01Feb09 My Nikon D60

While visiting my parents this weekend my sisters and I decided to see if we could find any deals at Circuit City. I didn’t walk in intending to buy anything. I didn’t even know that what cameras Circuit City carried. When I saw their camera aisle I found out that they had Nikon D40s, D60s, D80s, and the D90, all marked down 20%. I guess you can see what I walked out with.

Even then, it wasn’t an easy decision. I had thought that maybe I would buy a D90 instead. I think I fell prey to the idea of “must have the latest, greatest, bestest camera” mentality. This, however, was my first chance to actually hold one in my hands. I found out that the hand grip is actually a little large for my hands. After just a few minutes holding it I knew it would be a very larger camera for me to handle. Add that to the fact that it cost twice as much as the D60 beside it; I decided I wouldn’t be buying the D90. Later I found out that the only one they had left was the display model. That would have decided it for me if I hadn’t already made the decision. Turns out that while I was there someone bought the display D90, a display flash, one of their over priced SD cards and who knows what else. (Really, even with memory cards at 20% off they were ridiculously priced.)

Still, I hadn’t made up my mind to buy it right then. For one, I had intended to buy just the body and get the kit lens that came with the D90. I asked one of the employees if they sold the bodies separate but I was informed that “all of them come with a 18-55mm lens.” That, of course, isn’t true but it did answer my question: kits only. Second, I hardly ever buy anything on impulse. Not that this was a true impulse buy but I needed to psyche myself up to get it. While trying to make up my mind another customer was trying to determine if his lenses would work with the D60. The employees didn’t have an answer for why they didn’t auto focus and there was no sign of any specs for the cameras anywhere other than on the boxes which were locked up. I asked him if his lenses had auto focus built in because I knew from trying to decide between the D80 and the D60 that unless a lens has auto focus built in the D60 wouldn’t be able to auto focus. On the other hand, the D80 can auto focus if it’s not built into the lens. He tried his lenses on the D80 and hey! They worked.

I found out that they only had one D60 still in the box. My sisters were still looking around and I was still trying to make up my mind. The guy that I had helped with his lenses heard me talking about getting it and told me that since there was only one left and his lenses wouldn’t auto focus with it anyway that he would leave and let me have it. One of my sisters jokingly said “It’s a sign!!” but it did help me to make up my mind. Of course, the fact that they were having problems with Visa cards could have been a sign that I shouldn’t get it but I did anyway. Saturday also happened to be my birthday so maybe that had something to do with it as well.

And now I have the camera I have been wanting to get since last May. I found an 8GB card at Radioshack for $20 which definitely beat any other price I had seen. I still don’t have any other lenses for it or a bag. I didn’t like any of the bags that I saw there or at other stores because they basically scream “I’m a camera bag!” I’d like to be able to take this with me without that statement. Also on the to-get list is a 50mm lens, an extra battery, and one more card for now.

You could say I’m one very happy person right now. Except now Poe is trying to take over my lap. It’s kinda hard to type that way because he and Midna like to take possession of one or both arms for pillows.