There is something semi special about today. It’s my half birthday! I think the fact that I am excited about such a non special thing is evidence of just how long of a week it’s been. Sometime on Monday I thought to myself “Thank goodness it’s almost the weekend. I’m ready for a break.” Can you imagine how disappointed was when I realized that it was ONLY MONDAY?? Last week at work was pretty killer and this week wasn’t much better. I find it a little amusing that I’m having to try very hard to convince myself that it is indeed Friday and that I won’t have to get up early in the morning. Of course, I have a habit of waking up about the same time anyway but I don’t have to get out of bed and get ready for work. There’s a difference.

One other thing that I realized since it is my half birthday is that I have had my D60 for six months now. SIX MONTHS. It’s crazy. I’ve learned so much since I got the camera but there is still so much that I don’t know. I also need to practice taking more pictures of people but I need some willing participants. I know I sound crazy to most people (I’ve accepted that fact a while ago) but talking about cameras and things just makes me so excited! I’ve been kicking myself a little because I think I may have bought the wrong camera, mostly due to wanting to get some compatible, auto focusing lenses. There’s some technical things involved but I’m trying to figure out the most efficient and inexpensive way to get some new gear. There are soooo many options that it’s a little difficult to figure out. And of course nothing is cheap.

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.

The next obstacle I encountered was deciding which brand to go with. I have heard enough to know that there is some rather fierce brand loyalty in the photography world. It seems a bit like computer manufacturers: some people will swear by Dell while others will say they’ve never had a good Dell and would take a Gateway any day. Dell and Gateway being replaceable by any manufacturer, of course. So when it came to cameras I was expecting to hear some people saying that Canons are far superior to Nikons or vice versa. In the long run it seems to come down to personal preference. Each of the major brands has comparable models. It didn’t take me long to find out that in my family there are 5 Nikon owners: one D40, two D50s, one D60 and one D80. All seem pleased with their cameras with no major complaints voiced. With the potential for lens sharing it made sense to go with Nikon.

Once I decided on a brand I needed to pick a model. I had thought that I was set on getting the D60. It seemed like a good balance between the pricier D80 and the D40, which has fewer features. Just when I thought I had it figured out and set my sights on a D60 the D90 was announced as the replacement for the D80. With more megapixels (12.3!), a larger LCD, a video mode and several other improvements it seems as if it’s taken all of the good things about the D80 and improved upon them. However, these improvements come with a heftier price tag which is compounded by the fact that the price of the D80 is falling. I haven’t fully made a decision as to which one I will ultimately get because of the third obstacle.

Price. Each of the cameras I’ve named would be a rather large investment without considering the cost of buying lenses. You can’t just buy a camera with a kit lens and be done with it. Well, technically you probably could but that’s not what I have in mind. I’m looking at anywhere from $550-$1,000, depending on which model I go with, just for the body of the camera. Since I’m not swimming in money I need a plan to raise some ‘extra’ funds.

I do have a skeleton of a plan that includes the script I started working on a while back and what I intend to do with it. Another part is to build a site for myself utilizing that script. However, due to working full time and other responsibilities and interests I have not made the progress I would like.

Anyone have any other ideas? I’m definitely open to suggestions.