Renaissance Festival 18

Really had trouble with the dynamic range on this one...everything in the shadow area was almost completely dark. I'm considering purchasing the Nikon D700, which has a setting that would improve the range to something like 11 stops. Not sure though...lots of money for just a hobby. I would not settle for a typical kit lens, but would get a good piece of workhorse glass that could basically be kept permanently affixed. I like waterfalls, so would probably also get some neutral density filters.

People state how lucky I am to be given the green light by the wife to go ahead and get the "camera of my dreams", but I'm in no hurry. This will take time and careful consideration, even if it means waiting a year or so. As stated in a previous posting, getting an SLR is an intimidating thing to me, as I have had some degree of success with nothing but point-and-shoots up to now. Besides, some photographers of note have counseled to hold back and not get hung up on equipment, lusting for the latest and greatest. One fellow in Singapore said that what has been used for this blog (the Fujifilm Finepix 3800 and 7000) is more than enough for the kind of pictures that I like to take, and that all the extra equipment would be nothing but a burden. But what about growth? I did one magazine shoot with both of the aforementioned cameras, and would have given anything for a sensor that could do justice to some of the interior shots that were required of the job (it was a restaurant piece).

It all boils down to a matter of...am I ready, and is it even worth the time to move on to the next level? If so it will be with equipment that will not require replacement in the near future (hence the 700). However it would be foolish to make the investment just to have it sit idle due to time constraints, or the intimidation factor, or the fact that this is just a hobby after all, and will not be turning into a profession, even part time (per mandate from said wife).

Thus, we sit back and patiently consider these things with soulful reflection, and a dose of prayer...