It's a Canon T3 DSLR

Opened the package this morning and found an almost brand new (at least it looks like that) Canon T3
DSLR with a zoom lens, all carefully packaged in bubble wrap and peanuts. Interestingly enough, the camera body isn't black, but a sort of gun metal gray.  A bit odd since I expect colours more on point-n-shoot cameras. No matter.  I'll have to look up the specs at Canon's site and maybe download a manual, if available.

I appreciate his gift and will learn to use it. While I have had experience with Canon point-n-shoot cameras, I have otherwise always been a Nikon man. Hell, I still have an old Nikon F film camera that I'll probably never use again, but can't bring myself to sell.  They were the perfect cameras of their day.

I do have a Nikon D70, which I seldom use due to the non-user-friendly formatting and programming. It was one of the first and best at the time, around 2003, so I loaded up on lenses, flash, remote triggers, and the like.  Except for the occasional twinge to use it, the poor D70 sits in the camera bag with all its companions.

This canon is smaller and lighter and offers many of the same options that are on their point-n-shoots, with which I am already familiar and can easily adapt to my shooting preferences.  And this camera has special meaning for me. I feel obligated to make my old shooting buddy proud of me, so there's that challenge, as well. In the box was also a flash, lens hood, and UV filter. I guess his widow was feeling generous when she packed it up.

Of course, this gift comes at a difficult time as we prepare for the summer season of long hours and 6 or 7 day work weeks. Still, there is more to be done to get the restaurant ready for the masses (the floors were refinished on Tuesday) so I have another 2 weeks with 2 days off.  So there is that.  I am sad and happy at the same time, and looking forward to some inspirational shooting opportunities.

And so it goes.
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