The Lesson of the Picture Frame
The wall was covered with sterling silver and gold picture frames. One, in particular, caught my eye. It was a hand-carved wooden frame, but very narrow and delicate. The frame held her first newspaper clipping, published in the local hometown paper where she grew up.
She told me that she bought that frame with money her Grandmother had given her when she graduated from college. “I could have just put it in my bank account,” she said. “Lord knows I needed the money back then.” But,” she continued, “I wouldn’t have had anything to show for the money she gave me — so I bought this frame. This way, whenever I see this frame, I think of her.”
When my Mom died, there was an ugly legal battle, that was generated purely from misleading legal counsel, and really could have been avoided with a level-headed attorney. In the midst of the battle, I vowed that if money ever came to me from my Mom’s estate, that I would buy something special, like Lucy did, just for me, as a present from my Mom.
Eighteen months later, the first medium-sized bundle is now drifting in to me. The minute I announced its arrival, everyone in my house had a grand idea about how to spend the money. My favorite, was a request for in increase in their allowance! The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I have 8 feet to buy shoes for, sports fees and groceries. Something for me really didn’t seem impractical.
But, not really. I soon tossed that idea right at the window…
So, what to spend the money on? I’m not a huge fan of jewelry, and besides, my husband takes care of me pretty well in that department. I’m struggling with the camera issue, trying to be frugal. And then, it hit me — I could use that money to by myself a REALLY NICE camera! The fancy kind that I’ve never had before! And what a better tribute to my Mom than to buy a camera that I can use to take pictures of her Grandchildren. (I know she’s happy about this — I can just tell.) So, I have camera fever, and I’ve narrowed it down to two choices, and with so much emotion carried with this purchase, I’m having a very hard decision trying to choose. Which one? And what lenses do you have for interior shots?
The Canon Rebel XTI
Or the Nikon D80?
Which one do you have and why?
I think that getting a really nice camera is the perfect tribute to your mom. It will make you think of her every time you use it, and it’s a gift to everoyne, because it is preserving wonderful memories.
I have a Nikon, and I love it. In the end, there wasn’t a whole lot of difference between the two (at least that I could see) but I had previously had Nikon SLRs and really enjoyed them. In addition, I could use the lenses I already had on my new SLR.
I am sure that you will be pleased as punch no matter which one you get – and I can’t wait to see the great shots you get with it!
i just bought my husband a nikon (but I think it’s the step down from the D80?) because he already had Nikon lenses. he hasn’t played with it much yet, but seems to like it.
I have no real opinion…. but I would just about die to own either of those. Slowly I’m saving up. Then… I’ll probably do a post asking everyone’s opinions!!!
Yikes…I feel a lot of pressure with my answer!
I’m a Rebel kind of girl, so I have the Canon RebelXT (the XTI hadn’t come out when I was buying). I LOVE it. I had the rebel SLR, so when we (actually, H) were in the market for a DSLR, we went with what worked with my other equipment and I’ve never looked back. The controls are easy for me to use and I can figure it out without too much difficulty. The owner’s manuel, while not great, isn’t terrible. I’ve never regretted my decision to the with the canon, so I fell confident recommending it. I wish I had the XTi or the 5D…in my dreams. Christina, over at momology, just bought a Nikon, so she might have some input as to what persuaded her to go with that. My sweet SIL has a Nikon, don’t know which model, that I’ve played around with just a tad…and I liked it fine.
Let us know which one you choose!
I’m discovering that it’s not so much the body, as it is the lenses… I wonder why there is such a price difference between the two cameras, when they are so comparable?
I have the Nikon D70 – I’ve had it for almost 3 years (yikes!) and I am IN.LOVE.WITH.IT! Best $$ I ever spent. When capturing priceless memories of kids – it is essential to have a good camera, I think.
Part of my decision between the Nikon and Canon was because I already had a Nikkor lens – for a camera I had before my DSLR, so I liked the ability to use that lens with the D70. I also played with both of them, and the D70 just felt a little bit more intuitive…the menus and such – but again, could be because I had a Nikon before.
Good luck! I think whichever you choose you will be happy to have spent the money on something really great like a camera!
I have a Canon 20D which is not around anymore. I honestly don’t remember why I chose it way back when (it’s years old.) I’m pretty sure I did tons of research because I usually do. I have the 18- 50mm, 50mm, 28- 200mm, and 24mm. I have loved my camera. I have read great things about the Rebel and recommended it to two friends. Hope that helps a little!
Both are good; you can’t go wrong either way. What a lovely way to spend the money and to remember your mother.
I have a Sony Super SteadyShot 5.1 megapixels 12X zoom. That’s a lot of jargon for me and I read it off of my camera directly. I love it. It works for me. However, I’m not one for research or spending too much time considering options; I bought it rather quickly. My only regret is it doesn’t have a “shoe” for attaching a larger flash should I ever want to do that.
I hope this helps!
I’m a Canon girl through and through 🙂
Both cameras are good cameras. I have a Nikon D50, but Canons are pretty comparable. From looking at prices, the Nikon body is cheaper, but the Canon lenses are cheaper. I have spent more on lenses than the camera body.
Lenses:
Kit lens 18-55 – okay for outdoors but not quite as sharp and can’t handle low light situations without a flash.
50mm 1.8 – great indoor, portrait lens for the price
35 mm 2.0 – fairly comparable to the 50 but better for getting more into the frame indoors.
85mm 1.8 – Nice lens, good bokeh, but hard for small rooms indoors if you want more than close ups.
I think that is a beautiful idea to buy a camera in tribute to your mother! I can imagine her smiling over that right now. :o)
As you know, I am the proud new owner of a Nikon D80, as of a few weeks ago. I did a lot of research and narrowed it down to the same two choices as you. They are both great cameras, and in the end it comes down to personal preference. I have played with a couple Canon PAS and wasn’t that impressed with them…and that’s aprt of what pushed me towards Nikon. The controls also feel more intuitive to me. I couldn’t be happier with my purchase.
I have the 18-55 kit lens, 55-20VR, and 50mm 1.8. The 50mm is by FAR my favorite! I love that it allows me to get crisp, clear, bright shots even indoors. f1,8 is awesome. I thought I would use the zooms more, but actually the next lens I want is another prime – wider angle, 18 or 35mm.
Good luck! I’ll check back to see what you decide. I’m sure you’ll be very happy with either choice, and you will be AMAZED at the possibilities with a DSLR!
You’ll have the old Nikon vs. Canon discussion here. We have the Nikon D50…which was around before the D80 came out! Bummer I want the 80 now!
We honestly chose the Nikon because my mom has a ton of Nikon lenses that we could then borrow.
We do love it and constantly are finding out new things about it.
Girl, I don’t have either. I take crummy little photos with a cheap digital camera. Sounds like an excellent thing to do with your inheritance though. I look forward to seeing some nice photography!
I think this idea rocks! Pioneer Woman uses a Nikon and has quite a bit about her camera on her site.
my digi cam is a canon. but if i were to buy an SLR (still saving up for it), i would get a nikon (drooling over that D80!!!)– based on my photographer friends advice. he says canon lenses are cheaper and he prefers the colors of nikon.
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