April 24, 2006

Back to the Nikon fold....

In 1984, I got my first "Real" camera, a Nikon FM, and along with it a Nikon 50mm 1.4 lens. This camera instantly made my pictures look ten times worse than they ever had before. Actually "I" made the photos look worse, because the camera was no longer doing all of the work for me. At the time, I was a freshman in high school and wanted to be on the school newspaper staff in the worst way. At that point, I took a photography class, and my pictures improved significantly. At some point, nearing the end of high school, I made the mistake of trading my FM in on a Nikon N2000. It was new and shiny, I had the money, and I was stupid. Over the next several years, many cameras came and went. All of them Nikon. I stepped into the foray of digital a few years back with a Nikon D70. It was a beautiful camera, and got beautiful results. It was an entry level DSLR for sure, but I really loved it. A year later, Nikons mid-range DSLR, the D100, was miles behind the D70 in technology. I was ready to move into a DSLR that had a metal body, not all plastic. Nikon didn't have a suitable offering, so I made the dreaded mistake of selling off all but one of my Nikon bodies (An FE2) and one lens (a Nikon 50mm 1.8). I promptly purchased a Canon EOS 20d, and later a few VERY nice lenses. I began noticing that the joy that I felt in being a photographer simply wasn't there anymore. The 20d became a barrier to me, not that it wasn't good enough (That is laughable), but because it didn't seem natural and part of the creative process to me. The only experience I could relate it to would be a lifelong Stratocaster player picking up a Les Paul. They are both VERY fine guitars, but at the same time, very different.

Over the past few weeks, I have sold off most of my Canon gear, except for a 17-40mm F4L USM, an EOS Elan 7n film body, and a Canon 50mm 1.8. That stuff is all for sale, if you are interested, email me. With the proceeds, I purchased a new Nikon D200 (Their new 10.2 megapixel DSLR) and a new Nikkor 50mm 1.4 lens. Today, I rediscovered the joy of photography. The D200 feels great in my hand, all of the controls are RIGHT where I expect them to be, it is responsive, and it feels like it was cut from a solid piece of metal, and wrapped in a heavy layer of the best rubber I have ever felt on a camera. The results are amazing, especially from a DSLR with no post-processing. I can't wait to see what the images will look like with a little Photoshop action!

Hey Nikon! I'm home!

Posted by Broch at 10:56 PM| | Comments (1)

April 06, 2006

Sorry folks...

For one of the first times in my life, I don't really have a damn thing to say. I have been doing a ton of reading on other peoples blogs, and unfortunately, most of what I have been reading (Mostly not links from here) has been pissing me off to no end. I'm growing really tired of the jockying for position and the immense self-importance that individuals have. I'm growing increasingly skeptical of the whole Web 2.0 movement, and the gigantic bandwagon that it has created. Beautiful and simple design has always been attractive, that is no big secret. I just don't see any innovation going on, or anything worth wasting my time on. Come on internet, make my life easier. Okay, you already have, but do it AGAIN... moreso than you did 3 years ago. As far as I'm concerned, there are maybe 10 great sites out there that make my life easier, and I'm going to put links up for them sometime soon. The rest is all blather.

Posted by Broch at 01:45 AM| | Comments (0)

April 04, 2006

"Traditional Media," Wake Up!

Quoting Bill Gates...

"Paper is no longer a big part of my day. I get 90% of my news online, and when I go to a meeting and want to jot things down, I bring my Tablet PC. It's fully synchronized with my office machine so I have all the files I need. It also has a note-taking piece of software called OneNote, so all my notes are in digital form."

Traditional media outlets need to wake up and smell the new millenium.

Posted by Broch at 12:30 AM| | Comments (0)
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