I hope this doesn’t sound too much like ‘look at me and what I have" but I wanted to write down why I chose the equipment I currently have. The equipment is listed on the right-hand column in no particular order.  First up is the Sony DSC-T1

Sony DSC-T1

Farrah and I were in the market for a new digital camera. When knew we wanted something small yet could take great pictures.  I’ve always been a Sony guy, so when a commercial came on showing off the size of the T1 I was hooked. Well almost hooked.

I did my research to note the positives and negatives. The positives: size, good images (if there is enough light), a big LCD, fast start-up time and it looks cool. The negatives: price, poor images in low light, high red-eye count, and price.

Well, it made the cut since we bought it.

Even though we knew a head of time, the indoor performance is really disappointing.  But if you are traveling and you are taking a lot of outdoor photos, it’s a nice small camera to own (and the price has dropped considerably).

The Nikon FM3A

I was looking for a manual camera to give to Farrah for her birthday.  Nikon just came out with the FM3A during that time.  I was sold on the reviews of the camera and haven’t been disappointed.

Nikon FM3A

The camera is a solid piece of machinery, built like a tank. You can take pictures under almost any condition with this solid work horse.  Granted, you need to get the exposure correct (use the light meters) and focus (yes, focus), but nothing feels like you have more control then with a fully manual camera.

If there is a downside to the camera it is two things: (1) the light meter is hard to read in low light, and (2) trying to catch fast action is very difficult. You can avoid the latter if you have an automatic with you, but some times you just aren’t prepared as you should be. (I guess you can tell it’s happened to me.)

The Nikon N80

The N80 is an affordable, easy to use SLR with enough features to keep learning how to shoot. It’s light in weight when compared to the FM3A, so it can be taken almost anywhere without it being a burden. Most of the SLR film photos we have taken are with the N80.

If there are any downsides to the N80 it’s the fragile plastic feeling. The camera doesn’t feel like it could survive rugged conditions, weather or physical. With the FM3A you can probably drop the body and incur minimal damage.

Nikkor AF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5D

The most used lens out of the group of lenses we have.  It’s perfect for most photo situations.  I have never really had a problem with this lens.

Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 AF

A nice fast wide lens, not wide like 18mm but wide enough.  It was also very inexpensive.  I wish I went with the f/1.4 though, but I couldn’t justify the extra cost.

Tamron Zoom Telephoto AF 70-300mm

The last new lens we bought. A fellow photographer at a party suggested I get a 300mm lens.  No way I could afford a fixed lens, so I went the Telephoto non-Nikon route.  A decent lens, allow us to capture shots without getting too close.

So this is the summary of I have now.  Still waiting on that D70s.  Ugh!