Friday, March 03, 2006

i didn't really need that first born child anyway

We have a new member of the family.

Now, this new member of the family came by much discussion, bargaining, begging and check balancing. She also came about because of a slight raise from my law firm, that was received with much smiles and appreciation and praise be to whoever noticed that I work all the time.

I have fallen madly in love with this newest family member, I think she is adorable.

Meet Camille.





























[If you are interested in purchasing or knowing more about Digital SLRs, please read on! If not, feel free to skip to the comments section to tell me how gorgeous you think Camille the Canon Camera is, and how you think she looks just like me.] ; )

I mentioned in the past that I was hoping to purchase a Digital SLR, and when I received my digital SLR photography course for Valentine's Day, I took it as an indication that I had also received my husband's blessing on purchasing it.

Now, because I am anally obsessive, I read hundreds (!) of reviews and went to 5 camera shops to get differing opinions on which camera I should purchase. I heard many conflicting opinions, read many conflicting opinions, and quite frankly, people feel VERY STRONGLY about their camera choice. Who knew? It is like the sock thing. We take it personally.

My choice came down to the Nikon D-70 and the Canon Digital Rebel XT (not to be mistaken with the Canon Digital Rebel that is not the XT). Before I held the camera in my hands, I suspected I might prefer the Canon, but once I picked it up, I knew I was right. The truth is, I am a wuss. I complain that my purse is too heavy, I believe that my head has hurt all week because I had to carry the 16 pounds of dog through the airport this weekend, I make Josh carry my bags when we travel. I cannot deal with a heavy camera, and for me, Nikon's 2.5 pounds was just too much. Scoff if you must, but I knew that I'd never take it on vacations if I had to carry that weight around. I'll admit it, I am weak and should go to the gym. Go ahead, point fingers and laugh.

That being said, the Canon achieves its lighter size by being smaller and built out of plastic with a metal casing inside. If you are looking for a very sturdy professional feeling camera and you have bigger hands, this might not be the one for you. I have small hands, Josh doesn't want me to tell you he has small hands, but he kind of does. If you believe, based on reviews, that the picture quality is very comparable between the two, then it comes down to how it feels in your hands.

Anyway, Camille is a HUGE improvement over my Canon Powershot S50. I took pictures of (who else) the dogs last night, and I could see every hair on their little heads in the shots. As a demonstration, I also took pictures with each camera from my office window. With Camille, I could see whether the blinds were open on the buildings many blocks away.

These are through my office window, no zooming.


























Hmmm, more impressive when you zoom in. Ah well. I'm attempting to figure out Photoshop, and once I do, I'm sure I'll be accosting you with pictures. Hurray!

13 comments:

Yankee, Transferred said...

I am SO FRICKIN' JEALOUS! I've been dying for the Nikon, myself. But these photos are amazing and I know it's a great camera...like you, I have read and read about them. And yes, she looks just like you. Only not quite as pretty.

Anonymous said...

You got it! Yay! How was the class? Or is it coming up?

It is very lovely. Haven't you ever heard that cameras resemble their people? It's true. A little known fact, but true.

Unknown said...

Coolness! My middle name is Camille, so I'm a little biased. I so need a new camera. Don't think I can afford one of those yet, though.

Anonymous said...

Very nice. I used to have an old fashioned 35 mm camera, but then I forgot how to use it (years between first use/class and when I picked it up again later.)

Anonymous said...

The camera is beautiful, tho I use the tiny digitals that fit in a pocket because I have so much other shit to carry around.
BTW-- you are the only smart person who "got" the title of my post.

Phantom Scribbler said...

I can't wait to meet Camille! She's lovely, but she can't hold a candle to her mama.

I bet she could take a great picture of you, though.

Maribeth said...

I am so jealous! Looking forward to see more from Camille. Make her work for her keep.

Table4Five said...

I'm jealous too. I use a Canon A95 and the color just isn't that great. But I won't be getting a new one any time soon, that's for damn sure. Nice view from your office, by the way.

Anonymous said...

Hey! That's my camera! Or yours, which is the same as mine, or something, but either way, it's a fucking AMAZING camera and you're going to love it, and also, I opened my first bottle of wine at like, 2 pm today. Can you tell?

Natalie said...

OMG you are going to LOVE her. I bought a Digital Rebel XT about 2 months ago and it now follows me almost everywhere I go. Seriously, I love my camera almost as much (ok, sometimes a wee bit more) than my husband.

Congrats...you will LOVE it. I actually just got back from a 'fieldtrip' to some local fields to photograph some decrepit old barns....Rebel in tow!

PS - You might not like the software that comes with it...particularly the editing software (it's kinda crappy). I use Photoshop and just bought Adobe Elements...which appears (at this point anyway!) to ROCK.

Looking forward to seeing more pictures!

nancy said...

I have been coveting that very camera. I am jealous. Enjoy!

K said...

I'm a Nikon girl but considered the Rebel because of the heaviness issue, too. In the end, the Nikon felt more familiar to me because I had an N60 film camera. It is heavy to lug around, but neither camera is tuck-in-the-purse size, so I figured either would be hanging on my arm slamming into doorways anyway. :)

Honey Bunny said...

we have a nikon, too, but it's not half as cool as yours. i'm seriously jealous.