This is why I hate you people with your fancy DSLRs. I bought one new camera in my life.
It was a little Canon SD200. To call it old insults old people. But it takes pics. Once I began
buying a lot of gear for my work at B&H, I started perusing the Used section there in case
I could save the boss some money. In the end i couldn't buy used gear for HIM, I couldn't take
the abuse should it come up short. But once I got used to checking out the used gear, I thought,
"Hmm, I wonder what kind of Point and Shoots i could get used. I had priced DSLRs, I never even
looked at the used ones, they were probably too expensive even used. And I often found STEALS
there in the point and shoot section, like the day I got THIS camera for $189.
I knew that DSLRs were expensive, but I thought as long as I continue to only buy real steals, I can come
pretty close to the quality of shots that these 'snobs' get. The ones that are always on about how the
sensor and the lenses and the blablabla are so great. it became a badge of honor that on a good day,
I could take a picture I found just as good as the 'snobs'. Now keep in mind, the snobs were RIGHT about
the abilities of their cameras, but to me a great photo is never about the gear, anyone can BUY a great
camera and shoot crap, and a person who sees great pics can take one with a LOMO camera or a Holga.
So I never out and out called anyone a snob, but it made me ever more determined to get great Point and
Shoots so that I could shoot good photos and 'show those snobs' and feel good about my sour grapes.
I STILL BELIEVE the basics of that. It's not the gear, its the photographer. But great gear shure helps.
So flash forward to me perusing the used gear as I always do when I get bored. I had priced DSLRs many times
and knew that I was better off just sticking with the good P&S cameras, I wasn't gonna sink a mint into a camera
just to make a pretty picture. But one day out of curiousity, I looked at used dslr bodies and saw a OLD Nikon D70
for $139. I thought $HIT, I could afford that. Sure its OLD, but it has a large sensor and I am basically a photographer.
I don't even have to get a great lens. I could get this zoom here for 69 bucks and be out the door for $200!!
WHAT HAVE I BEEN DOING TO MYSELF??? DAMMIT.
So I picked it up, cranked a lens onto it and went and sat out in the BY and watched the birdies.
NOW, this shot is NOT a Nikon D70 shot, I shot it with a full frame D700 that I fell into as a result of my
newfound love of used gear. I can't go into it, but it was cheaper than I could ever expect to get it.
And the camera felt like I am sure a rabbit vibrator feels to a woman. I couldn't SHOOT the thing hard enough to
piss it off, and I felt a sexual charge as the shutter fired away effortlessly, and the camera wrote to the card
so blazingly fast. I was not in Continuous drive, but it fired like an AK in semi with a fast finger. I GET IT now.
granted I ain't spending $2000 to get that feeling, I am going to wallow in the shallow end forever. For me it
is not about the age or specs of the camera, provided I can meet a standard that I am comfortable with, which
in the case of the D70 is a sensor a bit larger than a postage stamp. I don't NEED the speed of the D700, but
damn that felt GOOOOD. ANYWAY, the reason I insulted all of you DSLR owners was to post this pic I took today.
The finch couldn't be bothered to FLY to the feeder, it hopped off the branch and onto the feeder. And I love the
way I was able to not just freeze him in mid-hop, but to see his EYE looking at me through that suet cage was something
i got a charge out of.
This was not a drive shot, just a few fast singles that got me more and more charged up the more I fired the shutter.
I always curse and mutter at those arabs that fire all the bullets we send to them off into the air whenever a cameraman
is around, to show their enthusiasm and readiness to face the enemy. But I'll be damned if I didn't want to just keep
firing the shutter on that D700. My apologies to the snobs. I don't mean that term to be TOO derogatory. I just
hated that you were basically right and I was basically damned to eternal noise and poor dynamic range with my bag
of point and shoots. i still intend to keep the one above and my Canon S5 IS. But making room for my cheap little DSLR
is going to be a pleasure. I hope you can accept my apologies, even though they aren't very convincing, lol. ONE DAY
I will be free to tell the story of the D700. From my cold, dead hand, as they say, lol.
