Post-deliberation, I have a new camera! You can see the results here. Foreshadowing:

Self-portrait.

My nephew.

Enough said.

Rubber stamp at my sister’s house.

Shameless. Courtesy the aforementioned nephew.

California @ Davis, SF.

Warning: this post might be boring. It will not be snarky. It will not be quippy. It will probably be long. It focuses on a single topic interesting to a minority of humans. Flee, if you wish.

My camera broke some time ago. By “some time ago”, I actually mean something like a year ago. This was a real bummer, because I enjoy taking pictures. A lot. I’m not a professional photographer, and never will be, but photography makes me happy for reasons I’m not fully able to understand. The evidence is here.

When my camera broke, I was on the cusp of gainful employment, and in no position to buy a replacement. However, I’ve been carefully considering the idea for some time, and am finally checking out my options.

Considerations:

1. Point and shoot vs. DSLR. My previous model was a point and shoot. It served me very well, and I had no complaints save for one really, really annoying one: shutter speed. It sucks to be taking a photo of something happening temporarily and thinking “take the picture! take the picture! take it nownownownow!!!!!” A DSLR wouldn’t have this problem, and would also have more versatility and the capacity to take higher quality photos. Verdict: I’m going for the upgrade. DSLR it is.
2. Brand. Nikon? Canon? Do any other reputable DSLR brands exist? If so, no one I know owns one. I’m pretty comfortable shooting on a Nikon, so I’m leaning in that direction. In fact, my friend Brooke of the Lovely Photos was kind enough to take me on a test run with her Nikon D40 the other day. I was very happy with its performance, as well as the results. For an example, see above.
3. Gear. Lenses, lenses, lenses. This is largely where you get the versatility. However, look at this. It’s a pretty picture, but ack! What to buy? What to buy? Also, I think I could offer to trade my firstborn child for some of these lenses, and they’d still want a genetic screening to see if the trade was worthwhile.
4. Strategy. Brooke sagely advised me to consider just buying the camera body along with the lens of my choice, unless I’m sure I’d be happy with the basic one that usually comes with it. Yes, this is smart, but it adds another layer of confusion. Would I be happy with the standard lens? If so, that would be fortuitously cheaper. If I evaluate the question and honestly decide “no”, then which of that mountain of options do I want?

As you can see, I have an exciting purchase to make. However, I’m also vastly confused. I’m usually an impulse buyer. When shopping, I enter a store, scan the entire place in 5-10 minutes, and know whether I want anything. Having to consider a bunch of important factors is making me edgy. Someone tell me what to do. Exactly what to do. Please?

I know I am a total geek cliché for thinking this is awesome, but it just is. Click on the photo for a slightly bigger version.

Via demotivate.info.

Oaklandish birds:

I was invited to add this photo to the Flickr group Colander on Head:

I am honored to support any group advocating the use of kitchen accessories as headgear.

Vowel rationing: