So after the big sell off and getting ready to plunk down a lot of cash on a D3 and some lenses I come into my office and discover that my 18 mo. old scratched up my NEW 24" monitor!!!

Plus, I have a wedding book that I have made a typo on... duh, so now I have to pay full price ($500+) to have it re-don. DOH!

So add that up, and that's quite a chunk of change.
Plus - winter is coming and we need every nut stored in order to make it through should I get zero new business. Plan for the worst.


Now, this has put some things in perspective for me.

1. I need to get another monitor because these scratches are bugging me. They're not that bad really, but I find myself trying to clone out something that really isn't there. Kind of like the brown spot on a nice white sheet of paper. You try to erase it but it won't go away!

2. My Computer has needed some TLC for about 6mos. Needs more ram, additional externals and a nice cleansing.

3. My wife never gets anything new or cool - I feel really guilty about this one. Her birthday is Thursday, and Christmas is a month away. She's not a 'stuff' person like me - but she deserves stuff... like a new sofa or something for the house. (she used to be an interior designer b4 all the kids - she loves to decorate).

4. I want my kids to have a great Christmas this year - last year was so-so. And my son Luke is into Transformers (like I was) and I found some really awesome Gen1 re-issues called "alternators" that I want him to have.

So, I need to be humble and realize that even though the D3 would kick butt for me and my shooting, I just cannot justify buying it right now.

I have done some extensive tests between my Canons and the D300 - and overall, I prefer the Nikon system as a whole. The D300 feels like a lane change for me (regarding IQ) but a major upgrade with regards to focus, lenses, flash, body etc.

Nikons are just awesome and I cannot wait to pick mine up this week.

(I will be adding the D3 in the summer though! )

Oh man.... that is a bummer. Are you just buying the D300 now then? Have you sold all your other stuff?

I'm not too sad about it. It would have been nice to have the D3 right away, but in all honesty, it would not have had much use. And I am making the switch now with the D300 instead so I can get some better Nikon glass.

Yeah, so it's just the D300, Sb800 and some glass.
I am getting the 17-35 Nikkor - Just picked up the 28-75 Tamron from Bill Cawley (Thanks Bill!) and will wait until I get paid from my WCCO shoots to get the 70-200 VR. So I will have all I *need* during the slow months. Then when it all picks up again, I'll spring for the D3 and the 24-70 Nikkor. Then I'll be all set... of course, having the 14mm prime would be nice, and the 200-400vr...

And yes, all of my other gear is sold. I am shipping out the 5D + 28-75 + 580EX to Chris Uglanica first thing tomorrow morning.

You should sell your 18-month-old and use the money to buy a new monitor AND TWO D3's! Then when business picks up after all those D3 images impress your clients, you can buy your kid back and pretend nothing ever happened.

Sad...
I know you're kidding, But he is worth over a billion D3's and all of the accessories that can go with each one.

And it's not just the monitor thing, in fact, the monitor thing made me step back and re-evaluate EVERYTHING I have as a goal. The D3 ended up being pretty low on the list in comparison.

Seriously, I think you made the right decision. And you'll be more than fine with the D300 for the few months that it will be standing in before the D3 arrives.

Plus, what good is D3 if you don't have the right lenses for it?

It just makes better sense to buy the best glass you can.
I tested out the D300 in-store (they paired it with the 18-200vr) and it was soft! I then had them throw on a good lens (17-55) and POP! sharp as a tack with plenty of detail.

I am going with the 17-35 due to my planned upgrade in the spring/early summer (D3).

darn that Prudence.

she's always messing things up for me, too.

glad you've got it all worked out and feel good about it... if you need help painting those walls, let me know!

julie

Isn't that always the way it goes? Have fun being home in Nikonian land I took your old 30D out for a test drive with my 50/1.4 and I have never been happier! I know you said Nikon will be an upgrade in terms of the glass, but after test driving Canon primes I can't imagine ANYTHING better Thanks so much for passing your camera along!

Glad you're loving that 30D!
And the 50 1.4 is amazing - hard to get anything sharper than that... well, the 85 1.2 might do it.

And I am glad my gear has gone to OSP'ers... makes me happy knowing their in good hands.

Regarding the Nikon Glass upgrade, yup - I shoot mostly zooms, and the 17-35/ 28-70 (and I assume 24-70) + 70-200 are all much sharper wide open than the Canon equivalents, IMO.

As far as primes go, I would guess it is a wash on either camp. But I think Nikon is missing a few primes that people like.


Julie - yeah, I fell great about it. The D300 is a good cam with IQ = to my 5D (plus it has one niiiice body that you just HAVE to hold...lol). And I am happy knowing that I get to spoil my family a little this year, instead of me being the only spoiled one.