ah...nikon

In a few days, I'll be testing out the Nikon D80.

Still not the Nikon D3, but it's a start.

The D80 is much less expensive than the D3, which is a plus. I doubt I really need the D3 anyway. And, when the husband gets the D3, I'll have the D80 all to myself.

The D80 doesn't have auto sensor cleaning like the newer D60, but there are other features I'm sure to like. For one, the D80 is slightly larger. And yeah, as far as DSLRs go, size matters. At least to me. Another feature D80 has, that D60 doesn't, is bracketing. Even my compact P5100 has that.

Me thinks there'll be test shots posted here. Now we've got to dig up the old Nikon lenses and see what will and will not work.

Should be fun.

Geez, this reminds me to pick up my Coolpix P5100 and finish those kid vids I'd promised!

Just for a bit of fun~~
Thanks to angiestakeshi for sharing the vid.

this is only a test

To turn off background music click here.

Since I was recently playing around with the settings on Cyberlink Power Director, I thought I'd attempt to upload a higher-quality vid for YouTube. As we all know, YouTube video quality is a bit fuzzy, especially if there is text involved. So, I thought I'd try to sharpen the edges by following a few tips found by searching "high quality" on the YouTube Forum.

The following vid is a test. I'd previously posted it to YouTube as a WMV. It is now an AVI. The settings have been changed from a typical WMV format to a DivX. Frame rate is set at 30fps. Audio set as MP3. Video compression data bitrate is 460 Kbs. Size 640x480.




Below is the original.




This is a typical WMV that has been YouTubed and seems slightly smushy, though it is brighter in some areas.

I'm not sure which I like best.

Me thinks more testing needs to be done.
Fun stuff!

dust

There is a sadness hovering over the junk in the house.

Time to clear out stuff. The dust. The old lingering melancholy.

We are on the cusp of something new.

We plan to move next year. And so, we've got to sort our mess and take only the most important items.

In the process, I have uncovered old messages, pictures ... a life difficult to recall, tucked away in powdery boxes. Why do I keep it all?

Yes, there are good memories, too. Happiness found amongst the photos with smiling faces and kid-art with colorful scribbles, first-time face drawings. I've kept some of those things. They are hopeful and pure.

And then, the items reminding of those we've lost. I can scarcely touch them with fingertips, lest the tears begin to fall. This telling me how much I've tried to avoid the feelings. These things I keep in honor of those missed. These break my heart most.

A difficult road it has been.

I can only hope we'll be done with the sorting soon. Much longer and I'll be reduced to a gloomy, wilted rag of a person.