/5,6 ISO 100/21° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=50mm/75mm

1/320s f/2,8 ISO 100/21° 16-50mm f/2,8 VR f=50mm/75mm

Why Does This Lens Show Strong Vignetting at 50mm f/2.8?

Observe the heavy vignetting at 50mm f/2.8, along with the visible distortion. Zoom in and it disappears. Left side is without correction, right side with correction using NX Studio.

The sample image shows noticeable darkening in the corners at 50mm and f/2.8. This effect is called vignetting and it is an unfortunate but common characteristic of optical design, especially in compact zoom lenses with a bright aperture.

The NIKKOR Z DX 16-50mm f/2.8 VR combines a constant f/2.8 aperture with a small, lightweight form factor. To achieve this, the front element is relatively small. At longer focal lengths and wide apertures, light rays entering from the edges are partially blocked, which results in corner shading.

Vignetting increases when the angle of light hitting the sensor becomes steeper, as happens when zooming in. Eliminating this effect completely would require much larger lens elements and a heavier construction. A lens designed to avoid vignetting at f/2.8 would be significantly bigger, heavier, and more expensive, which goes against the goal of a compact DX zoom.

For this reason, some level of vignetting is considered acceptable and is typically corrected in-camera or during post-processing. If you shoot RAW, most software applies lens profiles to fix this. For JPEGs, Nikon's vignette control can reduce the effect.

Protocol Complete ✅

Adding this lens makes the setup minimal and faster, ready for decisive moments.
The 16-50mm f/2.8 combines a constant aperture with a compact design for a balanced, practical setup. From landscapes to portraits, the zoom range provides complete framing control while keeping everything light and portable. No lens swaps, just a responsive system that adapts quickly. Vibration Reduction works together with the bright aperture to maintain sharp, balanced results even in challenging light.