Nikon D750 - My Dream Camera!

 I feel weird posting about this, but I'm also really excited at the same time. I never like posting about things that I get because I never want to come off as a boaster, because that is NOT the case. I am so, so, so thankful that I was able to purchase this camera and thank God for allowing me to be able to afford it! 

I absolutely did not purchase this camera new - it's still going for like $1400-$1800 new! I've been scouring eBay for weeks now looking for a good, used D750 with a low shutter count. I also looked on Facebook Marketplace, but that was a bust. I found a guy in STL that had one for a really, really good price, but he only responded like two times and then nothing. I ended up finding a newly listed D750 on eBay Saturday night and messaged the guy and asked what he would accept as an offer. After talking back and forth, he ended up going down $150 with free shipping!

I got this camera for a literal fraction of the price, even cheaper than what the lowest bids are going for! I know I already said it, but I'm gonna say it again - I am SO thankful and thank God I was able to purchase it! I'll continue to be thankful for years to come, lol. 

I've wanted a full frame camera for year now. Pretty much ever since I got my D3300 for my birthday 8 years ago. I never thought I would be able to afford one because they hold their value so well. That's why I got a D5600 over three years ago instead of a full frame. The D5600 is an amazing camera - which I also bought used - and I doubt I'll ever part with it. After all, it's a DX camera and I have a few DX lenses (including my Tokina), so I'd kinda like to keep it around. 

The cool thing about the D750 is that it has an automatic crop when you attach a DX lens which is amazing! I've literally only had it for 7 hours, so I haven't tried a DX lens on it yet. I started with my 85mm and then tried my 105mm, only because they weren't in my case. Man, the difference is astronomical! The 85 preforms beautifully and I can't wait to do a photoshoot with it with actual people. The 105 is beautiful too, of course. It really amplifies the bokeh of the lens and does amazing things with lighting.

Since I'm entirely new to FX, it's going to take me a while to get used to all the new button locations and how to tweak stuff. I've always used SnapBridge to transfer pictures to my phone, but since this is an older body FX it doesn't have Bluetooth, only WiFi. Thankfully there's an app called Wireless Mobile Utility that allows you to transfer photos via the cameras WiFi. The only downside is I have to turn the camera on to enable WiFi and then connect with my phone. That's what I love about the Bluetooth on my 5600 because I don't even have to touch it to activate the Bluetooth. 

Oh well, that's a very small price to pay!

I think I've made this post long enough. Naturally I'm going to post some pictures I took today. It's nothing special because I was rushing due to the plummeting temperatures outside, not to mention it was getting dark really fast. Hope you enjoy! 

Here's the beauty that is a Nikon D750!

The screen doesn't swivel like on the 5600, but it does pull out. The guy also has screen protectors attacked to the back and the top.

Always wanted a camera with a top display!

This is the very first pic I took. Completely random Lazarus Naturals CBD bottle. Took this with the 85mm lens.

These are all our fall decorations that got packed up today. This picture and the following ones of Max were all taken with the 85mm lens.

Max was the perfect model.

He wouldn't make direct eye contact.

He's a very shy boy.

See how nice these pics are??

It really makes the 85mm look like a $1000 lens.

Still no eye contact.

I finally snatched his toy and held it above him.

He's also very nosy.

Now time for the pics from the 105mm 2.8 macro lens!

See how amazing the lighting looks with minimal tweaking?

I'm obsessed.

I can't imagine how these pics would look edited.

These weeds were legit the only good thing to take pics of.

Found one of these dried up little star weeds.

Of course, had to find a leaf. LaVaughn said this reminds her of The Walking Dead for some reason.

I lost a little too much light, so these didn't turn out great.

More weeds with awesome bokeh!

It blows my mind.

This one looks like something from a Louisiana swamp.

One last weed.

Tried to test out the focal range with the fence posts.

Definitely awesome.

It's time for some Christmas decorations!! Got the ornaments hung from the kitchen lights.

They're so pretty.

It was a smidge overexposed, but not bad.

Last minute ladybug on the curtain.

Xbox 360 - still relevant?

I honestly don't remember if I blogged about this a lot, but my sister and I have been diehard fans of Left 4 Dead since the first one came out in late 2008. That was the same year I started this blog, so I'm sure I've mentioned it a time or two. We got our very first Xbox 360 in spring of 2007 and kept the same one until we got a PS4, which was early winter of 2014. We only had to send it in for repairs one time a few years after we got it, but other than that it's been really good.

After we got out PS4 we didn't really play the 360 that much, just once or twice when I wanted to play Splinter Cell or Survival Instinct. A couple months back I wanted to play L4D so bad that we got our old 360 out of storage and hooked it up. It was no surprise that it didn't turn on, even though it's in basically the same shape as it was the last time we played it. It could be something simple like a faulty power cord, or it could be the console itself. I mean, the disc tray jams and has to be forced open, plus the faceplate is missing entirely.

Nothing else was said about it up until a couple weeks ago when I started thinking of L4D again and wanting to play SO terribly bad. I started looking for used 360's on eBay and found several decent deals. A lot of them were just under $100 and a few over, but I already knew I didn't even want to pay close to that. After searching for days, I finally found one that wasn't ridiculously priced (under $60) and placed an offer. The guy countered for $4 less than the original listing price, so I countered again and he finally accepted. 

If he had shipped it out the day after I paid, we could've gotten it Saturday and had it Monday when we got back from work, but he took a while to ship it out and we just got it yesterday. It sucks, but it's whatever. We made up for lost time yesterday by playing for nearly 8 hours. I can't express how happy I am that we have a functioning 360 again. There is SO much nostalgia involved, it's amazing. Even though L4D and L4D2 are 12 and 13 years old, they're still so amazing to play. 

I was hoping that the graphics wouldn't be a major letdown, considering we've been playing PS4 games for 7 years, but it really wasn't an issue. It's just as fun as it was 13 years ago.

So let me ask, does anyone still use their Xbox 360? I know it's all the rage to buy the newest and best console, but I find so much joy in playing old games that are near and dear to my heart. Games that make me happy and sad at the same time because they take me back to a time that I loved so dearly, a time that I miss so much. 

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with new consoles. I mean, I would love to have a PS5, but I'm not gonna go crazy trying to find one and paying scalpers $1500 for something that costs less than $500. I'll be perfectly content playing PS4 games until they stop making them. 

I guess that's all for now. I'm going to share completely unrelated gaming photos below, which should come as no surprise.

One of the two pepper plants I'm trying to save/grow.

This is the other guy.

One of the baby cabbages.

Strawberry blooms!

These are some of the orange cherry tomatoes.

I can't wait to eat them.

I think this is a big guy.

And lastly, our giant hostas.

Post Friday The 13th Hype...

I was going to blog yesterday, but I was busy working and making deals, so I decided against it. Besides, I imagine hundreds of people blogged yesterday due to the popularity of Friday The 13th. There are people that are terrified of the day and there are people that say it's a day of good luck. Personally I feel it can go either way, just like any other day of the year. I know I've said this before, but I took my drivers exam (and passed) and got my license on Friday the 13th in the month of October. So for me, good luck, but I didn't base it on the fact.

Anyways, I sewed the owl set that I cut Thursday night yesterday and thankfully sold it! The lady that keeps us in cage set business, Laci, wants one of out of that fleece now, as well as another lady that wants the exact same set! Looks like we'll be picking up for of that fleece Monday! I'm in NO way complaining, that was a $50 set and I am more than happy to make another!

I love vending. Now that I can make the Glider Bucket on my own, I can sew every day if I want, even if LaVaughn isn't up for it -- which she rarely is anymore. You suck LaVaughn do you hear that! Haha!

Speaking of cage sets, a lady that I talked to earlier this week messaged me last night and said that she wants to buy a cage set now. She sent the money for it today, so I started working on it as soon as I got up. I only cut it out, I plan on sewing it tomorrow. I also cut out an extra one, just in case.

I've been stressing about the money we've spent on fleece lately, but luckily I've sold a couple cage sets and Brittany did just pay $20 for the lime green chain that we bought earlier this year from Cindy in the co-op -- still not sure why I agreed to that. SO stupid! We still have to buy solids for all the fleece we get from Gini, all of which I hope we can get at Joann's on Black Friday.

Speaking of Black Friday, Walmart released their Black Friday ad today! OMG, I'm SO excited!!! We're not going all out this year on electronics for everyone, we're also keeping the number of gifts to a minimum. That's beside the point.. There are SO many things I want! The majority of them being movies, games, and TV shows. There's also an awesome deal on a wax warmer, a couple things for my aunt, night pants for us, and a couple other things for other people.

Thankfully it starts at 6PM again. I cannot wait!

LaVaughn and I actually just got back from Walmart. She picked up a couple things (eyeliner and some type of hair chemical) and I picked up a couple things. I, too, got eyeliner and some hair products. Well one thing, I got Dove Quench. I hope it helps tame my frizzy hair. I looooove Dove products, it's my absolute favorite line of hair care products. I'll put it to the test tomorrow.

Lets see, have I covered everything that I needed to talk about? I probably wont be blogging tomorrow. I'm sewing when I get up, plus I'm going to finish trimming the gliders nails, clean the rat cage, vacuum, shower and go to church with my aunt because she just loves to go anymore. The Walking Dead is also on tomorrow, so there will be no blogging before or after that. I'm praying that we get a glimpse of Glenn tomorrow, or maybe just a little shred of hope that he's alive!

Oh, now I remember! I bid on Vol 1-3 of The Walking Dead comics and won! I'm SO excited! While we were on our way to town I also got the notification that the two that dickweed chewed up sold, double yay! I only lost out on a $1 and the shipping cost of the comics, so it's not all bad I suppose. Okay, I need to quite. Until next time...

Love & Peace

-Megan

Pictures from today:

The sets I cut out.

Nail trimmings with Ginny and Neal:

Walmart antics:

New Dove Quench Absolute.

Eyeliners.

Freeze dried foods! Can't wait to try it!

Haha, just posted this on my aunt's Facebook. She's gonna die!