Early Christmas

I got my present early this year.  Well, it was out of necessity really.

I've been a proud owner of the Canon Rebel XT

I bought this camera back in 2006 for my birthday.  I wanted something awesome to take pictures in Europe that year.  Something more than my boring Point n Shoot.

For the past 6 years, its served me well but there is this desire to upgrade.  At this point, my new iPhone 4s has the same MP as my Rebel.  When my phone is as good as my expensive camera, it might be time to upgrade right?

So I intended to sell my Rebel and save up for the T3 or T3i.  Both are excellent and there are some fantastic sales on them right now.

And then it happened.  Anyone who owns one of these cameras is afraid of the day it might fall.  Last month, while on a field trip with my son at the firehouse (pictures to come in another post) we took a tumble.  A roll really.  Right down the driveway.

I was the class photographer that day.  At the very end of the trip, Miss Gayle asked me to grab a pictures of the class in front of the fire truck.  And then Nick bum rushed me.  I was prepared (or so I thought) and braced myself.  I *was* squatting down to get a cool angle of the kids by the truck and when he rushed me, I figured I'd go over backwards.  So I braced the camera against my chest and prepared for him to hit me.  He did but we went forward instead.

I hit my knee on the pavement and lost hold of the camera.  It hit the ground hard for falling only about a foot.  And then we rolled.  I'm sure it was Americas Funniest Home videos funny to see me roll down the driveway of the firehouse with my son tucked against me and the camera bouncing along the pavement.

Clunk.  Clunk. Clunk.

We landed at the feet of one of the firemen who had just been promoted to engineer the day before.  He'd spend the last 10 years as the paramedic that travels out on calls.  I should be so lucky.  He was good looking too.  After I shook it off, got us both looked at by the good looking fireman we headed back to school.  I never once thought about the camera because it was all about my knee and Nicks head and elbow.  We both checked out just fine by the way.

The camera.  Yeah, its not so good.  There is something rattling around in there and the lens is stuck.  It takes pictures sort of but they're dark and its very cranky.  My Rebel is mad.

I was pretty upset about it.  Okay, I was crying and devastated but its just a camera right?

Enter an old friend.  Someone I've known since we were Freshmen in High School.  Yeah, *that* long.  His little brother works where they sell cameras.  Like Canon T3 cameras.  And they had a Black Friday sale.  I was lucky enough to have a cool family and they all gave me my Christmas presents early.  Money.  For a new camera.

So a week later, I held my Canon T3 in my hands and wondered what took me so long to upgrade?  This is an awesome camera.  All the little quirks with my Rebel like the super loud noise the flash makes when it pops up and ease of use.  Its all upgraded and its even easier to use than the Rebel.

And those classes I took back in September?  They actually make sense now.  I can't explain it, but the Rebel just wasn't manual friendly for me.  The T3 is.

So let me introduce you to my new friend :