Blog Note

Ruthie wants to let you in on a little good news (no one is pregnant, figured I should dispel whatever growing expectations this opening series might elicit):

But she doesn’t have to be so serious about it.

Dada got a new camera for his 30th birthday.  Not just any ol’ camera, but a real-deal DSLR, entry-level amateur photographer/make my blog really pretty kind of camera.  Granted, my birthday isn’t for another two months.  Fortunately, Natalie knows me well enough to know that I can’t stand keeping secrets, and that if I can get/give presents waaaay in advance of the celebration day, I will.

She told me last week that the camera would be my big 30 gift and she asked that I help research.  Ultimately, she thought it smart to have a nice new camera around to document this year’s Christmas, thus I was given the green light to get it ahead schedule.

In a way, this is a present for you too, dear reader.  Things are going to look a little bit nicer around here.  

I cannot explain how excited I have been about this present.

The new whip: Canon Rebel T3 (Canon is up to the T4i already, but I figured I should start with the most stripped down version with my first DSLR – costs a lot less without all the new bells and whistles, while still being a ridiculous camera), body only (to save a little more dough by not getting it with the come-with-it zoom lens), with a fixed 50mm f/1.8 lens bought separately.

This thing is bonkers.  In the days waiting for Amazon to deliver it, I read up on as much as I could about taking pictures using the manual settings, aperture, shutter speed, bokeh, ISO, etc., but the full-auto alone is just wild.

I’ve been operating this blog with my trusty point-and-shoot for almost a year now.  That little camera has been everywhere with me, and has served its purpose quite well in our adventures. Its managed to take some pretty good shots on its own, if I do say so myself.

But in working with it so much I came to learn its limitations.  The photos in this post represent a lot of what my old point-and-shoot couldn’t handle.  That blurred background bokeh effect, bath time, book time – basically the whole of our evening routine in this house, our scant natural light little basement apartment on a dimmer switch – was either a blurry or flash-shocked mess.  No longer.

I hope you guys enjoy it half as much as I do.  There will be a few more posts this week centered around the work of our old camera, but going forward you’ll see a lot more of this.

Nattie Boom:  Best birthday present ever.  Seriously.  You rock.

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  • Sarah

    Congrats on the new camera – enjoy! When my son started crawling, I threw a fit at my too-slow-to-keep-up point-and-shoot and got a DSLR. Totally worth it!!

  • Kim @ Yellow Brick Home

    Wahoo! Now you have to start collecting more lenses :)

  • thebookofjimmy

    Lens collection is a hobby I most certainly cannot afford.

    Seriously though, I plan to rock the 50mm until I get to the point where I notice its limitations holding me back. Same goes for the camera body (though I’ll stick with this one for a long time I hope). Obviously something with a zoom will be nice. In the meantime, I’m trying to master this one as best as I can and then I’ll allow myself to start dreaming.

  • thebookofjimmy

    I think it will be. We definitely missed out on a few should-have-been-perfect-picture-moments in the past. Hopefully no more.

  • http://www.currystrumpet.com/ Deepa

    Happy early birthday! What an awesome gift! Starting off with the 50mm was a wise move; I hardly ever use my kit lens anymore.
    Have lots and lots of fun!

  • thebookofjimmy

    Thanks Deepa! A lot of my research led to the conclusion that the 50mm lens would be the right move for my purposes (namely taking pictures of the kids, our renovations and cooking experiments). A few different bloggers pointed in that direction, and it sealed the deal for me.

  • Flower Patch Farmgirl

    Hoorah! The pics are adorable AND….you did good with your body only/50mm lens choice! Smart people, you. Here’s my dirty little secret: I NEVER shoot in manual mode. Never once. Never ever. Scares me to even think about it. :) Merry Christmas!

  • thebookofjimmy

    Your husband’s advice on your blog a few weeks back was definitely a primary source in my research. We found others giving that advice as well.

    It was very helpful to see someone make a recommendation for the specific type of pictures I am likely to take (namely, little kids and day-to-day stuff). Otherwise the search got overwhelming very quickly.

    Thanks for the help!

  • Jacci in Ohio

    You have a very fun blog :) Came here through Flower Patch Farmgirl’s MSM… it’s fun to get a dad’s perspective on a link up like this. Thanks for sharing your link!

    Congrats, too, on the DSLR. I use a Canon 50mm/1.8, too, and really like it. Shooting in manual takes some practice… and patience… but it is SO worth it in the end. You have so much more creative flexibility.

    Have fun & Merry Christmas!

    Jacci @ woohooie

  • thebookofjimmy

    Thanks Jacci – glad you’re enjoying it. I’ll brave the manual soon. I’m noticing situations where the auto-focus isn’t quite grabbing exactly what I’d like it to. Still, it is dead-on for what seems like 95 percent of the time. A nice crutch to have as I’m chasing the kids all over.