I think I need another body and I need to get one NOW. My list of reasons and excuses isn’t all that well supported by my girlfriend, however:
-- I need a backup for an event in a little over a week. The 2 D2’s my rental shop keeps on the shelf (an H and an X) are both reserved. They’re 100 miles away anyway. And their used D1X stock is getting pretty thin.
-- A friend sent me a note today telling me his D2H meter finally blew. My D2H is working pretty well except for the frequent “ERR” message after turning it on and firing off the first round. I have a feeling mine is going to cough up a hairball anytime now.
-- I’ve had two unsolicited inquiries in the last few days for stock image licenses and assignment work. I just sold three shots to a magazine (first significant magazine publication). A PR firm also needs stock and I may have some weekend assignment work coming online for someone else. I have a busy non-photog day job; how did the magazine and PR firm find my images online and why all this interest now? Hmmm…
-- Did you know that Getty Images apparently has only 4 DSLR’s on their approved camera list for stock image submissions? They're the Nikon D2X, Canon 1DS (both of them), and the Canon 1DM2. I read this on a PDN forum last night. I’m not going to get into the Getty club in my lifetime, but I did find this interesting.
-- My D70 is great for travel and the size was perfect for a recent backpacking trip, but I just can’t stand the viewfinder anymore. It’s time to unload it on eBay.
-- I have a bad case of NAS
You can probably tell where this is leading. I think the new body has to be the D2X. The D2Hs would be great except for the rez (don’t get me wrong, I love the files from my D2H, but I already have a 4MP pro body).
Anyone want to talk me out of it? Maybe twist my arm a little? I’d be using the D2X this fall for sports stuff, shooting at 1/500th or faster, so I’m not worried about the focus issues. I am worried about the file sizes though. I think I’ll be shooting HSC exclusively for some time until I can upgrade computer equipment (many months away).
jmcfadden wrote:
with a name like Ted Turner you have all the money you need for gear right ?
Get the X man , Get the X
J
Oh how I wish that were true! Reminds me of the time about 16 years ago when I used to live near Ted's Mega-Ranch in southwest Montana (true story). I had ordered a pair of chino's from J Crew. Several weeks passed and the pants never arrived. I called J Crew, they tracked the order and said the pants were delivered to Ted's ranch. I called his ranch and said, "My name is Ted Turner and I'm looking for my pants". They thought it was a practical joke. They couldn't find the pants (probably retrieved by a ranch hand), but I did eventually get the pants replaced. I had several other problems related to sharing the name while I lived there, including a bank account mix-up where he got MY money by mistake (long story for another time).
Ted I understand how you feel and hey, I am a supporter of the H but as you said you already have one. I think you are a perfect candidate for the X! I would think that of myself were I in your shoes and yes the only reason my next purchase is still in the air is because of the file size even though I can handle them hardware wise, what begs to be asked is do I want to.
This acronym has been used on various Nikon forums for quite some time, but I can't tell you which one it originated from. The folks at Nikonians.org tend to use it a lot.
B&H if offering a D2x with a Hitachi 6GB microdrive. Same price (i.e., the drive is free). But I don't think I want a microdrive. How prone is the new generation of microdrives to failure from the usual bump and grind?
I have 6 1GB cards, probably better to call and request their D2X "best price", hopefully around $4.6K, and forego the MSRP price with the microdrive.
Still haven't decided yet; $ is really tight at the moment. But I feel like I'm in sort of a bind (NAS is bad, very bad). I should talk to my tax consultant to see if there is a way I can write-off the expense.
John Rougeux wrote:
I want a D2X badly but I try to think of other things to ward off the pain!
John, do not think of a D2X, do not think of a D2X, do not think of a D2X, do not think of a D2X, do not think of a D2X, do not think of a D2X, do not think of a D2X, ................
Jack,
thanks a LOT! :P Here I am...sitting at my computer and my wife is behind me at hers. She might turn around and see that I'm even talking about it!
And now I'm thinking about it...and hoping that Uncle Jack will be nice enough to loan me the money!
Ted-
If you have sold ONE image you should be writing off your cameras...
I have a full time job and do photography on the side and the money I get back from my
personal income tax (after the photo writeoffs) makes the expenses a little more justified. this is an easy thing to do even with personal tax software, (ie. turbotax)
ps are you renting from Pro Photo Supply? I am in orygun as well....
amanita wrote:
Ted-
If you have sold ONE image you should be writing off your cameras...
I have a full time job and do photography on the side and the money I get back from my
personal income tax (after the photo writeoffs) makes the expenses a little more justified. this is an easy thing to do even with personal tax software, (ie. turbotax)
ps are you renting from Pro Photo Supply? I am in orygun as well....
Yes, I hope to write off a bunch of expenses this year. I sold three stock licenses today to a Portland magazine. And I'm about to sell some more to another client next week.
Yes, I do rent from Pro Photo Supply. I rented D2H's, 80-200mm AF-S, 70-200mm VR, 12-24mm, and Quantum packs from them last fall because I couldn't justify buying the gear. But all of the images I'm selling right now are shots I captured with the rental equipment. In fact, almost all of them are from the first two hours I held a D2H in my hands. My goal the first day I rented one was to just learn how to use it. But the Nikon ergonomics are so sweet that I ended up getting a lot of decent shots that are currently in demand. I finally applied one of my rental fees as a discount on a new D2H right after Nikon tanked the price late last fall, so I saved a bundle.
I called PFS earlier this week to reserve some gear, but I was too late. Can you believe they only have two D2 bodies? Then again, I don’t know of another shop in Oregon where I could rent one. I think they’re the only place. I wish I wasn’t 100 miles away.
turnert wrote: Not sure, this is new territory for me. I do plan on meeting with my accountant next week, so I'll let you know what I find out.
i'm actually quite curious as to how realistic this is. please be sure to report back.
