Monday, September 25, 2006

How to Kill Me Softly Without Your Song

Buy me this and make sure it doesn't come with anything else so I can't use it at all:


Our PowerShot A80 is dethroned at last.

So this is my birthday present, a couple weeks late and none-too-soon. We started talking about buying a digital SLR for me back at the end of JULY, and I waited TWO WEEKS PAST MY BIRTHDAY. It's been exhausting, let me just say. So why do I want this shiny bit o' metal and glass? I really want to improve the quality of my images and my photographic know-how and that meant three things: a fully manual camera with complete exposure control, an SLR's raw sensor power and lens flexibility, and shooting RAW format so I can digitally process my images. Hubster agreed to get one for me, as long as I counted this for several birthdays because $%^& are they expensive. I agreed with the stipulation that each birthday would include a cheap outing for using the camera together instead of a two-second reminder that this was a giftless year. Now we're calculating just how many years I'll be in gifty purgatory. It's not looking good for the rest of my twenties. Yiiiikes.

As to acquiring this, it was a BestBuy floor model (the 20D has been discontinued, hence their desire to be rid of it), and it was in great condition. We got an obscene deal on it, as well as on the 4-yr Warranty and Extended Service Plan, which NICE because if I'm going presentless over this, I want to make sure it'll last through all the years I'm atoning for it. The only problem: it came with NOTHING but the body of the camera. Oh, and a cap for the lens socket. How thoughtful.

If the BestBuy salesman is to be believed, they THROW AWAY all of the cables, batteries, software and other kit items that come with their floor models and that's why this thing came without them. This seems like the dumbest. practice. ever. What are they thinking? And can't they just order a floor model from Canon without any of the kit? I would think that might be arranged.

Anyhow, now we can populate my kit with a bit of flexibility. We've got the battery and charger online for the price of just a battery at BestBuy. Next up? Neckstrap and lens. I'm excited about not being forced into the kit lens because I've heard it's not so great, so I'll be able get a slightly more versatile one. I have to figure out which one, though, bearing in mind that the pricier it is, the longer my stay in Birthday Purgatory.

WHATEVER, I'm still SO excited. I was actually going to go for the Rebel XT, if I went with Canon at all, so getting the step-up model for the same price is a pleasant surprise. Be on the look-out in the next couple of weeks for images from my beaut, who shall henceforth be known as 20D, The Widower-Maker.

4 comments:

Justin said...

Nice! I was just talking to Andre Agassi, he said that camera is way sweeter than the other one. Then he pushed me in the mud.

Mair said...

what happened to the Nikon?

Anonymous said...

Wow, happy birthday! That is a fabulous instrument! Many years of service will it provide you I'm sure.

JMC said...

btw, I accidently posted as "anonymous" earlier.