Toys!

Toys, we all have them, we all want them.  They say the difference between the men and the boys is the price of the toys - I always did have expensive taste.  

I started taking pictures with a Kodak Instmatic 104, when I was about 10.  By the time I finished high school I had a couple of bags full of professional (top of the line) cameras and lenses.  At one time I had two Cannon bodies, an F-1, and an AE1 program, and six FD series lenses from 24 mm to 200 mm.  I traded all of that on a Nikon 35mm about 15 years ago, carried that for a couple of years, then bought my first real digital.  I thought the digital would be just a toy, I was so impressed with the image quality and ease of use, that I stopped using film. 

I have owned several good point-and-shoot digitals, and a couple of fixed lens digitals that viewed through the lens.   For the last couple of years I have been using a Samsung point and shoot with a 21x optical zoom.  It is a good camera, easy to use.  It does have it's limitations.  The shutter lag is annoying, I have missed a lot of shots waiting for the camera to respond.  The screen instead of a viewfinder makes for tricky composition.  I can recall back when I was studying the art of the image, being told that mastering photography with basic equipment would make me better with good equipment. Maybe that is true, but still I missed seeing what I was shooting, being able to push the button and get an instant response, and being able to change lenses.  I decided around the first of the year, that if I could exercise some fiscal responsibility, I would reward myself with a digital SLR. 

After just a few shots I am rediscovering what I was missing.  The control, the tools, the lenses (I already have my eyes on a third lens.)  

Have you treated yourself to a new toy?