Wizardvette

well, my original opinion still stands. I do not know a thing about Canon...I like my D50...new with 18-55 lens for $740....I picked up my Nikkor 70-300 glass used for $245. I then grabbed a 1gb and a 512mb card. So total investment, maybe a tick over $1k. Good luck, and good shooting! Post some results.

Perhaps my post was mis-understood? What I was implying is to just purchase within budget and go have fun. I was implying that a great camera does not a pro make. Not that he wanted to be a pro. If we go back and look at Dave's initial post, it does not imply any future purchases of $3k or more. Dave's second post implies that the $180-$200 savings on a D50 may be a good choice. This tells me he may not be spending $3k to $5k on future purchases, but merely looking to get something great to get a nice picture with. Most folks who drop $3k on a lense could not care less about $200. If he is planning on spending this kind of cash on equipment, then I guess he may be looking to become a "pro". This suddenly makes my post not too far off then huh? Amateurs do not shell out $3k for a lens. I don't "know" Dave... and my opinion was for him to just get a great camera that fit his "unposted" budget. I had no clue he intended to make large future purchases.

C6's are awesome! I'm hoping to get to run against one this upcoming season. Car's asleep for the winter right now.

Re-reading through these when I am more awake, I am reminded of the classic Chevy vs. Ford debates. You are not going to be a pro photographer just by buying a great camera. There's much more art to it than that. Get the one that simply fits your budget... keeping in mind the prices for extras....lenses, filters, etc. Nikon makes fantastic cameras, and so does Canon...heck, even Fuji makes a halfway decent SLR for an amateur. I got back into photography with a Panasonic Lumix FZ20 P&S.; My D50 kicks it's butt, but that still does not make me a pro photographer. Just get something within budget, and go out and have some fun! good Luck!

Used to play alot in PA. Jimmy Fusco opened a hall there. Also Jersey and the Carolinas had great rooms. Good luck with your room, and your game! Should you need any pointers, feel free to ask and I'll try to help. billiardsdrills.com? that sounds cool. Some people have no clue the work that goes into being a great pool player. When in a slump, I can remember 14 hours straight of running drills. Many times marking the table and playing the same shot for several hundred shots. Man...would your back ache!!

I love when this topic comes up. I played serious money pool for years. (about 17 of them) 9-ball, Chicago, and Straight pool were my specialties. Also some One Pocket. If it had not been for a "job" and a "life" I would have gone pro. Maybe I should have. I can turn on ESPN now and see all the people I used to clinic for a few grand a night! Now, I'm a draftsman for a lighting company, and they are competing in $50,000 tourneys. Go figure! I recently tried to take it up again. Made a few dollars, but it would definately take alot to get my game back. I could do it, and if I ever lose my job it's an option, but it will take a long time. For those that are serious about playing...stick with it! It's a great game, and if your good enough, rich can come pretty easily.

Not a Z06. Just a 1995 coupe with some extras.

I have the D50 with Nikkor 70-300mm glass. I love it, and wouldn't recommend anything else. Check out my album at www.photobucket.com/albums/a384/Wizardvette most of page 2 is with my D50.

I'm an AutoCAD draftsman for a lighting company. I draw lighting layouts based on architectural /electrical ceiling plans for commercial businesses. I have done layouts for some very big well-known companies, and before me, my company even did the lighting for Callaway's headquarters.

I have a vette that runs the 1/4 mile in 11.5 seconds @ 119 mph, with a 1.79 sec. short time. As for watching...anything with an engine! NASCAR and NHRA mostly though.

took the wife to Barnes & Noble to get hers around noon today. 10 minutes ago she announced she was done. For 16 bucks, I woulda thought she'd make it last!

Hockey is still the only sport I'll go out of my way to watch. I watch others when they are on, but I plan ahead for the Devil's games. Brendan Shanahan is a member of another forum I participate in. He has offered some "stop and make you think" insight as to what the problems in the organizations are. There are many. I am not at liberty to disclose them here, but I can say that an average, to slightly above average fan will never see these problems. They simply get sugar-coated for television. Sit back and relax...the hockey you will see in the future will be the best hockey you've ever seen.

Played 9 on Thursday night. It was the first time we used a cart. Not sure if not having to walk helped or not, but I shot a 44. The lowest of the 3 of us that went. As soon as this Northeast humidity goes away, I will try to back it up!

I pumped gas at 15. I worked my up to a class B auto mechanic (ASE certified by age 18), and was on call with a tow truck 24/7. Did some skits in a couple Firestone service shops in the area, then took a year off at age 21 to travel the east coast playing pool. Got into sheet metal working at 22, 23 or so, then sent myself to school for computer drafting(AutoCad 12 at the time), and now I run AutoCad 2004 for a lighting manufacturer.

to watch: Hockey,anything that requires fuel and exhaust. to participate: recently, golf, but my true lifelong passion has been mostly pool. Not sure if that's classified a sport, but been playing for 19+ years. Could have gone pro, but chose a home life instead of the travel life. Tourney's and the "underground"(gambling) has treated me well through the years. Pool took a couple years to master. I did however, have some good people around me who didn't hesitate to teach me the ins and outs. Two "old timers" with 100+ years experience between them. I'll never master golf that way, but it is still a fun and challenging game. I wish I had not waited so long to start playing (35 years). I will get better, but I can't see ever making substantial money doing it.