©Meandering Passage - Earl Moore Photography
Needle ice formed from warmer ground and freezing air pushes up with soil on top.

This is a handheld shot of Needle Ice. Needle ice occurs when the temperature of the soil is above 0 ºC (32 ºF) and the surface temperature of the air is below 0 ºC (32 ºF). This particular example was 1.5-2.0 inches long making for a nice crunch when stepped upon.

I made this image with a Nikon D600 with an older Nikon 28-200mm AF-G lens — a 2003 lens Nikon originally made for SLR film cameras but which works equally well with newer FF digital SLR’s.

I purchased this lens, used, a couple of years ago for use with a D700 but this was the first time I tried it on the D600 and I have to say it’s sharper then my normal preferred walk around zoom lens, the Nikon 28-300mm VR. I’ve found the D600’s resolution to be unforgiving of any lens softness but this one seems up to the task. The advantage this older 28-200mm has over the newer 28-300mm is being a little sharper in the same ranges as well as smaller and lighter — making a more manageable* carry around package. With this lens you do however give up the VR technology and that extra 100mm of zoom but for me the pros outweigh the cons in most situations.

As a plus, while the 28-200mm AF-G is not designated as a Macro lens its close focus of only 1.4 feet (0.44m) at all focal lengths makes for some Macro functionality. This lens is mostly plastic but I’ve not noted any quality issues or concerns because of this and will make use of it more in the future. It can still be found used for a reasonable price.

* manageable: For example, my Nikon D600 with the 28-200mm AF-G lens weights 2 lb 14 oz, while the D600 with the 28-300mm VR weights 3 lb 13 oz. In comparison an Olympus OM-D E-M5 with a 14-45mm lens weights 1 lb 11 oz.

 

14 Comments

  1. Of course older is better, Earl, as we are!

    That ice sculptures are phantastic, Earl, and this phenomenon I’ve never heard about here in Germany. I’d guess this image would make a nice print on the wall.

  2. I don’t think that I’ve ever heard that term, Earl. I learned something new today! :D I agree with Markus, this image will make a nice print, should you decide to do it.

    • Paul, I’ve heard this type of ice called several things but Needle Ice most frequently. I’ll probably try a print…we’ll see how it turns out.

  3. We’ve been seeing that kind of ice around our place, since we have plenty of mud. Now I know the scientific explanation. :)

    Sounds like you have found a good little walking around lens for when you want something a little lighter on the larger camera.

    • Tom, I guess this kind of ice occurs more often around here because the ground stays warmer longer then farther north but we still get some cold air temperatures. It is a good lens I kind of put aside and forgot about.

  4. I’m not surprised this lens worked so well on the 600. This was always a nice lens for either film or digital. Backward compatibility is one of the reasons I bought the 600 and I believe it to be the best camera I’ve ever owned, certainly the most versatile.

    I have never seen needle ice before. Extraordinary.

    • Ken, I’m sure this lens will get more use from now on. Just the pound of carrying weight it saves makes me like it! :-)

  5. Well thanks for the education Earl – never knew about needle ice. I guess we tend to skip that up here and just jump to overly frozen wasteland ice. :-)

    • LOL That’s probably true, Mark. We hover for weeks or sometimes months during a mild winter with the ground temperature being at or just above freezing and see needle ice like this several times each winter.

  6. Never heard of needle ice before, either. And, as I get older the Olympus would be my choice. It has been snowing most of the night and most of the day here. And, it’s cold. Hope your staying warm.

    • Monte, I’m glad I furnished both photographic and supporting reference data proving needle ice exist, or I might not have been believed. ;-) I didn’t realize it was a rare occurrence — I see it every winter around here.

  7. What an amazing photo. I looked at the photo for some time before reading what it was and it took me a while to decide that it had to be a macro shot though I would never have come to a conclusion as to what it actually was. You’ve done a wonderful job making this image Earl.