Rather the opposite, actually.
I spent a while yesterday browsing around the virtual shops for photography stuff. After all, a new camera may say that it's ready to go right out of the box, but that's just for the basics. I don't want to stay on the basics forever. You don't want me to, either. The faster we get away from frozen pumpkin pictures, the better.
So what else do I need for the camera? A few things, that thankfully can come in dribs and drabs. I've already bought a case (apparently carrying the thing around in a toque is fairly frowned upon. Or at least giggled at, as I quickly found out) and a card reader. I'm avoiding, for the moment at least, the expensive cable that I'm still more than po'd wasn't included with the camera. I mean, that's fine if the camera takes a standard cable that you can find anywhere, but that certainly doesn't seem to be the case here. HDMI cable? Well, that can wait, too. I haven't even really done anything about taking video yet.
Cleaning things I could mostly scam from the gadget bag that has my old Minolta film camera in it. I was out of lens paper, but Dad had some so I'm good there. I already have a full-sized tripod, and a fantastic tripod of Dad's that folds out to full size but folds up to a mini. I know you can still find stuff like that out there, but there's no way you'll find one as well built as this vintage tripod.
What does that leave, then?
Too much.
I need some filters, for one thing, and of course this camera's a 52 mm so my 48 mm (I think...) Minolta stuff is no-go. I could buy an adapter, I suppose, but a person may as well go for the ones that fit. It's not like my old filters were terribly expensive anyway, and why would I want to fit a smaller filter onto the lens in the first place? So what filters, then? I'd definitely like a polarizer, because I'd miss having one. I always used to keep a skylight on the Minolta for protection, but I see that there's two schools of thought as to whether they're necessary -- or even wanted -- these days, what with auto white-balance and all. Anything else? Maybe a fluorescent, since incandescent bulbs are disappearing rapidly. How about 4-point stars, or rainbows, or softeners? Not sure I want to go back to taking photos like a teenage girl, to be honest. It seems weird to finally have a proper SLR again and then consider using it for glorified instagram pictures.
That leads me to books. I've been looking at books. Cameras today have so many functions, it'd be a shame not to know how to use them. So, a book that specifically refers to my camera would be nice, and then an overall DSLR reference. Or references. I've found a few that look promising, but they can sit on my wish list for now.
That takes me to the toys, naturally. Flashes. Remote releases. That macro lens that I already have in mind but need to wait until after car insurance and income tax to pay for. Maybe a gadget bag specifically for this camera so that the Minolta doesn't have to find new digs...
Sigh. You get what I'm meaning now by things leading to other things. Do I need all of these things for my new camera thing? Of course not. Some of them, like the cleaning kit, are necessary. Most of them are just things that I'd like to have, and they can wait. It's still a dangerous thing to be looking at things, though.
Probably safer to be looking at lunch. Just a note on posting before I go, then. I have a pretty busy month coming up (read that as: you're going to be reading the word planetarium a bit), so don't be surprised if my blatherage becomes a little more irregular for a while. But then, most of my two fans are used to the ups and downs of this blog by now.
The others will just have to find something else to read.
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