Just wondering. Not unexpectedly, the Cafe's most prolific and tremendously helpful contributors seem to be either extremely dedicated, devoted and very expert hobbyists or professionals. Despite the fact that I simply lurk most of the time, I love the camaraderie here. The Cafe isn't just another website, it really is a family.
But I'm always hesitant to post my photos here because the vast majority of them simply can't compare with all the others that I see. Mostly, though, I lose interest sometimes when discussions turn to the relative merits of this or that lens that costs $1000 or more. More power to those who can afford expensive cameras and equipment, but I'm not in that league. I'm a simply a hobbyist now (even though photography has been my primary interest for 50 years), and I try to make the best of what I can afford.
So I am what you might call an "Equipment Minimalist." I consider myself a reasonably capable photographer technically, but really just a hobbyist at this time, nonetheless -- not a truly "serious" photographer or pro. In that context, I like to travel light these days, and not be weighed down by a gadget bag full of assorted lenses like I once was. So when Nikon announced an 11x zoom with VR and the reviews looked very good, I was immediately sold on it.
My prayers for one "do just about everything" lens were answered when the 18-200VR came out, and my preference was to spend "big bucks" (at least on my budget) for one lens like this instead of choosing 2-3 different ones that I'd have to carry around and change all the time.
How light do I travel? Here's all I carry.
Nikon D80 with 18-200VR attached, 50mm f/1.8D, Canon 500D closeup lens, spare battery, memory card, etc., all packaged in a very small, well-padded camcorder case that I bought at Wal-Mart for $20. It's all I need to take pictures.
But I'm always hesitant to post my photos here because the vast majority of them simply can't compare with all the others that I see. Mostly, though, I lose interest sometimes when discussions turn to the relative merits of this or that lens that costs $1000 or more. More power to those who can afford expensive cameras and equipment, but I'm not in that league. I'm a simply a hobbyist now (even though photography has been my primary interest for 50 years), and I try to make the best of what I can afford.
So I am what you might call an "Equipment Minimalist." I consider myself a reasonably capable photographer technically, but really just a hobbyist at this time, nonetheless -- not a truly "serious" photographer or pro. In that context, I like to travel light these days, and not be weighed down by a gadget bag full of assorted lenses like I once was. So when Nikon announced an 11x zoom with VR and the reviews looked very good, I was immediately sold on it.
My prayers for one "do just about everything" lens were answered when the 18-200VR came out, and my preference was to spend "big bucks" (at least on my budget) for one lens like this instead of choosing 2-3 different ones that I'd have to carry around and change all the time.
How light do I travel? Here's all I carry.
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Nikon D80 with 18-200VR attached, 50mm f/1.8D, Canon 500D closeup lens, spare battery, memory card, etc., all packaged in a very small, well-padded camcorder case that I bought at Wal-Mart for $20. It's all I need to take pictures.