Who got or gave new cameras or gear for Christmas?

[ThurlFan]

I got the lens adapter from Canon for my S3 so I can put on a filter and get a real-live lens cap.

I also got the Canon HF-DC1 external flash.

 

[actionvaughn]

What did you get (camera or accessory)?
Canon S5 IS, baby!

Was it a surprise or did you know ahead of time?
I knew. I was the one who ordered it, but I wasn't allowed to touch before Christmas. Boo..

Did you use it on Christmas day at all?
Half of Christmas day. The rest was filled with work and Guitar Hero III.

Ever had one (or similar) before?
Nope, it was a huge upgrade from my old point-and-shoot.

 

[lewdyan1]

Since this is my first time with a DSLR, my DH got me a Canon XT. I wasn't surprised, but super excited!

I do need to figure out which additional lens I need to get, but I have loved playing with it. My first picture was in the car on the way to WDW going 75mph and the picture came out great!

 

[Groucho]

Nothing under the tree - the closest would be the new Thinkpad that I bought for my wife. Thinkpads are by far my favorite laptop and I was able to get a fantastic deal through work. Best of all - it's got XP, not Vista. I warned her that I'll want to use it on trips to burn DVDs of the photos we take... I think she's OK with that!

I did order myself a lens the day after Christmas... a used manual-focus Kiron 105mm F2.8 1:1 macro. This is supposedly one of the absolute best macro lenses ever made, better than most OEM macros. Unfortunately, it turns out that one of the contacts (to relay aperture info to the camera) isn't working, so the seller is going to trade it for an identical lens badged as a Lester A Dine. Once that's done, I'll sell my Vivitar 55mm 1:1 macro; meanwhile I'm still check Beach Camera every couple days to see when they'll get the Pentax 31mm F1.8 back in stock.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

DH got an HV20, I wanted but didn't get a 50mm f/1.8... lol

Oooh...I've been playing with HD video lately. I'm totally confused. If you find any really good video sites, let me know. I posted some videos from my Christmas vacation here.

 

[cryssi]

Oooh...I've been playing with HD video lately. I'm totally confused. If you find any really good video sites, let me know. I posted some videos from my Christmas vacation here.

I'm going to have to go check out your videos. He's been having issues with the HD...nothing supports it, really, yet...If he finds a good site I will definitely pass it your way...

 

[Groucho]

Have you checked out videohelp.com? I'm not sure how much HD-specific content there is there, but there's a huge amount of info on dealing with video in general on the PC. Most should be applicable - video is video, there's nothing magic about high-def that makes it any different than dealing with lower-resolution stuff, the thing is making sure that the software you use can handle the appropriate codecs and such.

I did pick up a cheapie miniDV camcorder on Black Friday but haven't even hooked the darn thing to my PC yet. One of these days... then I'll be having to figure all that stuff out, though my expectations are pretty low so hopefully I'll be able to meet them easily.

 

[aprince&princess]

For Christmas I received Canon rebel xti, the EF-S 18-55 IS lens and a 1 GB memory card. I wasn't surprised since I was the one who ordered it.

This was an upgrade from my Canon S2 and I am planning on taking a few classes at Ritz so that I will know how to work everything.

And then I will have to look into getting another lense (or two!).

So far I have taken a few pictures at Christmas and around the house. I can't wait to take it on our cruise in April.