A Little Thanksgiving Inspiration
November 22, 2006: Here in the US, we’re just about to celebrate Thanksgiving, one of our few holidays which hasn’t been completely commercialized.
See, there’s something to be grateful for right there!
I wanted to thank all of you for tuning in and helping us make The Digital Photography Show as success. You guys (and when I say “guys,” I mean all genders) are the best!
I’m a big believer in setting goals and working hard to achieve them. That’s what Michael and I did with The Digital Photography Show and I’m proud to say that in the few months we’ve been on the air, we’ve become the number one show on The Podcast Network. That’s a big achievement, and like all successes, it started with a vision.
If you’re looking for a little motivation to help you go after your dreams, check out this short slideshow. I don’t usually go for these kinds of things, and, yes, it’s a little sappy, but I found it inspirational nonetheless. Maybe it will inspire you, too.
Thanks again for spending your time with us,
Scott
November 23rd, 2006 at 6:39 am
Congrats guys! Much deserved success. I liked the slideshow, kind of reminds me of Al Pacino’s “inches” speech from “Any Given Sunday” which I’ve got on my iPod.
November 23rd, 2006 at 6:45 am
Well done to both of you, well deserved success. Whoda thunk it!
“Thanks again for spending your time with us” - It’s always a real pleasure. Thanks for all the effort that goes into making it such an enjoyable and informative show.
November 23rd, 2006 at 7:14 am
Thanks Cam and Glenn!
November 23rd, 2006 at 6:28 pm
Well done Guys, this is one of my favorite shows (radio, TV, whatever) very entertaining. I really love it so keep up the good work and you deserve all the accolades you get.
Have a good holiday.
November 25th, 2006 at 5:40 am
Pete, that’s really nice of you to say! Thanks, pal.
November 27th, 2006 at 6:54 am
Dear Scott and Michael
Great show. I even sometimes listen to the same show twice! Thank you also for the fast response when I wrote you regarding my D200 a couple months back.
Now, with the holiday season on us, I have a question that you may wish to help me out with on one of your shows. My wife is going to treat me to some new glass for the D200 this holiday season. I had originally bought body only (D200 that is, not my wife), as I was able to use the AF 35-105 lens from my Nikon SLR. Its a great lens, does macros, beautiful solid feel to it, and the only issue is that it does not go wide or long enough. Major issue is width, however, especialls since it ends up being a 50 - 150 when used with the D200.
SO - I am keen on getting the 18-200 Nikkor. Have noticed that it has a bit of a cheaper look and feel to it by comparison with the 35-105 which I bought back in the late-80´s. Blogs say that there is some ´travel´- ie, it slips out from the focal length setting when you move the camera. Maybe there are some other issues? I am willing to pay the price, but would appreciate some extra assurance from you as to whether this 18-200 will be an inferior performing lens to the 35-105 even if it does offer greater versatility. Clearly the Nikkor 18-200 is superior to other makes at lower prices (eg Sigma, Tamron etc) - but is this the lens I will be happy with?
Thought that this kind of topic would be good for you to cover.
Also - I am getting Photoshop Elements - any views on what to expect from that ?
Great show, with very balanced and unbiased reviews.
Thanks, and (belatedly) Happy Thanksgiving
Larry the Brit from Germany
November 27th, 2006 at 9:01 pm
Larry:
I know you asked the experts, but I will throw my 2 cents in for you.
The 18-200 VR lens is much, much better than I expected. I am a fan of prime lenses because of the higher image quality, so I expected to be disappointed with the 18-200 VR. Wrong. I love it. In fact, I am planning on selling my beloved Tamron 28-70 f/2.8 (another great lens) because the 18-200 is now fused to my camera. I will never sell my primes, though, never.
I did not even know the difference between “active” and “normal” VR when I took some shots the other night at my brother’s choral concert. I thought “active” VR would be the best setting since it was low light and I needed all the help I could get. I have since found out that “active” VR is for when you are on a boat and moving along.
Well, here is the link to the choral photos in “active” VR mode. I was not on a boat. No flash was permitted. I was miles away (in the balcony) and was able to zoom in on my brother and get decent shots of him (at 200 with shutter speeds that were very, very slow):
http://marieboyer.smugmug.com/gallery/2160472
I must add that I got my 18-200 for $699 at Roberts (signed up to be on their mailing list months ago). Not sure I would ever pay the price it is getting elsewhere (i.e., in excess of $850).
I also have Elements 5. I love it. Highly recommend that you get it, and then go here and look around, ask questions, and think about joining. You will not believe how great the video tutorials are. And the forum is a wonderful group of people:
http://www.photoshopelementsuser.com/forum/index.php
November 29th, 2006 at 2:41 am
Landya,
Thanks for responding about the lens. You are much more the expert on this than I since you own one. I did get to try the 18-200mm while shooting an informal event recently. A friend had one and we swapped lenses. I didn’t swap back until the end of the event. He was just as happy to be using my 17-55mm f/2.8 lens. Anway…my overall impressions were very positive. That range was really awesome. I found the quality to be similar to that of the 18-70mm lens, which is pretty nice.
The lens did hunt a bit while focusing, much more than a shorter zoom (but that comes with a big zoom). I also ended up with some subject motion blurs. Sadly, the VR can’t help with this.
Still, this lens was a lot of fun to use and I would recommend this lens as the first lens to buy with any of the cameras ranging from the D40-D80. In some cases it is more money than the camera itself, but can be less than the price of two lenses which is almost inevitable when your first lens is something like the 18-55mm or 18-70mm kit lenses.
Unless you plan to upgrade to better glass, the 18-200mm VR may be the only lens you’ll ever need.
–Michael
December 1st, 2006 at 8:00 am
Landya and Michael
Thanx for the real fast feedback and useful info. Anyone have that experience with the “travel” issue (ie, slipping focal length) ? I think I shall take the plunge anyway - looks like the major issue I will have with this lens is actually getting a-hold of one. They are continually on back order.
Best
Larry