jayshirtliff's photostream

I started with a Canon SD750 P&S a couple years ago, which is only partly a lie because it was the first camera that I owned myself.

I truly started with my father's Canon SLR camera and his kit of three lenses - a telephoto zoom, a 50mm prime, and a wide-angle prime. Forgive that I don't remember the specs on all of these.

I shot probably a total of 7 rolls of film on that camera, mostly on vacations and trips. None of it was spectacular, because I didn't really understand how light and aperture and focal length worked. I was probably about 15 at the time.

With the Canon, I got tired of not having control of all the aspects of the shot. It did a good enough job of capturing the moment, but a couple of photography snobs criticized my photos, calling them "snapshots and nothing more".

Shortly thereafter, I upgraded to the D60 with the kit 18-55mm zoom and the 55-200 VR zoom. I learned a lot with the camera, although not enough. Still, as sharp as the kit lens is and as nice as having the wide range of the 55-200mm is, I found myself wanting more. I wanted faster glass, and I wanted a body that would support more lenses and give me even greater control over the settings.

And that is the story about why I recently bought a used D200 and a Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 Macro (which is not a bad lens, in spite of the apparent spottiness of Sigma's quality control). I've also added a Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 AF-D, a Sigma 17-35mm f/2.8-4, and a Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8. I'm now quite happy with my glass, though time is sparing to shoot because I'm trying to finish my Masters Degree.

We shall see where the wind blows me, photographically, after I'm done with school.