Doug Hilton's Blog

Renewed Lust

It's time once again for me to lust after new equipment for my photography hobby. I have been shooting with the Nikon D100 for some time now, and don't get me wrong, it's a great camera, just not the right tool for my work. With shooting sports (currently), the camera does not have the speed, only 3 fps, needed to get the good action shot. Anything I have shot of my daughter with this camera has been superb in image quality, color and sharpness, but I feel I am being held back by the camera's pitfalls.

I have been looking at Nikon's D2H for a while, and this camera appears to fit my needs perfectly. 8 fps, 4.1MP CCD, full body with vertical grip (I really miss this feature from my F100), and 11 auto focus areas all make this a very attractive body. They are not being made anymore by Nikon, they have been replaced by the D2Hs, but I can find a used one for around $1700, about 1/2 the price that they sold for new, and 1/2 the price of the D2Hs, which doesn't appear to offer much more, at least according to the specs I have seen.

I have been reading a few reviews from random professional sports shooters and wildlife photographers, as well as the reviews from Moose Peterson, my favorite nature photographer. They all give this body rave reviews and say that it simply performs. The fact that it is a used body does not frighten me one bit, it comes guaranteed, and the condition is marked as a 9/10, basically the highest they will give a used piece of equipment.

Now to just figure out where the $1700 is going to come from with a new baby on the way. I would get the tax writeoff for 2006 as well as a boost in my compensation for any freelance work I do since it would be digital, but that does not fully offset the up front cost. The company I am looking at offers a finance program with the minimum monthly payment being 3% of the balance, or about $54/month initially, but the interest rate is 17.99%. Not the best option.

I should also purchase a new speedlight as my SB-28 is not the DX model that integrates with the digital cameras, but that is something that could wait. The SB-800DX is selling for about $315 right now.

New find

While reading some of the comments on a digg.com posting, I ran across a nice new find. I've been using both my laptop and desktop at work for a long while now, and it can get annoying at times to have to switch pointer devices or even keyboards to control each different machine. Synergy answers these pains. This program allows me to use one keyboard and mouse to control virtually any number of computers, each with their own monitor (so unlike a KVM with a shared monitor), and it allows me to do this regardless of OS. My desktop runs Win XP Pro and my laptop is running Gentoo linux.

Synergy was easy to set up and get running. I run the server end of the app on my desktop so I can share the better keyboard and mouse combo with the other computers in my cube.

Here is a link to the article about the sweet computer setup that led me to this find. Now I just need the 30" displays!

2006 New Years Resolutions

My favorite podcast, More Hip Than Hippie had a cast last week about green new years resolutions. I found most of their suggestions achievable, if not something that I already do, and all were good ideas. I figured I would list out my 2006 resolutions for those that would like to hold me accountable.

• Continue the switch from plastic or paper bags at the grocery store to reusable cotton bags.


• Begin composting my yard and food waste. I will be attending a composting workshop in the spring given by our township for information and a free composting bin.


• I already drink organic coffee and tea, and have switched to organic produce if available, but I would like to grow some of my own vegetables and herbs. I also intend to get Sarah involved helping me out so she learns where the food she eats comes from and begins to appreciate nature.


• Baby #2 is on the way, and I plan on using a low VOC paint in the nursery as well as researching cloth diapers and hopefully using them at least some of the time. We will of course be using breast milk and organic food when the baby is old enough.


• We already have a few house plants in the home, but I would like to increase this number. Not just for the cleaner air, but for aesthetic reasons.


• I would like to research and try out a few essential oils around the house. I think my initial fore will be with Lavender oil for it's many uses such as first aid, as a disinfectant, and as a room deodorizer.

Some of these will be quite simple, other may be a bit more lofty. I'll definitely keep track of my progress here. If you have any suggestions or information, drop a comment and let me know.