Emerald Bay Day and Evening

It was clear, hot, and windy today. Nice beach weather for me, so I spent the better part of the day down at the cabanas, instead of the pool. Donna, Brittany, the kids, and family friends, Jeanne and Pete were at the pool sunning, swimming, and painting most of the day. I finished reading Third Degree and have now started reading On Dangerous Ground by Jack Higgins. The family went into Mazatlan for dinner this evening, while I opted to stick around Emerald Bay to shoot a few sunset photos. I had intended on using my Sigma 150-500, a rather large lens that works okay handheld, but best on a tripod, for taking some photos of the various birds that soar near the resort in the evening. However, the wind was blowing so hard at sunset, that it would have been difficult to steady and focus the large lens, even on the tripod, so I just shot several handheld pics with the Nikon 18-200/f3.5-5.6 G-ED-VR. This lens is probably my favorite travel lens due to its fairly compact size, VR for stability, and moderate cost (new at around $750). That seems like a bunch of loot, but Nikon’s pro lens lineup (f2.8 and better), of which I have a few, run $1200-$1800 each, are better glass, but cover less territory from wide to narrow. Anyway, for those of you thinking of getting into a full-size Nikon digital SLR camera, buying the 18-200 lens with a new camera body, would be a nice “intermediate” choice that would allow you to shoot with success, in a variety of situations, while you hone your skills.
I hope this isn’t too much phototech talk for today, but I see more and more folks walking around with nice Nikon or Canon camera bodies, with a cheap lens, attached. Do extensive reading and research before you purchase. If you buy the right stuff, you won’t be disappointed in your results later. For Nikon camera users, both Sigma and Tokina lens’s are of good quality, but cost far less than most comparable Nikon lens’s. Finally, both Nikon and Canon have excellent websites containing a wealth of information about photography and their specific products. For Nikon lovers, Nikonians.org, is probably the best source I have found on the web for sharing ideas/photos/problems among amateur and professional photographers.
Now that you are all completely bored, I promise to stick to writing about food, fun, frolic, and drink for the rest of my stay! Enjoy the photos from this evening, and I’ll be posting pics of the kids at the pool etc. in tomorrow’s blog.