Retired electrical / computer engineer living in the metro Phoenix area. (Originally from Ottawa.)

 

Some boring equipment acquisition history...

 

I started capturing images when I was about 12, and bought my first camera when I was 20 in 1975 - a Nikon F2S along with four Nikon primes (28/3.5, 50/1.4, 105/2.5 and 200/4.0). I still have these antiques along with a Nikomat EL + 50/1.4, (that I bought in the Spring of 2008 for $35!), and a Nikon 500/8.0 reflex lens.

 

I bought a Minolta CLE with three Rokkor primes (28, 40, and 90) in 1980 and sold that kit in the early 1990's to buy a Nikon F90X (N90S) along with two Nikon zooms (28-70/3.5-4.5 and 70-210/4.0-5.6). I eventually bought three more Nikon zooms (18-35/3.5-4.5, 28-105/3.5-4.5 and 70-300/4.0-5.6).

 

Though I had been using a digital camera (Nikon 995) since 2001, I made the real commitment to digital by purchasing a D100 body and a spectacular Nikon 70-200/2.8 AFS in 2003. Then in 2007 I purchased a D80 with a Nikon 18-135/3.5-5.6 and a 50/1.8 that same year. In the spring of 2008 I bought probably my most favorite lens - the Nikon 35-70/2.8 along with a F100 body.

 

In March 2009, I purchased a D90 with a Nikon 18-105/3.5-5.6 VR lense. It has better high ISO performance compared to my D80. Interestingly to me, I prefer the D80 viewfinder compared to the D90's.

 

My only regret was selling the CLE - a truly dumb move in retrospect.

 

Sometime after I bought my Nikon 995, I purchased a Nikon Coolscan V assuming that I would continue to shoot film for 'serious stuff'. It is collecting dust...

 

Was lusting for a Nikon 300/4 AFS but found an ED-IF for $675 - so now focused on a Nikon 12-24 & 10.5 along with a D90, (for better low light performance).

 

It's now 2013 and I have a Nikon D600 with an AF-S NIKKOR 24–85mm f/3.5-4.5G ED VR. Yeah - full frame does make a difference for many reasons. When not using my D600 or D90, I use a Canon PowerShot S100 which I really like. In November of 2014, I purchased a refurbished S100 from the Canon website for $110 for my wife - she's also a happy user now.

 

It's now virtually December, 2014. In the summer of 2013, I purchased a Canon EOS M with the EF-M 18-55mm lens. Soon after I purchased the EF-M 11-22mm and EF-M 20mm lenses. In October of 2014 I purchased the EF-M 55-200mm lens. The M system is probably my most often used camera now, though I still use my D600 alot.

 

Speaking of my D600, I'm always scouring CL for cheap and good condition lenses. In 2014, I purchased a Sigma 105mm f2.8 Macro for $235, a Nikon 180mm f2.8 (non D) for $235 and a Nikon 35mm f2.0 D for $200, so there are good catches out there.

 

It's now 4/1/2024 and I've been using a Nikon Z6-II w/Z 24-200 & Z 14-30 for a year now, along with a Canon EOS M3 that I purchased in the spring of 2017 and an EOS M6 that I purchased in the summer of 2020. (Curiously, I haven't used any of the EOS M's since getting the Z6-II.)

 

Updated 4/1/2024 (previously updated 11/29/2014).