Yep, today I dropped a grand on a camera and lens. Took the plunge into the Digital SLR world. With all my free time and travel coming up, i needed a nicer camera, and after a bit of research, i went for the 350D. I’m not going to bore you with how i picked, but basically the 350D is arguably the best value under $1K. You can compare canons or compare 350D to Nikon D70 for yourself.
As you probably know, nice cameras sell lenses separately. Deciding which lens is right depends on what ya gonna use it for. I’m still not sure what i want, but at a high level, i want to take
– panaramic shots of nature – beaches, mountains, lakes, etc.
– wide angle shots indoors – dinner table, people in small rooms, etc.
– low-light situations – night sky, no-flash shots of people at bars/restaraunts
– macro – close-ups of flowers, jewelry, etc
– normal shots of everything in between
Today I just got one lens in addition to the 350D body, both from craigslist. The body was $550, and i got a 17-85mm like-new lens from his buddy for $450. A good intro lens – not too expensivve, a little bit of macro (1.2 feet), a bit of telephoto, got the IS (Image-Stabilization) for low-light. So Thats $1,000 total. One grand. Lets see if i really use this and want to spend more on even nicer lenses.
Thats right, I quit Yahoo. My last day was Friday, April 14, after 2 years 8 months, i was ready to move on. Why quit you ask? Well, those that know me, know that i’m not one to sit around and do nothing. I always got ants and in my pants. And frankly, my job was getting boring – responsibilty but no fun. 
My last project, My Web 2, launched in the summer in 2005, and was winding down, so it was a good time to leave. Thats the team plus some other yahoo coworkers at my going away lunch. How nice. But more than that, I had some money saved, and i’m not in a relationship, no house payments, nothing tying me down – so clearly i should quit and travel. Clearly. Indubitably.
What’s next then? Thats the biggest question. Well, as i mentioned, i want to travel, mainly New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, and other parts of Asia. Of course I live in San Francisco and there’s tons of stuff going on here . . . all the time. So it was tough to figure out when to leave, but i did it. I’m going to visit my sister and her family in early july, then i’m off till october, when i have to be back in california for a wedding (plus another wedding in december in costa rica). I still need to work out the details of where i’ll be between July and October, so don’t ask. I’ve traveled a bit already, and i’ve found that without the time pressure, it’s more fun to plan as you go, be spontaneous, just wing it. Afterall, we do have “the information superhighway” and email to keep us all connected. Plans are soooo last century.