The Minolta XD11 was also my first personal SLR. I did like it, a lot. The electronic touch shutter release was cool and quiet. It had multiple auto exposure modes (if I remember correctly) which did a great job of giving me what I wanted.

But something in my head (probably heart and soul too) was saying...

"Nikon... go the Nikon way."

"Its not a camera, its a NIKON!"

https://m.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DVyHPy8A6Iqc&ved=2ahUKEwiW0cv19577AhXBF1kFHeAdDZYQtwJ6BAgQEAI&usg=AOvVaw0fM9ZTHqFxzx0gDAJWrueP" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://m.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DVyHPy8A6Iqc&ved=2ahUKEwiW0cv19577AhXBF1kFHeAdDZYQtwJ6BAgQEAI&usg=AOvVaw0fM9ZTHqFxzx0gDAJWrueP



Traded it in for a Nikon FE (~82) in black. It was oh sooooo beautiful. Made me feel like a professional in high school. I know it (not me) looked super cool.

And just for the record, I paid for it with my own money. My parents did not buy it for me. I had a paying job(s) since I was 10 years old.

My only regret was that a not too long after, Nikon came out with the FE2 (1983) and I really could have used that faster flash shutter sync, with the low (ASA, lol) film speeds and all those indoor high-school yearbook pictures I took.

Now I have 40 years of Nikon schtuff and no real regrets about it.

FE 👉👉👉👉👉👉👉 D750

Happy HoliDAZE! Enjoy all the black Friday, cyber Monday, and amazing photo bargains to be had through the end of the year! Oh, and time with family and friends. 😁

I need to "step up my game!"
These images are amazing. I would love to know his post processing procedures.

I have one decent Milky Way shot I got by accident shooting fireflies. Since then I have done a little research on how to get good MW images. Now I just need to get up and out and start shooting.

My swim coach used to say...

"Practice does not make perfect.
Perfect practice makes perfect."

Happy HoliDAZE!

The Princess Bride's Miracle Max : "Whoo-hoo-hoo, look who knows so much. It just so happens that your friend (Kodak) here is only MOSTLY dead. There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive."

When I shoot important events, like a wedding (when I have no choice, and can't say no), I shoot digital color AND black and white film. Some of the people get very confused and ask a lot of questions.
But when I hand the clients a DVD of digital image files, and a stack of 5x8 B&W photos, they are always more excited about the prints! And even after they go through the DVD, they still tell me how much they appreciate the prints and love the black & white.

They often ask me, "why B&W prints?", I tell them that after the nuclear armageddon, the zombie apocalypse, and the entire planet has been turned into North Korea, you will still have your prints and I will still have your negatives.

Final thought, I have always imagined that Kodak should have spun off film into a separate boutique company and kept all of their film lines alive

You can still buy those super wide white wall tires for antique cars, kerosene lamps for power outages, and leather saddles for horses, right?

I did my very lazy method for the photo show at my father's after funeral reception.

I resized all of the photos to 16x9 and put them on a memory stick.

Then I plugged this memory stick into a smart TV, went into the menu and selected "slideshow", then hit play.

I ran the music on a separate system to play a "mix tape" CD.

I know it is a cheesy shortcut but, it was my father's funeral. I was lucky to get it done.

Your birthday party event sounds like a lot more fun to me.

Hello All Y'all!

I glanced through the responses and did not see this particular bit of advice which I think might be the most valuable for you at this time.

Don't buy anything until BLACK FRIDAY or CYBER MONDAY!

This is the best time of year to buy a computer. I bought mine a number of years ago on a Black Friday special. I got a great deal on a decked out computer that I am still using. I like to get a computer as fully loaded as possible so that it will not become outdated any time soon.

Usually the best deals for you would fall under the gaming category. That is a great way to get a maxed out computer for a reasonable price.

The good news is you have a few weeks to figure out what you want. Black Friday ads are already out. Search "Black Friday 2022" and you can look through the various ads, with more to come.

And then one last piece of advice, I always buy an upgraded warranty on a new computer. I do not want to have to worry about it breaking down in the first few years. If it makes it through the extended warranty, it will probably keep going for a long while.

Happy Shopping and Happy HoliDAZE!

-Trip West

BTW...

I like Lenovo and my photo boss likes Dell.

I think of my 17" laptop more as a portable desktop.

I do NOT plan on buying ANYTHING HP ever again.

https://www.gamesradar.com/black-friday-gaming-pc-deals/

https://www.theblackfriday.com/black-friday-laptop-deals.shtml

https://www.pcguide.com/deals/black-friday/computer/

(Overkill, I know, I know)

😁

Thank you for sharing that nice little musical break. It really is a classic loved by many.
It was intetesting to hear the composer playing it himself, which I have never heard before. It is interesting how he plays it much faster then you hear it nowadays. It reminded me of how my grandmother used to play. She would have played it at the same speed he did. She was self-taught and played by ear. She played piano in silent movies and could just keep going and going and going. It was nice to be reminded of her playing.
Thank you.

Mark,

I would keep it as simple as possible.

I would take:

D850 with the 24-120 f4
(amazing travel lens)

D500 with the 80-400
(alternate would be 200-500)

Pelican 1510 Carry-On
(Some airlines now-a-daze will not let you carry it on due to size. But carry it on anyway . If you are super nice, they may put it in the first class closet for you. If not, they will check it as you board like a baby stroller. This will be much safer for your gear. It will be handled gently and they will give it back to you as you exit the plane. That's much less likely to get lost or stolen. Call the airline in advance to confirm that they allow "carry-ons". This way you can act surprised/disappointed because you spoke with the airline directly and they said it was OK. Bring the Pelican literature that came with it stating "carry on" model. There is also a Pelican model name plate available to secure to the outside of the case. Just saw it online. I'm going to get one immediately. This will hopefully will buy you some accommodation points. I fly with mine regularly. Whispering that it is $10k+ of photo gear also helps.
Get the padded or TrekPak interior, not the foam. You are going to take your cameras on a plane, not drop them out of one. Your gear is tough enough to survive with just dividers and you need the extra space.
I would 69 the cameras with lenses ATTACHED into the 1510 and try to pack light enough so that all the extras would also fit in. This would keep everything together, safe, secure, and dry.
Bonuses...
The case is tough enough to sit on it. Makes a great stool.
It has sand-proof sealed bearing wheels so you can drag it anywhere, even through mud.
It has a long pull handle and you can slip your "personal item" around it and not have to carry anything.)

I do not have the 200-500 so I do not know if it will fit in the 1510. If it does fit, I would go with that lens (B&H may know if it will fit, call'em). Otherwise, the 80-400 is an amazing piece of glass with a big stretch on the D500.

I would put those lenses on and never take them off. Make sure you have one of the new front element filters that cleans easily, like the Sigma WR Ceramic Protector Filter.

None of these lenses are internal zooms. So I would carry multiple microfiber clothes for external dusting. Of course you will also need a puffy brush, or two!

I would also get the largest memory cards I could to avoid switching out in the field. I would wait to be indoors, if possible, before opening anything on the cameras.

Send the bodies and lenses back to Nikon upon your return to have the service/cleaning done. You won't regret it.

I'm sure you will go with the right bodies and lenses for you after reading everyone's advice. But definitely consider that Pelican! I bought my first one at a military surplus store. It was originally used for 2way radios. I got it for $25 and I use it to this day. They never die, and if they do, you get a new one free!

Photos are just samples, not mine.

Travel Safe, Brother

__/ )_o_/)/)__

I have been lucky enough to summer on Canandaigua Lake for almost 40 years now. I highly recommend the Finger Lakes region. There is definitely too much to do in a one week trip.
You could do some research on local day trips, pick a lake, and rent a cottage on the water to use as a base. Or do inns and B&Bs.
Corning Museum of Glass and the George Eastman Museum of Photography are AMAZING. So is the Memorial Art Gallery just around the corner from the GEH.
A self guided wine tour will have you seeing some of the best of God's green Earth. Photo ops around every corner! Spectacular world class rieslings to sample and enjoy.
Watkins Glen, Ithaca and Letchworth deserve a look.
Automobile, boat, train, plane, and steam museums abound. Even a rocket club, I think.
If you come, I would be happy to take you on a boat tour of "My" lake.
New England and Vermont are grand, but that's not what your wife asked for. Get her into the Finger Lakes! Happy Wife, Happy Life.
-TJ

Definitely check out the D750 at B&H!
It is currently $1499 ($500 off) AND they throw in the Nikon grip, a good SD card and a spare (off brand) battery! That's a total saving of $960!!!

www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1082599-REG/nikon_d750_dslr_camera_body.html

Get the D750 with the 24-120 f4 kit lens for $1999 and save $1100! AND they still add in the grip, battery and card goodies for a total saving of around $1560!!!

www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1082604-REG/nikon_d750_dslr_camera_with.html

I mentioned to the B&H photo guy that a newer model must be on its way and he thinks that the new body will probably include a couple upgrades but really only 4K video would be of note.

Just checked, they are now on back order, that tells me that it is one heck of a bargasm, lol

Happy shooting,

-TJ

Can you give us some shooting data?
These are great and I wanna know what you know! lol

Crazy, kooky... I love it.
I'm guessing you are an artist beyond photography and that you made them all.
Keep experimenting with how they are displayed, maybe a seasonal change up?

Very cool. I'm having my grandmother's dictionary and my grandfather's bible both rebound. I appreciate your sentimentality. Plus, it's just very, very cool.
Do you know who made the
lens in Germany? Who was the manufacturer or craftsman? Is it marked or labeled in any way?

Ich liebe mein Nikon-Glas

-TJ

I read a sports photography book when I was young and it said there was less than one minute worth of shooting in a baseball game. You may have disproved that.
I have found that faces sell well. Nice job with both action and faces.
-TJ

Pretty Perfect.
Would make a good greeting card.
I find it difficult to shoot flowers growing outside without some kind of distraction or composition flaw mucking it up.
Can't find anything wrong with this one, sweet.
-TJL

Pretty Perfect.
Would make a good greeting card.
I find it difficult to shoot flowers growing outside without some kind of distraction or composition flaw mucking it up.
Can't find anything wrong with this one, sweet.
-TJL