Everything Under The Tropical Sun

My friend, Teach, advised me to stick to one topic or a uniform idea that will predominate this whole blog. I listened to him, took stock in what he said but it’s so difficult for me to do that!

Look at my header up there: EVERYTHING under the tropical sun… ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING under the sun that I could think of writing about. Isn’t it obvious that I don’t really know what to do with this blog? Yet it has become a part of my daily routine. I’m still trying to find out the right “look” for it since I’ve ingeniously incorporated a photoblog of sorts.

One thing that Teach told me that a blog is something that I should update on a daily basis. I reacted to that quite violently. But THAT advice I really listened to. So 5 months into this blogging gig, I found a routine that’s not too daunting for my taste and my Nikon D80 (here I go again with the never ending Nikon advertisement) really helped. If you’ve noticed, I’ve got a formula going here… every other day is a written blog entry followed by photo blog entries… PLUS no posts on the weekends (those are husband days and only belong to him).

This has turned out to be such a fun blog for me. Combining one passion that I’m trying to re-discover which is my writing and another passion that I’ve been discovering which is photography. Isn’t that simply amazing?! Something old, something new… Now if I could only find something borrowed and something blue… It’ll be like my wedding day all over again. Haha. Corny.

Anyway, I’m sorry, Teach. No single topic to predominate this blog because my life isn’t limited to just one thing. My life doesn’t revolve around this blog either… it reflects it.

If you’ve noticed, during the past 3 weeks, I’ve been posting wordless days… my effort in turning this blog into a semi-photoblog. I’ve been trying to figure out how to make a whole page out of my [Photoblog/Wordless Days] category and I remember seeing a plug-in that does just that. But silly me, I didn’t at least bookmark the page. Now I’m spending countless hours trying to find it again (if you have the site, please save me the trouble and kindly email the link to me or post it in the comment section of this entry, it’ll be much appreciated!).

So anyway, on to my topic of the day: my beloved D80.

I can’t believe how much I’ve been in the dark with my little point and shoot. Though it still has its uses and it is convenient to lug that around instead of a D-SLR, there’s much more freedom in terms of taking pictures with a D-SLR. There’s so many things you can adjust to get just the right image.

The ergonomics is also phenomenal. I can adjust the aperture and shutter speeds quite easily. I tried using my friend’s Canon 400D and the lengths that I have to go through to adjust settings were so confusing after using my Nikon D80 for about a month. It just goes to show that using it is much easier.

The colors in produces are just divine. I love the vibrant colors (but of course, I used a third party software to edit it) and with a little tweaking, I have so much more control over everything.

And to top it all off, I bought these cool lenses not too long after I bought my D80. Teach, my dear friend, pointed out how I love using my Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 too. In his words, I’ve been on a “rampage” with it. For a little over $200, these lenses are so cheap (compared to others) that its image quality was such a pleasant surprise. He told me to display my EXIF information, and I will do just that… in a week or so. (I know, Teach. I should do this NOW.)

So to anyone who’s thinking of getting a D-SLR as an upgrade from a point and shoot… GET A NIKON D80!!! You won’t regret it. But if you’re a serious hobbyist, I heard the D700 is simply exceptional… kinda pricey though but they say the picture quality (if it’s THAT important to you) is simply superb. Go on! Get your Nikon now!

Well actually, I’ve had it for over 2 weeks now. Hehehe. And I have to say that I’m very very happy with it. Why a D80 you say? And why didn’t I wait for the D90 to come out? Well… sad to say that I don’t have all the money in the world. But even if I did, the D80 is the most practical way to go.

Besides, after countless hours of research, I have discovered that the body of a camera doesn’t really matter (unless you’re a sports photographer or a photojournalist) all that much. The key for taking crisp and sharp images relies heavily on the lenses. Getting a D80 makes that a good thing because a D80 can use lenses produced in 1986 and up. I think that’s why my Dad’s been thinking of getting a D80 as an upgrade from his film SLR. So that he can use most of his lenses if not all.

I love the ergonomics of the D80. It makes it so easy to shift aperture and shutter speeds (compared to a D40). I don’t really plan on using the Auto feature too much. The kit lens it came with is okay (18-135mm) but I’m debating on what lens to get next… I’m thinking of getting a Nikkor 85mm f/1.8 or a Nikkor 105mm f/1.8 Micro. But the 85mm fits my budget more. I need a fixed lens. What do you think?

I didn’t know what I was getting myself into… I didn’t realize that I’ll also need a tripod and other accessories for this camera. But right now, I’m more focused on getting a tripod and ballhead, a new lens, and grip. So that is my priority list of accessories to buy.

So now, we’re devicing a way to justify all this spending. We’re going to open another department which will help ease the guilt of investing in a DSLR. Fortunately for me, many in our office have their own DSLRs… The support is thereby tremendous. Wish us luck!

I’m so happy with my new camera and would highly recommend the D80 to anyone who is contemplating on getting a DSLR. But if you need very high quality images, the Nikon D700 has had phenomenal reviews so far.

It’s been 3 days now. I’ve been staring at this website practically as soon as I wake up and before I go to bed. It contains a list of Nikon Digital SLR packages which are relatively cheap for us locals. It’s come to a point when my husband would peer over my shoulder and see that the site that’s got me so engrossed is that damn list (when he would usually find me blog surfing, doing research or typing up a storm)… and start laughing that sympathetic laugh of his. He’s never seen me so obsessed.

I’ve been resisting the urge to get myself one for years because I knew it would spell T-R-O-U-B-L-E for my pocket. My Papa has been taking pictures ever since I could remember. My mental picture of him would always be with his camera draped around his neck. I’d remember that he’d buy a new lens but had to buy filters that would go perfectly with it… then comes a tripod about ye high… then another one that has a motor… and so on. I knew that if I do get a DSLR camera, that it wouldn’t end with just getting a body but a range of accessories as well.

I’ve been successfully and blissfully ignoring the DSLR urge when my irritating friend, Teach (yes, it’s all YOUR fault) was kind enough to tell me that the Nikon D40 was on sale in his area. It was too cheap to pass up on. So what I did next was something any curious person would do… I googled it.

BIG MISTAKE! Not only did I find out that the D40 is not for me but the urge that I’ve been suppressing all these years have taken a life of its own. What started as curious googling to know if the D40 was a good buy became a full blown obsession. After 3 days, I’ve made a decision that the best DSLR camera for me would be the Nikon D80. It’s the only model that I feel I won’t get frustrated over… and it didn’t stop there. Teach told me about a good lens then (stupid me) googled again. Found out that the lens that usually comes with the D80 body has limitations (and the list gets longer…).

Why a Nikon you say? Rather than a cheaper alternative like Canon? Uhmm… grew up with my Nikonian father. ‘Nuff said. I refuse to go into a debate about Nikon vs. Canon. It will NEVER end. Believe me. I tried batting for Canon because I simply don’t want my wallet to take a beating but my heart belongs to Nikon. A friend and avid Canon fan actually helped me in this realization. He says that Nikon has brighter blues and greens… which is perfect because I like to take pictures outdoors. I don’t see myself cooped up in a studio.

So what’s the hold up? My wallet won’t grow money. *sigh* I have to wait. Save up. Keep my fingers and toes crossed that they’d bring down the price before the D700 comes out at the end of the year. A Nikon DSLR in my future? I’d say: just a matter of time.