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Hey there folks,
In a PM with Jerry, I talked to him about a new toy I finally got for myself while we were chatting about Reel 2 Reels and other "OLD" equipment.
I've always been into photography. I got my first 35mm from my Dad when I was 15 y/o, it was NOT an SLR, just a step above an instamatic! Then a few years later when I had a job, I got myself a Mamiya Sekor 35mm SLR, it was the Bicentennial version, thru the lens light metering, etc., had a standard 55mm lens and a nice ~200 or so mm zoom. I really liked that camera, got the stuff to make my own darkroom, learned how to develop B&W film, and then make my own prints with my enlarger.....was lots of fun. THEN the camera got stolen!
A few years later, while in the NAVY, got a nice Canon AE-1 Program at the Navy Exchange, and used that one for a few decades. This last decade+ saw the arrival of Digital photography and film slowly went by the wayside. So I got a little digital point and shoot with IIRC 3 MP sensor. Then a couple of years later, a 5mp Olympus P&S, then a couple years later, another Olympus ~7mp P&S. But during these times, "they" had come out with true DSLR's, but also had $$$ price tags, and I couldn't rationalize spending that much for something that would be mostly a hobby, not used for professional work!
Years went by. I oohed and awwwed over the Canon Eos series at my local volume discount store....but they were all a bit small in my hands....my trigger finger wrapping around so far that the shutter button was in the middle of the second index finger bone....no where near the tip!
But then they got a Canon EOS 60D...a semi pro type machine, and it was BIGGER so that my finger fit just right on the shutter button as well as around the camera body/lens, etc.! But once again, a new one was still around $1,300 for a standard kit, battery, charger, 50mm lens and case....so I still couldn't justify the price!
But this last year, we had a little windfall of $ from my wife's sister's passing and the insurance policy she had, so SWMBO said I could get the camera. But I still couldn't justify the price!
So....I went searching on eBay, and came across a shop in NY. Canon had just discontinued their 60D model, it has 18MPixels sensor for newer 21Mp model the 70D. So I had hoped to find a decent gently used one at a more reasonable price. I learned that the 60D was rated at 100K shutter actuations...it has a mechanical shutter/mirror that has to be flipped up out of the way for the image/light to reach the actual sensor when taking a shot while using the standard Viewfinder. Using the ACTIVE VIEW LCD screen on the back takes up so much more battery power!
Anyways, I found a camera and it had only ~2500 shutters actions, essentially brand new! The camera keeps a permanent record of the shutters actions separate from the memory card tracking. It was only ~$450.00. I also found a couple of lenses...18-55mm macro/zoom as well as a 50-250 zoom, both with full autofocus mode and image stabilization!
I am still learning how to work this thing, it's quite a bit more complicated than the regular 35mm SLR's that I have been used to.
Today, we had a fairly rare event down here in Southeast Virginia....it SNOWED for a few hours. So I got a chance to take a few shots to test the camera and my skills. So since we like photos so much, here are a few for your entertainment. Hope you all got what you wanted for Xmas.
T.C.
In a PM with Jerry, I talked to him about a new toy I finally got for myself while we were chatting about Reel 2 Reels and other "OLD" equipment.
I've always been into photography. I got my first 35mm from my Dad when I was 15 y/o, it was NOT an SLR, just a step above an instamatic! Then a few years later when I had a job, I got myself a Mamiya Sekor 35mm SLR, it was the Bicentennial version, thru the lens light metering, etc., had a standard 55mm lens and a nice ~200 or so mm zoom. I really liked that camera, got the stuff to make my own darkroom, learned how to develop B&W film, and then make my own prints with my enlarger.....was lots of fun. THEN the camera got stolen!
A few years later, while in the NAVY, got a nice Canon AE-1 Program at the Navy Exchange, and used that one for a few decades. This last decade+ saw the arrival of Digital photography and film slowly went by the wayside. So I got a little digital point and shoot with IIRC 3 MP sensor. Then a couple of years later, a 5mp Olympus P&S, then a couple years later, another Olympus ~7mp P&S. But during these times, "they" had come out with true DSLR's, but also had $$$ price tags, and I couldn't rationalize spending that much for something that would be mostly a hobby, not used for professional work!
Years went by. I oohed and awwwed over the Canon Eos series at my local volume discount store....but they were all a bit small in my hands....my trigger finger wrapping around so far that the shutter button was in the middle of the second index finger bone....no where near the tip!
But then they got a Canon EOS 60D...a semi pro type machine, and it was BIGGER so that my finger fit just right on the shutter button as well as around the camera body/lens, etc.! But once again, a new one was still around $1,300 for a standard kit, battery, charger, 50mm lens and case....so I still couldn't justify the price! But this last year, we had a little windfall of $ from my wife's sister's passing and the insurance policy she had, so SWMBO said I could get the camera. But I still couldn't justify the price!
So....I went searching on eBay, and came across a shop in NY. Canon had just discontinued their 60D model, it has 18MPixels sensor for newer 21Mp model the 70D. So I had hoped to find a decent gently used one at a more reasonable price. I learned that the 60D was rated at 100K shutter actuations...it has a mechanical shutter/mirror that has to be flipped up out of the way for the image/light to reach the actual sensor when taking a shot while using the standard Viewfinder. Using the ACTIVE VIEW LCD screen on the back takes up so much more battery power! Anyways, I found a camera and it had only ~2500 shutters actions, essentially brand new! The camera keeps a permanent record of the shutters actions separate from the memory card tracking. It was only ~$450.00. I also found a couple of lenses...18-55mm macro/zoom as well as a 50-250 zoom, both with full autofocus mode and image stabilization!
I am still learning how to work this thing, it's quite a bit more complicated than the regular 35mm SLR's that I have been used to. Today, we had a fairly rare event down here in Southeast Virginia....it SNOWED for a few hours. So I got a chance to take a few shots to test the camera and my skills. So since we like photos so much, here are a few for your entertainment. Hope you all got what you wanted for Xmas.
T.C.
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