Captured by Nikon

The short of it:

I want a new camera.

The long of it:

I have always loved to take pictures and record video. My parents gave my sister and I 35mm Kodak cameras in 1989 and I took hundreds of pictures with that little camera, if it hadn’t been for a scratch on the lens I would probably still have that camera (OK, probably not but the point is it was a nice little camera). When I was thirteen I asked for a camcorder and my dad did all he could to see that I got one, he couldn’t afford it that year but the following year he saw to it that I did get one.

When I was in high school I really enjoyed taking pictures and was fortunate enough to take a photography class the first year it was offered at my high school (my junior year) where I learned about pinhole cameras, shutter speed and color tinting. Because the class was new the class had to take turns with the three enlargers the teacher had supplied and only five of us could be in the small dark room at a time. I didn’t have the money to buy a new camera so I used my father’s archaic SLR. Dated as it was, it still took decent shots.

When I graduated high school I was given the gift of a new SLR camera by someone very sweet. It was presented in the form of a coupon with a little clip art camera in the center, I was to chose the exact camera I wanted. At the time I was employed by C.V.S. and working in the photo lab. I asked several of our routine customers for recommendations. When I went to Ritz to make my purchase I had all but decided on getting a Minolta. But instead, at the last minute I went with a Nikon N60. My first few snapshots were of the cat and the parking lot of our apartment but they were great shots, even though they were of nothing. This camera has surpassed all of my expectations and helped me fill several photo albums. Several years ago, it just up and died on me. I bought a much cheaper and smaller Minolta, I was very disappointed but it got me through for a little while. Before a summer of trips to Colorado, Emerald Isle and New Orleans we made the decision to go digital. Upon the recommendation of the Ritz salesman I purchased a Fuji film E510. It has always done an OK job, the photos of the Rocky Mountains and French Quarter were not disappointing but I have always wanted a little something more.

This Christmas Trauma and Trouble (before they were born) gave me a most awesome gift (Thanks, Ward), a HD Sony Handycam (Full HD 1080i with 4 mega pixels ClearVid Sensor, though I’m still trying to figure what all that stuff truly means). After Christmas I bought a small Kodak Easy Share digital camera. It has been truly disappointing. I got one for my brother that was cheaper and it takes way better photos, oh well.

Recently though I have really started wanting a new camera. With spending way to much at Sear’s Portrait Studio on pictures taken by someone who I would never call a photographer and seeing some of those old snapshots taken by the N60, I have decided that I truly, really badly, beyond words, want a new Nikon. I have the Nikon D80 in mind unless I hear from someone recommending a better camera. I used to want a smaller camera that was easier to tote everywhere but what’s the point if the shots are sub par?

I have expressed this desire with Ward, expecting to be laughed at, but he (like me) wants to record this time in our family’s history and has agreed (with one condition, I cut out online shopping through May, I can do it folks, I really want this camera!).

So I’ve started looking and I am very excited. I hope to be as pleasantly surprised as I was when I bought my first Nikon.

Does anyone know where I can get albums cheap? I take too many pictures with a bad camera, if this camera meets my expectations the bookshelves could be in serious trouble.

-June