I’ve been taking photographs since I was a child. i started with film, and a few years ago was able to go to digital. I am what most folks would call a hobby photographer, though I am rarely without my camera.

I got my trusty Polaroid i832 as a gift a couple of years back for Valentine’s day, and I have never let it out of my sight since except for once, to repair the battery door.

I shoot whatever catches my eye, but I find I am most drawn to nature, or odd angles and rare views. I also have a small obsession of photographing people when they are taking pictures.

I find that working in digital allows me to capture more images, giving me a better chance of achieving the “perfect” shot without being afraid of the cost of developing. My photography has really raised in quality since I switched to digital, much for the same reason. I am no longer afraid to snap off 30-50 frames of a single object or event.

I really like my little cheap camera. It takes mid-grade video, it records voice, and I have several settings for stills. The photos are crisp and beautiful. It has a relatively quick boot time, and is frugal with the battery power compared to most other consumer-grade digitals.

Things I don’t like about it;

The battery door is made of plastic, and likes to break if one is not exceedingly careful.

I could really use a shutter speed setting, and a low-light setting, and it would be handy if one could zoom in and out while filming.

Other than those small things, I am really glad I have what I do, and for the beginning or hobbyist photographer, I would suggest it above all other little pocket-sized 8MP digicams in the under $200 range. Worth every penny and more.

That said, all of my film cameras have been either Vivitar (110), or Cannon (35mm). I have a friend who has a Nikkon digital 10MP, but she takes photos like I do, using very few of the features.

I hesitate to say it, but I think one of the reasons the professional-grade cameras are so large and unwieldy isn’t because of stability or superior functionality, but rather that when hiring a photographer, you want to see that they have the biggest, latest, and best equiptment for your special photos. Most people wouldn’t hire me to do a wedding, for example, for the sole reason that it looks rather cheap and unprofessional to have a camera you can wrap your hand around. My friend with the Nikkon, however, shadowed a wedding within 5 months or so of acquiring her camera, and she has fewer quality photos even with her big fancy camera, than I do with mine. She is learning fast though. *smile*

I’d have to say that without the specific features I need in a camera, I will never switch away from what I have. The only thing that could make me go bigger would be something with all of the features I want and need from a camera, plus some others I wasn’t aware I couldn’t live without until I had them. *chuckle*

Good stuff.

The cutframetv stuff is pretty good all-around but I found your video especially articulate and easy to follow.

I had 2 other people judge this with me and two of us chose David’s comment, mostly because of his description of what he has been able to do with the lens. He painted a great picture.

David, I will be sending you an Amazon gift card later today.

I probably won’t be doing these much more as they haven’t quite been as successful as I hoped. Thank you very much everyone, though, for commenting.

It was a good idea, I thought.

If I can help you out in some way let me know. I owe you all one.

Matt

I have to say it is my favorite lens now! The focal length is abit short, maybe cause I’m used to my 18-135mm but with a f-stop of 2.8, its very very useful in low light conditions!

I’m not sure how it compares to the tamron equivalent in terms of image quality and sharpness. But if money was no issue, I’d get the Nikkor 17-55mm 6 months ago