Comments on: Officially Unemployed

By: Rob

Rob — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 22:34:10 +0000

@Smack: As I told my boss, “I’m not going into the witness protection program when I walk out of here.” My new job is (A) Federal, (B) located across the street, and (C) in security — those three things were pretty good justification to let me stay.

By: Greg Kennedy

Greg Kennedy — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 20:35:42 +0000

Well, again, it’s rare to find a “bad” DSLR, and even if you do run across one it’s pretty certain all the kinks will be worked out by next year’s model. These are expensive pieces of equipment that some people base their whole livelihood on, so companies really can’t afford to screw it up.

Two things that will help you make your decision:
* go to a camera store, pick up some cameras and take some test shots in the store. Your decision may well be made by the ergonomics of the cameras.
* if you live near photographer friends, buy into the same system that they use. That way you can borrow lenses off each other and share tips. My uncle and one of my friends in LR both shoot with Nikon, it’s helped sway me away from Canon in the past few months.

Seriously, in the end they’re all pretty much equivalent, and people have sunk so much money into their camera system that none of the major manufacturers are going away any time soon. Good photos come from the photographer, not the camera – so pick one that feels good and seems fun and practical to shoot with, thus inspiring you to shoot more : )

By: Smack

Smack — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:08:20 +0000

I’m impressed that they let you stay for your two-weeks. In my experience, once you say give them a two-weeks notice they immediately walk you out. In IT the ability to ruin a business in 30 seconds is usually taken into consideration.

By: Dave Farquhar

Dave Farquhar — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 03:39:28 +0000

There’s a Chris Farley (as Motivational Speaker Matt Foley) quote somewhere that would be appropriate right now. But I’ve probably said enough.

At any rate, congrats. I’m about a week behind you.

By: Matt Bailey

Matt Bailey — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 01:15:01 +0000

Good lord, the last thing you want is that horrible government cheese. I’m still convinced that it stems from early government experiments with Kevlar.

*shudders*
Horrible stuff, and horrible memories of it.

By: Rob

Rob — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:09:33 +0000

Thanks Greg. I’ve got some negative feedback regarding Pentax’s point-and-shoot cameras and now what I’m worried about is that quality seeping over into their DSLR line. It’s true that in that range what you’re really buying is the lenses, which is another thing that worries me as they look to be proprietary to the Pentax line. Maybe I would be better off buying something a little more compatible.

For an additional $100 You can get a 50-300 lens as well, which I was considering buying as well. Also, the camera is available in four colors (black, white, red and blue). I kind of like the red one; the white one looks a lot like a Stormtrooper, but I suspect I would get it dirty real quick. The black one looks generic to me. Also while the movie mode isn’t a primary selling point, my current camera is old enough that it doesn’t record movies at all. While I don’t really need the 720p quality, it would be nice to be able to record a quick snippet in good quality and up it to YouTube with little hassle.

By: Greg

Greg — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 16:16:42 +0000

Just saw your Twitter update about the Pentax K-x. dpreview’s brief hands-on looks pretty good (http://www.dpreview.com/news/0909/09091702pentaxKXhandson.asp). I’d pass on it because of the light weight, red body, and movie mode, since I prefer a more substantial feeling camera and I’ve already got a camcorder… but those may be the features that appeal most to you!

Then again it’s rare to find a ‘bad’ DSLR these days – part of what makes choosing one so hard! Personally I have my heart set on a used Nikon D300 : ) Still waiting on the price to drop some more since the D300s just came out.

Whatever you buy, do consider going body-only and buying a better starter lens than what’s in the kit. It’ll make a huge difference in your photos, since the kit lens is usually nothing special, and it’s still useful when/if you do upgrade bodies. I want a quick 50mm prime for starters, but a nicer telephoto might be more practical instead.

By: Candy

Candy — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 01:50:28 +0000

Congrats on your next adventure!