So maybe 11 PM isn't the best time for painting your toenails.

[ase]

Tomorrow I'm doing the restaurant week thing and going to Poste with Perky K. I am wearing a skirt and strappy black sandals, so someone better appreciate the non-denim lengths I've gone to. (Things I love about my job #57: "well, you're cleaning your workspace with bleach solution" dress code! This leaves me with very little motivation to upgrade my clothes.)

Pursuant to shirts, this weekend I walked into Macy's looking for a camisole-type thingie and walked out with... a blue v-neck t-shirt. Yes, I know: you are all shocked by this break from tradition.

Also, shopping appeal: I'm breaking down and buying a digital camera. I'm soliciting opinions. HOWEVER, comma, I am on a budget. I'm looking in the $200 - $250 range, with an absolute limit of three hundred fifty dollars ($350) for the camera and basic accessories (second battery, larger memory card, etc). I really would like a digital SLR, but it's not happening this year. CNET has a real crush on the Canon Powershot series; does anyone else have nice or nasty things to say as I reach for the sales papers? I want instant gratification at high resolution, but I'll settle for decent warmup and shot-to-shot time, good picture quality, 7+ mpix, and an optical viewfinder.

Comments

[ase.livejournal.com]

Nikon D40 ... $470 plus tax.

Please go back and read the stuff in bold.

[wizardoffoo.livejournal.com]

True it breaks your budget today but I am trying to save you from buying two cameras - buying one now plus the one you want later will inevitably be more expensive than just waiting until you can be content with the one you do get.

W/r/t your aversion to AA batteries, you can use rechargeable AA's in most digital cameras that take AA's. Big advantage in that replacements are cheap and plentiful and likely to be in production for as long as the floppy disk which is more than I can say for my D40's battery when/if they decide to discontinue it. Second bonus - left the charger at home? Nothing a short trip to the local inconvenience store can't solve. For both AA's and custom packs, as long as you play smart with turning off some of the more battery consuming parts of the camera you probably won't need a second rechargeable pack right away.

And if you can deal with used and eBay, there are some decent looking D40's out and about in the $270 price window... caveat emptor though.

[ase.livejournal.com]

True it breaks your budget today

Yep. This is $250 I shouldn't be spending. However, replacing my (camera)phone after its unexpected mechanical failure from being thrown against a wall for its unacceptable photos is also money I shouldn't be spending.

Apparently I didn't express myself well; I've been using rechargable AA's for years. I'd actually be more annoyed with a proprietary battery, as harder to replace on the road; however, if the batteries needed charging less often, I could totally get behind them.

[wizardoffoo.livejournal.com]

Keep forgetting to mention but if you do manage to snag a deal on a Nikon SLR body I have an extra lens I can lend you for a while. Nikon AF 50mm f/1.8 - fabulous lens, especially in low-lighting, if you can deal with 'zooming with your feet.' Used to be bolted on the front of my D40 (where it doesn't even autofocus due to lack of old-style motor!) all the time, even over the also very fab 18-55 lens the D40 comes with until I snagged a Voigtlander 40mm f/2 (still manual focus but actually designed for it). Will shave a few bucks over having to get yourself a lens.