Nikon D70s

Diana and Benjamin have their first dance as a married couple.



Last summer, June 2006, I bought my first Digital SLR.

After looking around and getting my hands on various Canon and Nikon dSLRs, I chose to buy a Nikon D70s.

I still have a camera bag with Canon stuff in it, an AE-1, and A-1, and even an FT QL. Several lenses as well. So I don't have a thing against Canon.

In fact, I admire Canon. They are a huge and diverse company with more money to throw at R&D projects than Nikon does, and consequently Canon usually has somewhat of a technological edge over Nikon.

That being said, I'm a fairly simple guy. I just want a camera that feels good in my hands, has some decent glass out in front of it, and maybe most importantly, I want my camera to be intuitive.

Nikon won that battle. Modern dSLR Canons are counter-intuitive to me. I played with a 30D, and just ended up not liking it. I played with a D70s and it was as if I knew exacly how to work it immediately; even to the point of using the menus and so forth without having to look stuff up in the manual or ask the photo shop guy.

I must admit, that I once owned a Nikon N80, and the controls layout was almost the same. So that probably was a big part of the equation, but overall I "get" Nikons.

Canon has features I'd love to have, that honkin' big sensor on the 5D along with the ability to use regular lenses, but I plunked my money down on a Nikon.

If I had my wish, I would have gotten that sweet 18-200mm VR lens that Nikon had out, but those things were still as scarce as hen's teeth last summer. So I bought a kit that contained the D70s body, an 18-70mm lens, and a 55-200mm lens, and an SB-600 flash.

All these years of photography, and only once did I shoot a wedding, for a dear friend, yet since getting the D70s last summer, I've shot two weddings at our church. Plus some other parties and things for folks who ask me. I don't charge anything. I just take the photos, put them on a CD for the people, and hand it over. Lots of fun and great learning experiences too. (The two photos I posted up top are from these events.)

Things happen at the worst time, but last week, I ordered one of my dream lenses for my D70s. Then my Mother in Law passes away over the weekend and makes everything else lose all importance. Part of me is still excited about getting the new lens, but when a loved one passes away, it's a wake up call to remember what's really important in life is the love we have for one another, in short, family.

But it was already paid for, so this guy is on his way to me right now, via UPS. Hopefully it will be at the house when I get home from work today.
It's the 18-200mm VR lens that Nikon is still barely starting to catch up to the demand for. Most reviews show this lens to be incredibly sharp for having such a huge focal length range. Plus, I'm looking forward to using the VR (vibration reduction) technology. It's supposed to effectively add up to four stops range, and I've seen some amazing sample photos showing the usefulness of this technology.