Today we went to iTZ to have some fun and games for Chase for having such a good first week at school. The pizza was gross, but other than that, it was pretty fun. Chase knocked me and Courtney good on the bumper cars! 
Without a doubt, Gitzo makes the most lightweight tripod in the business. When I bought my Gitzo GT1541T Tripod ($575) it came with a soft slip case. That has worked perfectly for me for a while, but I find I keep my tripod in the trunk so I can always have it with me and I always worried about damaging the carbon fiber legs by some box or junk in my trunk.
The case is as small as it can be to fit the tripod and a head. I use a Markins Q3 T ball head, so I can confirm that it fits perfect, but it is a snug fit.
The Markins Q3 Traveler ($289) is is the current tripod ball head I have on my Gitzo GT1541T Tripod ($575). I have posted it up on fredmiranda.com in the Buy & Sell forums for $220 with all original accessories.
We went to Chuy's for lunch and apparently Chase learned how to cross his eyes his first week of school.
So last Tuesday (Aug 18), I shipped out a Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8 lens to a fellow photog up in New Jersey and was happy to have cash in my hands for my beautiful DX lens. I did what any normal person would do, I let BROWN handle the delivery. Here is where the story gets interesting . . .
I get a call from Shelia @ UPS "Lost and Found" and was told that they located my lens. As a security check, she wanted me to identify the color of the lens . . . IT'S BLACK!This morning I decided it was time to do some lens upgrades. I had been pondering doing this for a little while, and decided to take the plunge. So let's see what I picked up today.
The first lens I bought was a Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 ($1799.88) from J&R. This is a super wide angle that should pair very well with my Nikon D700. I wish I would have had this on my vacation at Pensacola Beach 2 weeks ago . . . but oh well.
This lens is geared for landscapes or indoors where you need the wide perspective. I must say I am rather excited to get this lens (probably next week sometime) and see what it can do. The front element is curved, so no filters can go on this baby, but it is supposed to be as sharp as some of Nikon's prime lenses in this range (and cheaper than buying a 14mm, 20mm, and 24mm) separate.
The second lens I purchased is a Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 ($1849.88). Now I already own this lens, I picked it up from Zane Reed . . . fellow photographer from Nikonians (brand new), but I decided if I was going to pay this much for a lens that I was going to use as my "everyday" lens, I was going to get one with a receipt in my name to take advantage of the 5 year warranty.
This lens was out of stock when I ordered it, but it will show up within a month or so. Not a big deal as I still have my 24-70mm which I will sell when the new one arrives. I called Oscar (ext 1016) after making my order and he was cool enough to drop the price to $1799 for me.
The last lens I ordered is the newly announced (but not released) Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VR II (2,399.95). Now this lens won't ship until November, but this will be a hard to find lens when it is released. I already have a Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VR that I bought from Tom Stovall (another Nikonian), but this new lens is supposed to be more optimized for Full Frame (FX) over the old one. Hopefully this will arrive before the holidays . . . and yes Oscar @ J&R took $50 off too. Thanks man!
Well today was all about the tripod. I currently have a Gitzo GT-1541T (Traveler Series) Carbon Fiber tripod paired with a Markins Q3 Traveler. The problem is that I have started using the tripod more and more, and the screw on the clamp is somewhat annoying. While I don't miss the weight of my old Manfrotto 488RC2 ball head, I did miss the quick release. So I decided it was time to replace the clamp, but unfortunately I can't remove the one on my ball head because they put some red loctite on the head. So a trip to markinsamerica.com and $300 later got me a new Q3 Traveler with special instructions to "not use loctite". I can probably pawn off my old head with the stuck clamp for $225 ish, so let's just say I am out $75 right now on this. This is how I justify it I guess. 
Today was Chase's (and Courtney's) first day of school. I got to take pictures of him going to class first thing this morning.
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Chase had a "Meet The Teacher" today where he met Mrs. Bailey, his Kindergarten teacher. Courtney was there too meeting her students as well.
I must admit, I am completely impressed with the Nikon D700. Today I spent some time after work with Chase. We went to do a little shopping at Best Buy and then to dinner at the Outback Steakhouse. He was sporting a fresh bruise on his head from a little accident yesterday, but looking cute as ever. I got my new Outdoor Photographer magazine in today and he took too it like most kids take to toys. He can't read all the words, but he can enjoy the pictures. That is mostly what I do with the magazine . . . browse through the pictures and think of how cool it would be to take something that good.
This was a birthday present to myself . . . a Nikon D700 camera. I had this shipped to the resort at Pensacola Beach and had it there when I arrived last Thursday. The lens is a Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 and this arrived to my office on Friday, so I didn't get it until I got back in town.
This is one of the first pictures taken with my new Nikon D700. It arrived at the Portofino resort yesterday before I got here, and they were kind enough to hold it for me. Now the vingnetting (dark around the corners) is pretty strong, but that is because I am shooting with a Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8 DX . . . certainly not made for a full frame camera like the D700. That is Courtney and Chase on the beach way down there . . .
