Past Cameras
When I moved to digital SLRs, I returned to Nikon because of the familiarity – and so I could still borrow lenses from my brother.
I moved back to the SLR world in 2007 with my first “D”, the Nikon D40,Nikon’s entry-level DSLR. This was a sweet little camera, and upgraded with an 18-200 lens it was the perfect setup for me to carry around in my travels. It didn’t have all the features of the pro and semi-pro cameras, but the small size made it very easy to carry. The 6 megapixel sensor was lower resolution than the S5 IS, but the clarity of the image more than made up for that. I once again had a camera that I really liked, and this camera followed me throughout California, the western United States, and all the way out to Vermont.
By late 2008 I decided I wanted to step up from the D40. While the D40 was an excellent camera I wanted the extra features of the Nikon D90, such as the ability to use older autofocus lenses and a higher resolution sensor. It was a much larger and heavier camera, but I’d gotten used to carrying a DSLR and a couple of extra lenses again so that wasn’t as much of a concern to me anymore.
I used the D90 exclusively until 2013, when I decided to upgrade again and return to a two-camera setup for the first time since my film days.
By 2013 the D90 was four years old and I decided it was time for an update. I got a new Nikon D7000 and with it a Nikkor 80-400mm lens. Both were around the same resolution (12MP and 16MP respectively) so the D90 became my all-around camera and usually had my 18-200mm lens attached. The D7000 got the 80-400 because of its ability to use higher ISO and therefore clearer pictures at faster shutter speeds.
My Current Cameras
In January of 2016 I finally decided that after eight years it was time to phase out the D90. The replacement was the Nikon D7200. I skipped the D7100 because it wasn’t enough of an upgrade to the D7000, but the D7200 was a world apart. ISOs were usable into the 6,000 range, and it was no trouble pushing it up to 12,000 if the lighting required it. I hadn’t been this happy with a camera upgrade since I went from the S5IS to the D40. It became my long-zoom camera and the 18-200 moved to the D7000. Because of the high ISO capability, I finally started using the feature of letting the camera choose the ISO instead of the aperture or shutter speed and setting those values manually for the speed and depth of field I need. How much do I like this camera? When it came time to upgrade from the D7000 in 2018 I decided to skip the newer D7500 and get a second D7200.
Coming up soon: a bit about bags, ‘pods, and other stuff.