My New Toy

I've been shopping around for a digital SLR as a birthday present for myself (oh no, the three major pigging-out sessions do not count as presents) and was weighing the pros and cons of a Nikon D70 versus a Canon EOS 20D . I was so paralyzed with fear for making the wrong decision that I couldn't bring myself to buy anything for the longest time. This is an SLR we are talking about after all. If I chose the wrong brand, I would forever be stuck with the body and all the lenses that are sure to follow. I, the archetypical impulse buyer, couldn’t make a buying decision for the first time.

Ultimately, it was my dad who saved me from this shopping dilemma. Since he’s no longer using his Nikon D70, he will loan it to me so I can use it and see if I like it. If I do, I can just keep it and buy him another camera of his choice (Hey as long as I don’t have to pick out the camera). If I don’t, at least I will know what added features I should be looking for in the Canon EOS 20D, or something else.

So my first day back home I spent poring over the D70's manual. Damn this thing is complicated! I am so used to having the onscreen menu taking care of everything I need, but the D70 is so chock full of functions that in addition to the onscreen selections, it has tons of tiny little buttons all over the camera body. Navigating those has been a challenge, but I am slowly getting the hang of it.

This is the first “real” photo I took with my new toy (no surprise it is of food, eh?). I miss the macro function on the non-SLRs. Of the over ten shots I took of my dinner tonight, this is the only one that didn’t come out completely blurry. (I know Jason's going to criticize the composition, but like I said, this is the ONLY one that wasn't blurry.) Steep learning curve. (That and a macro lens!)



Orange Juice Chicken and Roasted Fennel and Carrots