Sure, Phoebe’s birthday is coming up and Sophia’s birthday just passed, but my birthday will be here soon as well. If I were a child and I still sully expected to get things for my birthday I would ask for:

• Nikon sb-600 flash
• Impact Light Stand
• Light Bracket
• Optical White Umbrella
• Radio flash trigger
• Gaffers Tape
• Clamp

That’s pretty much a single light support system for an off camera lighting setup. I’ll eventually want 4 total of all of the above, except I’ll only need receivers for each additional light. Also after I have at least one flash like the sb-600 that works in ttl mode on my camera I can get the cheaper vivitar 285hv. The vivitars would eventually get replaced by other nikon flashes like the sb-600 or sb-800 though. Oh and I suppose I’ll need a backdrop so I can do some portraiture on the go.

Also you have to throw in a color gel swatchbook with every order. But you also need enough of the basics for color correction as seen here. Also some ball bungies would be nice.

A nice off camera TTL cord would be nice but they’re horribly overpriced. A new camera body can fire them in TTL mode off camera anyway.

Tripod stuff:

• Silk 700 Tripod Legs
• Bogen 488RC2 Ball Head

I suppose I’d need a bag for all or some of this stuff, but a generic canvas bag would do for the lights. A new camera bag is a few lenses off before I’ll need an upgrade. Speaking of lenses I’ve changed my list up a bit. I keep reading too many things about Tamrons having focusing issues so for now my order of lenses will be.

• Sigma 18-50 2.8 HSM
• Tamron 28-75 2.8, Has to be the one with the built in motor.
• Sigma 10-20mm HSM
• Nikon 70-300mm AF-S VR
• Sigma 30mm 1.4 HSM
• Nikon 60mm Micro-Nikkor
• Heck even the Bigma (Sigma 50-500mm HSM) would be great

Any other lenses need a body upgrade for my lowly d40. By the time I’m up for it I’m sure the Nikon d300 will be at a more realistic price.

I know this is insanely boring stuff, but I’m doing it more, to keep track of my upgrade list. It’ll take me years and years to really acquire all this stuff, but if my daughter’s keep getting more beautiful, I’ll have to keep taking more pictures.

Tags: camera,gear whore,photography
Categories: BJ, Entertainment
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It had to be photography. I had to catch the photo bug. Heather thought playing videogames was expensive, but I haven’t shown her the lens upgrades that will be coming in as my girls grow up.

Here’s the cheap list on what will be upgraded and in what order. I say cheap because the sigmas and tamrons are third party lenses that cost about 1/3rd as much as their Nikon counterparts.

• Nikon sb-600 Speedlight
• tripod
• lightstand (tripod for the light)
• clamps
• radio trigger
• Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di-II LD
  . (they just updated it so it’ll autofocus with the d40)
• Sigma 10-20mm
• Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6G AF-S VR
• Body Upgrade… probably to the successor to the Nikon d80
• Another flash and lightstand
• Nikon 50 1.8
• A macro tube
• Probably a Sigma or Nikon 70-200 2.8
• Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 (this would make a decent portrait lens so I’ve heard)
• Some teleconverters for the 70-200

My thought process ends here… but 5 years from now when I get here I’m sure the list will grow even more. What a terrible thing to pick up as a hobby.

Tags: camera,nikon,pipedream
Categories: BJ, BJ's Life
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