For a long time, I've been meaning to take the Nikon D3 and 28/1.4 combination out for a really good workout together, not necessarily to see if it would work, but just how well.  I finally got my chance when I found a street parking spot on Robson near Burrard.  The combination of the D3's high ISO performance and the large aperture of the lens just slurps up whatever light there is and makes night look like day (almost too much so).  These images were all taken after 9:30PM.  I hoped to find some interesting subjects and I wasn't disappointed.

First, this fellow in the penguin suit was out on his stag; in order to get out of the suit in time for his wedding in two weeks' time, he had to get a certain number strangers to write something on it.  His buddies were giving him, um, encouragement.

Next, I got a few shots of the following busker playing his guitar.  On my return trip about a half hour later, he had just started playing the same song again so it's entirely possible that he only knows two songs.  Pay close attention to the group of guys.

Finally, the ubiquitous Homeless Person in Vancouver.  This one was lying down most of the time and would lift his head to shout at people with cell phones, admonishing them for the amount of money they spent talking that presumably would be better spent on him.

The combination (indeed, the lens itself has a lot to do with it) provides some extremely appealing rendering and an almost otherworldly sense of realism different from blasting away with a flash.