Roblog

I just placed my order for my first digital SLR camera. I am really excited! My budget was $1500, and for that I got:
- Nikon D60 body
- Nikon AF-S 18-200mm lens
- Wireless remote shutter release
- Extra battery
- UV filter (to protect the lens)
- Video cable

This is shortly after my Dad's visit, during which he let me play with his ultra-fancy Nikon D90 (with multiple copies of most accessories). I took some pictures just during the 4 days I got to use it that I could not have taken with my existing digital camera (which is held together with rubber bands):
- Using low shutter lag to take pictures exactly when I want to: Elena twirling, Amanda twirling
- Using the optic of the zoom lens to get a nice depth-of-field: Amanda hunting Easter eggs

So hopefully, next week, I'll be enjoying my new Nikon D60. I can't wait!

It looks like the "shutdown bug" that has plagued my iMac in the past has returned. I suspect we won't be as lucky as we have been in getting it repaired for free, so the only way to fix it for good would be to get it replaced. Quite frankly, after almost 5 years, it's about time to get an upgrade anyway.

We looked into the available iMacs (which are pretty sweet, by the way), but we just can't afford one right at this moment. Once our 2008 tax refund gets here, we'll be in better position to get one (with Donna's U of H student discount!), but right now, it's not possible.

I have a theory, though, that keeping the iMac cool will help reduce the sudden shutdown problem. So this weekend, I experimented with keeping an ice pack just under the air intake of the iMac. It did indeed slow the fan down (the speed varies depending on the internal temperature), but it's hard to say if that prevented a sudden shutdown. So far, it's happened twice since Friday, but not at all since I started using the ice-cooling method.

I got my much-anticipated Nikon D60 DSLR yesterday. I was very excited to get it and relished the unboxing and assembly of all the parts: body, lens, camera strap, little viewfinder cover when taking timer or remote shots. Holding it in my hand and just operating the zoom on the lens feels wonderful. I’m really happy that it was delivered to our house in time for my mother-in-law’s 80th birthday get together this weekend. I’m looking forward to getting to learn its many controls and taking some fabulous pictures in Richardson.

The back display was particularly striking. It had a full-screen dashboard of the various settings of the camera, including a visual representation of the aperture and shutter speed. It looks really nifty. But I then quickly realized why those graphics were so impressive, taking up the entire display: the D60 has no live preview, so that I have to look through the viewfinder to frame the shot.

I was dumbfounded. What digital camera doesn’t have a live preview? Isn’t that one of the great advantages of a digital camera – being able to view the picture you are about to take without having to hold the camera up to your eye? Surely the most expensive digital camera I’d ever purchased would have such a basic feature, wouldn’t it?

After some research, the answer is decidedly “no”. Apparently, there are rather tricky technical issues with providing a live-preview in a DSLR that are only recently being overcome, not to mention that it drains the battery very quickly. My father’s Nikon D90 (which is the only DSLR I’ve used for any length of time) is the cheapest Nikon DSLR to offer it, and it is twice the price of the Nikon D60. There are other DSLRs to offer live-preview, but it’s by no means a standard feature.

So I’m working on getting over that shock. I have to get back in the mindset of my old film-based SLR, which obviously had no live preview. Compared to that, this DSLR is exquisite. I’m sure it will help once I start getting some results out of the new camera. I’m fully expecting the pictures it takes to be wonderful. I need to get over it - with a computer purchase looming in our near future, I don’t see upgrading to a D90 just yet. Maybe someday. Of course, by the time that “someday” comes around, I suspect there will be other options that will make both the D60 and D90 look rather outdated.

Well, my first 140 pictures with my new Nikon D60 was a rousing success. Although I was initially shocked that the D60 had no live preview, that didn't matter much when I started using the camera. With it, I was able to take pictures with great depth-of-field, some where the timing of the shot was critical (using the low shutter lag of the D60), and where a long optical zoom was helpful. There was one picture where not having the live preview was awkward (taking a close-up picture of a flower), but I didn't miss it any other times.

So the current verdict is that it's a great camera. I'm looking forward to taking many more pictures with my new fancy Nikon D60.