It never ends...the expense, that is

Ever have one of those classic "DUH!" moments? I just did.

My first new D200 arrived today! It's BEAUTIFUL! We have another on the way because we wanted to upgrade before our Reno trip. It almost tapped the bank account but it was a sacrifice we were willing to make "for the trip". And now we can do all this neat stuff and that our D70's wouldn't do and it's 10+ megapixels and I just happened to have a fresh battery all charged up so I slapped a lens on it and stuck the battery in, set the date and time and grabbed my spare 1GB CF card and popped that puppy in, hit the format buttons and...WHAT THE HECK??? 60 AVAILABLE SHOTS???!!!

That's when it dawned on me. More megapixels, bigger images, more space required to store them...SHEESH. It should have been obvious but that is the first time I even thought about it. Now I have to pinch the already strained bank account for enough dough for at least two 4GB cards before we leave. It never ends.

Don't you just love technology, there is always the little things that have to be upgraded to.

Mike, I was just thinking about the very same topic earlier today and I couldn't agree more.

I'm trying to decide how best to spend the little I have saved up for photo gear. Sadly, the list is greater than my budget allows. I added up the cost of a digital camera along with cards and a raw convertor program etc. and I received sticker shock. Currently I'm leaning on getting a longer lens for my large format camera. Then just see what I can add to the remainder of my budget over the next few months. At least another lens for the large format camera should round out that set up to where the only thing left may be a brighter ground glass.

I only purchase what I feel I can justify. On several occasions I felt the need for a longer lens so I'm going to start there. The digital camera I can also justify, but it really is more for a project that I've had in mind for quite sometime and I'm really eager to start more so than nature photography. Sadly, it's going to be put on hold yet again. I won't go in serious debt to fuel my hobby. The cost of some items is just so demoralizing that I try not to think about it.

Get your cards your going to need them and enjoy your trip.

Welcome to America. Get used to it.

No, kidding. But you must be choosing Raw+ Jpeg?I usually got about 180 high jepgs per 1 gb chip.
I love my D200, but just bought myu first 4 gb chip - and that makes me very nervous. It's great having like 500 shots, but I don't like the thought of losing ythat many at once, if a failtre occurs. We're trapped!

SandyI

Well now....normally when the discussions are about equipment and costs I keep my mouth shut because my tiny little collection of cheap equipment is embarrassing compared to most everyone else's arsenal. In this discussion I guess I get a chance to brag a little I have been invloved in this wonderful hobby for 4 years and my grand total investment is approx. $4500 including software, monitor, printer, a few reams and rolls of paper and a half dozen cases of ink cartridges. Print sales plus a couple paid photo shoots have reimbursed me for that twice over, leaving me with enough bank roll to buy me something fancy like a dSLR...or maybe a larger printer (my new camera gives me bigger prints than the 13" my 2200 is limited to). So who says hobbies have to be expensive?

Its a good way to keep the manufactures in business. New technology requires new demands every time you turn around. That goes with most electronics these days

So Gary, of course you know you've just jinxed yourself don't you? Next week your new printer will die, you'll drop your camera in the river........

Mike
I have the same problem. I just upgraded from the Canon 10D to the 30D. The megapixel jump is not as large as yours but I will still have to have more CF cards before my trip to the Denver area in September. It's a good thing that memory prices are comming down.
Oh, I almost forgot. I'll have to buy a lighter smaller tripod too. Since we are flying it is not really possible to carry my 11 lb Bogen 3033.
Bruce

Richard Wong said: "Welcome to America. Get used to it."

You think this is a uniquely American thing? How so?

Mike, I could have bought a nice car for what I have spent on camera equipment in the last year or so. There are TWO photographers in this family so there is even some duplication of equipment; two 24-70 L's, two 70-200 L IS's, a 300 f/2.8 and a 500 f/4, two Gitzo pods, one with WH200 and one with BH1 and sidekick, two 580EX's... The expensive list goes on and on. Wife is wanting to buy a 5D now...

I'll give you a tip, Bruce...when I travel to a real photo hot-spot, I ship my heavy/bulky stuff to myself c/o the hotel I'm using (after making arrangements first). Sometimes I even ship some of my clothes if it's a long trip. That way I don't have to check any bags and just carry on my expensive camera gear. Then I just re-box it and ship it back when I'm heading home.

I hear you loud and clear Mike - I've had mine for three months now. You are totally gonna LOVE the D200! But just wait when you start processing your images, 512mb RAM just doesn't cut it anymore.

I am getting ready to build a new PC.

And the beat goes on..... Poor me, besides the equipment listed for land use, I also have to buy new housings for my underwater work when ever I upgrade, plus the strobes, ports, equipment cases etc. I still love technology

I've done the exact same thing...upgraded from the D70 to the D200. I noticed right away about the cards...I have 2-1gb cards, and 4-250mb cards. The 250's are almost useless now, and it takes no time to go through the 1gb's. Oh, and I've maxed out the memory on my 160gb hard drive...so I had to order a portable drive to move all my photos onto. I need more memory cards, a cable release, a backup battery....the list goes on! But what fun we have!!

Anyone wanting to dump 512 cards can contact me. It's the perfect size for me because: it holds 38 Raw images from the Fuji S2 (like a roll of film, so it just feels right), fits on a single CD-R (I use a portable CD burner to download full cards), and two cards get me through a full day of in-the-groove photography. If/when I get a D200 it sounds like the situation won't change much.

Pete D.

MIke.... and then its the backup drives, .....portable drives....and on & on.

But so far its all been worth it.

Have a great time in Lee Vining!
JG

Well, that's why I'll not upgrade to a digital SLR. I currently have a Nokia N90 cell phone. It takes very sharp photos. I posted some photos I took with it here on NPN. I'm thinking of buying a digital SLR. I'm saving for it since last 3 years. Also, I'm thinking of becoming a member of NPN. I'm just waiting for the day when in the benefits of membership I'll read "All NPN members get a digital SLR and 3 lenses of their own choice, free of cost". Ofcourse, I'm joking, Jim.

Yup! It's just like owning a car.

Robert: Just a quick note that the RAW conversion program that I use is free, and I love it. It is called 'Raw Shooter Essentials' by Pixmantec. They have upgraded the software in 2006 and it is a great program. That would save you some cash.

Nathan

I love this topic. I sometimes feel like an outcast in the field of photography. I'm always trying to eliminate stuff, not add it. I own a handfull of lenses, but almost never take my 100-400mm IS canon lense off of my 10D. I shoot jpegs for many reasons, including the huge file sizes of RAW. I use Elements 2.0, perfect for my primitive digital imaging skills.
I hope I someday own 600mm Prime along with a better tripod and camera body, but it's not in the budget for now. 20 years ago, some of the best wildlife photographers ever would have killed to have what I have today. A sharp 400mm lense(and the 1.6 cropping factor of the 10D=640mm) that can be hand held with with a fair amount of light.
My best purchase in the last year is a Lowenpro camera backpack. I can go anywhere with my stuff. It seems as if most try and take as much stuff into the field as possible, but I usually do the complete opposite. Usually a couple of CF cards and batteries and a lightweight tripod to go with my 10D/1-400. That being said, I'm sure I've blown shots that some would have nailed. But I also think that I get shots others may not have, just because I'm so "portable" and take my equip where others probably wouldn't.

Now you've done it. Your going to have to get a faster computer to process those larger file.

Dave

Thanks for the tip on the tripod Mike. I had not thought of that. If the money can be scraped up I may get the lighter tripod anyway since the Bogen get heavy on longer hikes but at least I now have another option.

Bruce

Thanks, Nathan I'll give it a try.

Hi all! How intimidating this thread has been AND discouraging. I've often thought about investing in a good digital SLR because of all that you save on film BUT listening to everyone, you don't save anything...you spend it on other equipment. Like Mike said, "It never ends"! I guess I'll still continue to save for a good scanner for now.

I am reminded of a quote that was always prominently displayed on the inside cover of the Whole Earth Catalog...

"Distingish between what you need and what you wish you needed."

Of course, the marketing hype machine uses the following dictum, which is diametrically opposed to the one given above...

"You want, you will need, and deserve" such-n-such.

Either way, the whole gig sure makes life interesting.

-PB

Ha Mike, I was just wondering what "Neat Suff" you are talking about that your ol' D70 can't do? Other then maybe more focusing and metering points and a little better noise control, I havent seen a difference between the 2 (MPs are obvious of course)

But I know what you mean.......everytime I turn around I can think of another lens, tripod head, memory, filters, camera bag.......so on, so on and so on that I need or could use.

For myself, I have found the cure.......buy a house that puts your budget in the gutter and then all of a sudden that new lens does seem like a must have anymore

Well, lets see...first off, it's much better noise control and then there's 5 frames per second instead of 3, ISO 100, faster focus, more options right on the body instead of having to access menus, high speed flash sync, much better remote wireless flash control from the camera...and there's more!

As soon as I get me some more money... ...well, who knows what will be available by then?

Mike -- Just remember the mantra: "It's much cheaper than owning a boat."

Ok, Ok So the D200 is a justified upgrade (pisss't The Flash sync is actually slower then the D70) and well worth the money. I just wanted to see if I could bust you chops for upgrading for upgrade sakes

I also see that the accessories are pricey.............I just hope to god that the next D80 I think they are calling it is gonna be a stripped down version of the D200 like the D50 is to the D70......One can have hope

Hank said, " Yup! It's just like owning a car."

Actually, Hank, it's more like owning a boat.

Definition of a boat: A hole in the water you throw money into...

Had several boats and the description above is accurate...but...with two of us "geared up" for nature photography I have now exceeded the most I ever spent on a boat.

And while the default flash sync is 1/250, the D200 has a high speed flash sync mode so I can use flash fill at higher shutter speeds.

I'm hearing thru unofficial channels that the new Nikon is supposed to be an upgraded d70 type body with some of the D200 improvements including the 10MP sensor and at a price point of around $899. If that's true I'll be upgrading my last two D70 bodies

Mike wrote: "Definition of a boat: A hole in the water you throw money into... "

Is this similar to JEEP...Just Empty Every Pocket?



-PB

Never had a Jeep but I bought a Hummer just before New Years...now THAT will empty your pockets! But MAN what a nature photo vehicle

"We've never seen a hummer off the beaten path ever, just at malls, etc.. but hey, if you get stuck, just give us a call.. "

Classic!

Good job, Cindy!

-PB

Oooouuuucccchhh! This is getting personal!

Nathan

HEY!!!! We get lots of good waterfowl shots at the retention pond beside Wal-Mart! That's off-road...it's a parking lot, not a road.