Update: The 10D is now sold. (Aug 5, 2006) I ended up going to the local used camera shop to fund a future purchase of the 17-40L. Thanks to those who expressed interest!
The time has come to part ways with my trusty Canon 10D. It has served me very well over the past three years but I've upgraded (more on that later) and am hoping I can find it a deserving new home.
I'm hoping to sell the following as a "beginners DSLR kit" for $1000 (includes shipping):
- Canon 10D (reviews)
- Tamron 28-75 f/2..6 XR Di (reviews)
- Canon 50 f/1.8 (reviews)
- 3x 256 MB CF cards
- PNY CF card reader
- Tiffen 52mm UV filter
- 52mm rubber hood
- Canon BP 511 battery and charger
- all software, cables included original to 10D
I have boxes and manuals for both lenses as well as the camera. The lenses are in great shape with no damage or defects. The camera is in like-new condition save some scratches in the paint on the bottom of the 10D. (See this image below the bottom row of buttons.) The camera body is metal and really has really held up well. There are no scratches on the LCD.
The Tamron is a fantastic lens, some argue on par with the Canon 24-70 L series which sells for 3x more. It is really "fast" for a zoom (with a max aperture of f/2.8) and has a constant aperture from 28 to 75. This is great for medium light indoors with no flash. I absolutely adore this lens.
The "nifty 50" is the most affordable prime in Canon's and produces outstanding pictures at a very low price. With a very wide aperture you'll be able to take nice pictures with no flash in very low light and get that ulta-narrow depth of field that makes portraits really pop.
I think this combo is a really great kit for someone wanting to step up from point-and-shoot to an SLR. A zoom for walking about, a prime for low light and portraits and plenty of CF cards to keep you shooting all day.
@ 2:42 PM by TNorthcutt | Comments (2)
20 gallons water
8 squirt toys
4 plastic eggs
1 bucket
2 children
Fill bathtub 1/2 full of warm water (approximately 20 gallons.) Add squirt toys, plastic eggs and bucket to water. Optionally add bubble bath at this point.
After testing water for optimal temperature place two young children in bath.
Observe.
@ 2:17 PM by TNorthcutt | Comments (2)
Easter was especially fun this year since Henry was mobile and able to participate a bit more than last year.
We started out the day with a trip to church and followed that with some "formal" family portraits. We almost managed to all be smiling. What a treat!
Henry and Emma had a blast hunting for eggs. Emma skipped the more traditional basket and went for something that was a little higher volume... and matched her outfit. Nicely done, sweetie.
I have to say that some of the cutest shots of the bunch were taken by Marla. Henry looks like such a little man in his button-down shirt and his smile is to die for in this one. I'm also really fond of the picture she snapped of Emma and I snoozing on the floor. It's a rare moment when she sits still!
PS - My wife is hot!
@ 9:41 PM by TNorthcutt | Comments (0)
Emma turned four today and what a fine four year-old she is, if I don't say so myself.
For months now she's been growing more and more excited at the thought of her birthday party. When queried about the theme she had only one answer.
No hemming and hawing. No indecision about this theme or that. She's been committed to it since day one: a NASCAR party!
(?)
Ask and ye shall recieve! Emma wanted a NASCAR party and a NASCAR party she got!
She and twenty (yes, that's 2 - 0) of her friends from playground and pre-school gathered a the park today to celebrate her fourth birthday. There was cake, there was car painting, there was license-plate-making and there was car racing! Could it get more exciting?
Yes, it could! There was a NASCAR piñata and, for the grand finale, a NASCAR cake complete with a vintage Richard Petty STP along with the current Cheerios 43 car driven by Emma's hero Bobby Labonte.
Though Emma made out like a bandit the first two presents of the day stole the show. First up was her first bicycle, a pink beauty. She was ecstatic and couldn't wait to ride it - even if it was just in the house.
Uncle Scot and Aunt Danyelle win the grand prize, though, with the Disney Slipper Closet. Afterall, what could make a four year-old happier than five new pairs of high heels?
Happy birthday, sweet pea!
@ 11:45 PM by TNorthcutt | Comments (2)
Saying goodbye is always a sad affair. It's even more sad when the smell of fresh vomit is in the air, you're 40 miles from home and you're running an hour late.
But let me start at the beginning instead of the middle. And don't worry - there's a happy ending.
A few weeks ago we were to meet our friends The Madigans for a last hurrah in southern California. After years of living on the West Coast they were headed back east to St. Louis. Like so many of my firiends they were drawn here by the sweet siren call of GameSpy and we'd become fast friends thanks to our transplanted nature and the long hours we put in together building something spectacular.
We were going to meet at The Flower Fields in Carlsbad and then head to the beach for a relaxing day together.
In typical California fashion, we got a bit of a late start and then were further held up by traffic jams on the 5. What other state has traffic jams on a Saturday morning? (Also, if you've never seen it, please go watch The 405. Funny Internet movie that is locally relevant.)
Finally, after an hour and a half on what should have been a 45 minute jaunt, we pulled off the freeway and were waiting to cross the bridge to The Flower Fields.
"Mommy, I don't feel so good," we heard from the backseat as we waited at the red light. It was Emma and she sounded pitiful.
"It's OK, sweetie. We're almost there," Marla said.
Emma responded with a gurgling noise and proceeded to barf all over herself.
Now, I'm not one that's normally very squeemish but I have to be honest and say that I've never heard, seen or smelled anything quite so repulsive in my life. (Emma, if you ever read this I'm so sorry!) The car was filled with the stench of warm vomit - I thought I was going to puke myself.
Thankfully Emma is a trooper and was very calm and quiet as we pulled into the parking lot at The Flower Fields. We unbuckled her and got her marginally cleaned up. She was now feeling great and ready to take on the world!
I removed the barf-soaked car seat and was greated with a most disturbing sight: my bucket seat had become a bucket-full-of-vomit-seat. I take back what I said earlier. This is the most repulsive thing I've ever seen/smelled in my life.
I won't go into any more details (I know I've already gone too far!) but suffice it to say that if you ever have to have a child vomit in your car, make sure you have leather seats. They clean up marvelously. (I shudder to think of what would have happened if we'd been driving Marla's car with cloth seats.)
Luckily there was an outlet mall right next door so we dashed in and bought Emma a new outfit and met the Madigans. A good time was subsequently had by all.
It's amazing how much better a little barfing makes you feel. (Maybe they should try that in Iraq.)
@ 9:00 PM by TNorthcutt | Comments (3)
