Rodolfo Paiz
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Thanks for the compliments, everyone, I'm very grateful. But, I'm sure we'd all have handled things precisely the same way. The camera dropped, it was clearly dead, end of story. So you think, there'll be time to mourn it later but right-this-minute there's an airshow going on! And there's nothing wrong with Warner's camera, so he gets the big lens. And I focus on Anya's first airshow experience, which is more important anyway. Just making practical decisions when they need to be made.
A truly examplary "nice guy" would have offered the big lens to Warner before his camera bit the dust. 
Things either will, or already have, worked out well. Anya loved the experience, is demanding earmuffs so she can have her hands free to take pictures (!) during "those loud jets", and even asked me if we could go back again today. I can't wait to see Warner's images from the show, since he outshot me at Cocoa Beach with half the focal length in the first place so I'm sure he got some beautiful images. And the gear is a fixable problem.
The accident happened because I switched straps to the BlackRapid "R-strap" (absolutely love it, by the way) and I was not sufficiently careful about using old habits on new gear. Operator error. With the stock straps, I always had the camera strap on my neck, so to switch lenses I'd let go of the camera and hold a lens in each hand. Over the last two weeks with the R-strap, I've used it the same way... but since you can switch the R-strap's quick-release clip to the lens collar, I did attach the strap to the lens so it would be easier to balance and carry the combo that way. It was much more comfortable!
But when I wanted to remove the TC and just use the lens, I kept a tight hold on the lens and let go of the camera...and the lens was securely held by my hands and the strap while the camera was not attached to any straps at all. Oops. I drop things so often that I've learned to stick my foot out as Jon suggests (bruises are my friends), but in this case my reaction time was not fast enough. By the time I realized that the camera wasn't putting weight on the strap, it was too late... the D3x was nearly to the floor already, so I only had time to watch it hit, bounce, and do its best "murder victim" impression for the crowd.
Here's Anya's first airshow pic:
| Exif information | | Model | COOLPIX L4 | | Date | 2009:11:08 14:30:57 | | Original date | 2009:11:07 15:45:13 | | Exposure time | 1/320 sec | | Focal length | 19mm | | Focal number | f/8.0 | | ISO speed | 50 ISO | | Exposure compensation | 0.0 |
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) In this day and age society is so consumed with stuff (and I include myself), it's nice to see an example of a man who realizes stuff is just stuff and has his priorities right where they should be. In Rodolfo's case, it comes as no surprise to me, but it's nice to see none the less. The Nikon will be replaced and not thought of again, but Anya will have that day's memories forever, and part of those will be the fact that quality time with her is infinitely more important to her Dad than an expensive piece of photo gear.
