D2H

Photography is addictive. Its probably more expensive a habit than some recreational hard drugs. For example, you can get to a point in photography where you are spending $600-800 on a lens and that's normal. And then you want another, and another, and another... And then there are lenses that cost thousands of dollars and to some photographers, that's normal. Cocaine? man that's small time man. Lenses will last you a lifetime.

The Nikon D40 was definitely the gateway drug to DSLR land. After using it for less than a month I realized what I really really wanted was the Nikon D2H. The D2H is a high speed camera that can shoot 8 shots per second. It also has a built in intervalometer so you can set it up on a tripod, leave it out somewhere for hours on end and let it take pictures at specified intervals. It also has auto exposure bracketing so I can take up to 9 shots at 1ev spacing per shot with one trigger of the shutter. It also has a wireless transmitter add-on where ur shots get immediately uploaded to a computer on the same 802.11 wifi network while you shoot! The list kinda goes on...

Not to bash the D40 though, I still respect the D40 for how amazingly simple, quick to use and light it is. It will be the camera I use most of the time simply because it is simple!

But when I want to have some hard core fun I whip out the D2H.

It's like driving a honda accord to work on weekdays, then on the weekends breaking out the corvette in ur garage for some more serious fun.

The D2H is an older camera from Nikon that used to cost $3500. Now you can get a used one for about $500. So for the $500 you would spend on buying a brand new beginner DSLR kit, you could afford a real professional's camera. This camera is no joke.

The difference between a beginner DSLR and a professional DSLR is really the tweaking. A pro DSLR is for tweaking all sorts of adjustments quickly. A beginner DSLR will hide more of that away so it doesn't confuse and intimidate the heck out of beginners. I can definitely say if I had been shoved a D2H first, my learning curve would be much longer. The D40 accelerates that learning curve. It's a great way for Nikon to get more customers into the expensive world of DSLR lenses.

I would say the transition from camera types is like this:

point and shoot camera: learn how to compose your shots

beginner dslr: learn about what all the numbers mean and how to apply them

advanced dslr: use all the above and more to take photos in demanding situations such as high speed sports or covering the news in a war torn country's active battlefield.