I had to laugh when I saw the one with the boys decorating the Christmas tree – all three of them in their STRIPED TURTLENECKS!!!! Not hard to tell who is their fashion advisor!! Too cute!

The one of Katie is priceless too… !

First of all, if you ever preface a request like that again, I will ban you! You think you haven’t earned a lot of leeway for being one of my first bloggy and online friends? Seriously! And what was that about the White House tour?!?

Ahem, anyway, back to the question at hand: decent pictures of fast-moving subjects indoors without a flash in Minnesota in the wintertime? You’re not going to like this answer much. I mean, if you can throw open the curtains and the glare from the snow is bouncing around the room, you’ll be fine, but since you’re looking at minimal daylight hours, I think you’ll need something more than just the kit lens.

I suffer from an utter lack of impulse control when it comes to camera equipment, so I am not exactly the best person to ask about this. However, I see three options for you. Not getting the Nikon is not even on the table. That must happen, you so deserve it.

First option, you can go with the kit lens, and splurge an extra $150 for the nifty fifty f1.8. There are two — one is affordable and will not autofocus on the base-level Nikons. That’s what I have. The fancy-ass one is twice the price, but will autofocus. I think the 35mm is similar, but I am fond of the 50 mm.

Second option, forgo the nifty fifty, and spend an extra $250 and get an SB-600 flash. You’ll never regret it. Then next year, get the nifty fifty, too, because you deserve it.

Third option, go to a local camera store and ask them for a clear-ish to white plastic film canister, the kind that you get 35mm film in. Make one of these funky DIY flash diffusers and slap it on the pop-up lens. Take flash pictures that are not flat with glaring shadows. Then next year, go out and buy the nifty fifty, and get the SB-600 the year after that.

Will you post some of your pix? I’d love to see them!

Your friend in throat sickness,
Dani

So.

Let’s say, theoretically, that I promised myself a Nikon DSLR for finishing two chapters, then didn’t finish the two chapters, but am having Christmas in Minnesota with my two siblings on our every-other-year schedule. Let’s stipulate that I have two nieces, ages 3.5 and 18 months, and a nephew, 21.5 months, and that my sister is pregnant with her third. Also my father was in the hospital for all of November, and while it’s spine-related and not life-threatening, it’s anxiety-inducing. So given that, let’s theorize that I decided to screw the chapters reward structure and buy the Nikon, with the kit lens.

Would I theoretically, by following your advice for getting indoor shots without a flash, be able to take decent photos with the kit lens? Because I really can’t afford the Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX — I can’t afford the theoretical new camera — but I also don’t want to look back at the end of our trip and think, DAMN IT, I could have had actual photos and instead I have crap. I mean, there’s a really good chance that my sister may not spend Christmas with us in two years. My great-grandfather just turned 84. Carpe diem and all that.

Keep in mind that I’ve had a perfectly fine Canon IS something-or-other forever, so anything I take with this new camera is going to blow my socks off. What would YOU do?

Thanks.

Every so often I see a picture that makes me want to tell you about it. Weird, I know. I posted a couple on my site today that I’d love to hear your opinion of. Please drop by when you get a chance.