Book and Lens Swap

My father used to say that every place in the world is the same. There are good things and bad things; there are people who are polite or rude; kind neighbors and criminals; it really doesn't matter where you are. You can't expect to be happier somewhere else than where you're already at.

However, one thing I must say about the US that wasn't so apparent in other countries I have lived in, though, is that, they sure make it very easy for you to spend money! Especially with online shopping. I love Amazon. Ebay is okay, but you have to be careful because there are lots of scalpers in there, selling stuff without warranties for to much. I was hoping it would be one big garage sale, but people don't get online there to get rid of stuff.

However, it turns out that I am turning into such a lens junkie. The list of lenses I am drooling over has expanded to the 85 mm f/1.4, and of course, the 14-24mm f/2.8, the 24-70 mm f/2.8, and the 70-200 mm f/2.8. David Busch calls the last 3 the "magic three," and the 85 mm f/1.4 the best lens, a "legend" in portrait photography. All of those lenses together will set me back about US$4,000. I really don't have that much money, considering that I need to have a car yet, and I would, of course, need a car to get around for my photo shoots, right? Aside from the errands. Of course, I have to tell myself over and over, that all the photographers are right when they say that it's not the camera, but the man behind the camera who would take the best pictures. So, it really shouldn't matter what camera I have or lens. What I should do is going out there to develop my skill and my craft. Another option is to buy the lenses as cheap as I can find them, and if I don't like them (or don't use them), then sell them. In the same way, I should learn how to process photos, too. I suppose that I really can't expect the lens to do everything. I must say, I'm lazy. It's more fun to just shoot and shoot, than to sit behind a monitor correcting and editing a shot!

So now, I am going back to reading books again, to become that "photographer" behind the camera, through studying digital photography and practicing with my fancy camera (that is apparently, already obsolete, according to KR..sniff). It's sort of hard to read ebooks on digital photography because you can't really see what they mean when they compare one picture to another, using different camera settings. A real book will be better because the colors will be sharper. Of course, maybe it will be different if they make ebooks 1080p and you view it on a 1080p screen. But then, you can kiss portability goodbye!

I digress. Anyway, now, I am buying some books and, to cut down on the clutter, posting them on www.paperbackswap.org after I read them so that I can get credits and "order" books for free. I was hoping to save money that way, since I'm really so broke now. The idea behind the site is that, you should post 10 books to get 1 credit, and send out an ordered book for another credit. Apparently, you need 2 credits to order a book, but you only get 1 credit if someone were to order your books. I'm wondering if it is all worth it. I've had 2 out of the 3 books I posted ordered a few hours after I got them, and I can't even order a book yet. So that means I have to pay for postage first before I can get to borrow anything, and I'm not so sure people would post up their digital photography books. I can buy some used books, just from the postage cost, plus, I lose my books. The local library might have been a better option. I should go and pay it a visit soon.

Nikon Lens Problem?

From an earlier post, I said that I was using a 24-120 mm lens. Apparently, according to Ken Rockwell, it is one of the worst lenses ever made by Nikon! Ugh! For so long now, I have been wondering why my shots aren't as sharp as I would like them to be. I thought it was because of my hands, or lack of a tripod,...or something (maybe it was both). Finally, I began to wonder if maybe my lens just wasn't making the cut. So I've been checking reviews, and voila..one of the worst lenses ever? Sniff.

Anyway, I really don't have the money right now to upgrade to another lens, considering I'm just a beginner, a student, and I have no job. Soon, I will just be a beginner, with no job! At least that will give me all the time in the world to take pictures, although without the money to travel for more interesting photos. Greedy me!

Right now, on my lens wish list, I have 2:
1) 18-200 mm
2) 14-24 mm f/2.8

My D80 is also getting obsolete. Technology just moves way too fast! Maybe what I will do in the meantime is just learn composition with the stuff I have. I mean, a beginner like me can't afford to spend on all those gadgets.

I just read some reviews on Amazon. Some people said that the 24-120 mm lens is excellent. It appears that it is the VR that causes the pictures to be less sharp. Someone mentioned that one should turn the VR off under normal light. I should give try that out. Otherwise, I will just have to wait some more. In the meantime, I will have to make do with what I have, which is already a lot for a beginner! Lens reviews by photographers are really confusing. For example, Ken Rockwell loves the 18-200 mm lens, but you can see some bad reviews about it, too. If some people tell me that I have to know my own mind, well...I don't, because I haven't had enough experience with lenses. All I know is that sometimes, a point and shoot camera seems to take better pictures than my SLR does, and costs so much less!