2018 - Christmas Gift Wishlist

DZA_

Hey Guys, 

It's that that time of year, its the holidays and that means Christmas gifts! Do you guys have a a wishlist for this year?  I'm planning to treat myself with some camera gear lenses this year after a crazy year of work: Nikon 35mm and 85mm F1.8 lense and SD cards for a couple of photoshoots I will be doing next year. Other than camera gear, it would be the Lego Racing Sets, but nothing else comes to mind. What's on your Christmas Gift wishlist for 2018? 

Cheers, 

Meggo

I've almost bought this so many times, but am afraid it's going to melt/start on fire. i7 + 1060 just seems like a lot for a laptop. 

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-laptops/dell-g5-15-gaming/spd/g-series-15-5587-laptop/dncwG5F622RPh

Johnhe0414

I just took and passed the Technician class for HAM radio (for work) and now would like to purchase a radio for myself. I don't want to get to crazy with the gear, just something to start off with. I have been eyeing the YAESU FT-70DR...just waiting for the right time to ask the wife.

Dakinggamer87

Cash $$$ to travel all good on tech gadgets for a bit after my last purchase of a PS4 Pro 

DZA_

Meggo said:

I've almost bought this so many times, but am afraid it's going to melt/start on fire. i7 + 1060 just seems like a lot for a laptop. 

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-laptops/dell-g5-15-gaming/spd/g-series-15-5587-laptop/dncwG5F622RPh

That's definitely a desktop replacement. I've seen one of their inspiron models go on sale during Black Friday with the nice glass screen, i7 processor and a strong mobile graphic card and the bells and whistles  but it's like 2100 CAD. It's so nice but I would only pick it up once I start to do more photo editing.

yoba222

Was planning on upgrading the ancient desktop to something in the Ryzen family, but will be holding off to see what they announce at CES next year.

Spiegel

I would love to get a new computer chair. My current chair is good but would like to have something with more adjustable features, especially when I study, I like to sit upright. Have been looking at the OPSEAT gaming chairs Master Series. 

kaiju

Update my Sony A99 to the A99II and replace my broken Zeiss 24-70/2.8 with the new model.

DZA_

kaiju said:

Update my Sony A99 to the A99II and replace my broken Zeiss 24-70/2.8 with the new model.

That's a nice combo. How did you find the Zeiss lense? For when I do update my next camera body it would be the D850 or may be the next generation Nikon mirror less cameras when they sort out all the shortcomings of their first generation. I'm in the gear acquisition syndrome right now. 

kaiju

@DZA_ I love my Zeiss lenses. My 24-70 is broken because it took a tumble and it is the only one that is not covered by insurance since I bought it used. I was shooting with a Minolta 28-75G before I got the ZA24-70. I absolutely love the colors that are produced by the Zeiss Alpha (ZA) series so I pretty much have all of Sony ZA lenses for Sony A mount.

My workhorse Sigma 50/1.4 was upgraded to ZA 50/1.4.

For a wide setup I got the ZA 16-35/2.8. I plan to upgrade to the II version for use with the A99II and give this one to my wife.

For portraits I have the ZA 85/1.4 and the bokeh monster 135/1.8.

Non-ZA lenses are Sony 100/2.8 Macro and 70-400/4-5.6 GII.

I still have my older A700 and A900 along with some legacy Sony/Minolta/Sigma lenses that I use with them.

PCTechLinc

Through the years I've lost most of my hobby items.  So I asked my wife for a bunch of juggling supplies from Renegade Juggling in Santa Cruz.  7 of each:  clubs, rings, and bean bags.  Additional:  diabolo and devil sticks.

DZA_

kaiju said:

@DZA_ I love my Zeiss lenses. My 24-70 is broken because it took a tumble and it is the only one that is not covered by insurance since I bought it used. I was shooting with a Minolta 28-75G before I got the ZA24-70. I absolutely love the colors that are produced by the Zeiss Alpha (ZA) series so I pretty much have all of Sony ZA lenses for Sony A mount.

My workhorse Sigma 50/1.4 was upgraded to ZA 50/1.4.

For a wide setup I got the ZA 16-35/2.8. I plan to upgrade to the II version for use with the A99II and give this one to my wife.

For portraits I have the ZA 85/1.4 and the bokeh monster 135/1.8.

Non-ZA lenses are Sony 100/2.8 Macro and 70-400/4-5.6 GII.

I still have my older A700 and A900 along with some legacy Sony/Minolta/Sigma lenses that I use with them.

My gosh, you are a hardcore Zeiss fan, that's a lot of cash for the glass! I would say that the if I ever invested money into a Zeiss lense that it would be a one time purchase for an Otus. That is one beast. By the end of the year, I would have in my camera inventory:

Nikon D800 with the HolyTrinity setup:  14-24mm F2.8,  24-70mm F2.8, 70-200mm F2.8
Prime setup: 35mm, 50mm and 80mm F1.8 

I'm debating whether I should consider getting the 1.4 HSM Art lenses from Sigma as they're like half the price of the 1.4 lenses that Nikon serves out.

kaiju

I have been shooting for a very long time and those lenses were bought over a 8 year period. I actually still have my Minolta A7,A9 and A8700 film cameras too. My Sigma Non-Art 50/1.4 HSM is a solid performer when compared to the Minolta 50/1.4 and Sony Non-ZA 50/1.4 but the ZA 50/1.4 just blows all of them out of the water. I pretty much always have a camera with me.

EANx

This year, I opted for VR. Tossed a 1080 ti in the desktop and bought a Vive Pro and wireless controller. That is a fun setup. Even people who are extremely dismissive of computer games in general have enjoyed the experience and wanted to do it again.

I do need a decent telephoto zoom lens. When I was very actively shooting I collected Nikkor 16-35/4, 24/1.4 and 105/2.8 macro in addition to some of my earlier lower to mid-range glass so now the urge to go surf B&H is like an itch. My main body is a D800, with a 700 as backup.

PJ_Sneakers

Meggo said:

I've almost bought this so many times, but am afraid it's going to melt/start on fire. i7 + 1060 just seems like a lot for a laptop. 

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-laptops/dell-g5-15-gaming/spd/g-series-15-5587-laptop/dncwG5F622RPh

If you end up getting a Dell gaming rig, let me save you hours of frustration dealing with stuttering and unexplainable audio lag.  Uninstall EVERYTHING related to Rivet Networks (SmartByte crap) and everything related to Dell SupportAssist.

Meggo

@PJ_Sneakers thank you!

PC509

I just want a nice set of lock picking tools (for educational purposes), and a good travel backpack. Next time I travel, I'm not lugging around a rolling suitcase, I'm wearing a decent small backpack that will fit just the basics! 

cyberguypr

I am gifting myself 8 SSDs to finally move all my storage systems away from HDD.

PJ_Sneakers

This year I went budget hunting on eBay.  Got a z170 board to OC my 6600 non-K, an SSD for my Steam library, and a used GTX 980.  Huge improvement for minimal cost.

DatabaseHead

My daughter is turning 16 in Jan and will be driving shortly after.  I'll be getting myself a new car/truck. 

DZA_

EANx said:

This year, I opted for VR. Tossed a 1080 ti in the desktop and bought a Vive Pro and wireless controller. That is a fun setup. Even people who are extremely dismissive of computer games in general have enjoyed the experience and wanted to do it again.

I do need a decent telephoto zoom lens. When I was very actively shooting I collected Nikkor 16-35/4, 24/1.4 and 105/2.8 macro in addition to some of my earlier lower to mid-range glass so now the urge to go surf B&H is like an itch. My main body is a D800, with a 700 as backup.

I used the the HTC Vive when it originally came out a friend's house and I was pretty amazed of what it could do. The game selection was a bit low at the time but even still the games were so interactive i.e. shooting against zombies or defending against robot drones. My first initial impression that you definitely needed a strong computer rig to run it, a big enough room to setup the square boundaries but after that it's all fun and games. The only problem (can't really blame it) is that the headset required the wire running down the back of your head which could lead to people tripping but if you had someone move the cable while you're playing, you wouldn't have that problem. I could definitely recommend the HTC Vive system but it's pretty expensive to get a solid setup going. The driving simulations are out of this world. 

Glad to know that TE does have other photographers on the forums and just myself.

Cheers, 

thomas_

cyberguypr said:

I am gifting myself 8 SSDs to finally move all my storage systems away from HDD.

What about NVMe drives? 

EANx

DZA_ said:

EANx said:

This year, I opted for VR. Tossed a 1080 ti in the desktop and bought a Vive Pro and wireless controller.

The only problem (can't really blame it) is that the headset required the wire running down the back of your head which could lead to people tripping but if you had someone move the cable while you're playing, you wouldn't have that problem.

The wireless add-on definitely adds to the immersion. Having to keep track of cables was always annoying and doing something like a skiing sim is hard enough without getting tangled.

cyberguypr

thomas_ said:

cyberguypr said:

I am gifting myself 8 SSDs to finally move all my storage systems away from HDD.

What about NVMe drives? 

Nah, can't. I have two enclosures that take 4 SATA each so can't go full NVME yet.

thomas_

Maybe I'll buy a dash cam that I've been thinking about buying for the last year or two.  It seems like each year drivers are getting worse and worse.  Every time I see someone do the stupidest thing I have ever seen while driving, a few months later someone tops the previous person.

kriscamaro68

Newer gaming rig with a 6700k and a 1080 8GB video card which is a big jump from what I had
Bought 16 GB of ram to add to the rig for a total of 32GB
Bought a Cold Steel 4-Max https://www.amazon.com/Cold-Steel-62RN-4-Max-Pocket/dp/B071FRLXX2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1545013740&sr=8-1&keywords=cold+steel+4max
Bought a Streamlight TLR-8 for my Glock 19X https://www.amazon.com/Streamlight-TLR-8-Gun-Light-Laser/dp/B079C4211C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1545013808&sr=8-1&keywords=streamlight+tlr8
Bought Call of Duty Black Ops 4 for PC.

My wife always knows what to get me

DZA_

Your gaming rig sounds like the perfect crypto mining machine.  .  I haven't built a machine where I needed 32Gb of ram (yet..) but hoping to when I start to do more photo editing. On a side note, I am also adding a couple g-shock watches to the xmas list!

Lunchbocks

Johnhe0414 said:

I just took and passed the Technician class for HAM radio (for work) and now would like to purchase a radio for myself. I don't want to get to crazy with the gear, just something to start off with. I have been eyeing the YAESU FT-70DR...just waiting for the right time to ask the wife.

Congrats on passing your exam. Are you planning on upgrading?

Yaesu makes great gear, I have quite a few of their rigs. The FT-70DR is a nice radio.

73,

KB4MTO / TA5ZC

Johnhe0414

Lunchbocks said:

Johnhe0414 said:

I just took and passed the Technician class for HAM radio (for work) and now would like to purchase a radio for myself. I don't want to get to crazy with the gear, just something to start off with. I have been eyeing the YAESU FT-70DR...just waiting for the right time to ask the wife.

Congrats on passing your exam. Are you planning on upgrading?

Yaesu makes great gear, I have quite a few of their rigs. The FT-70DR is a nice radio.

73,

KB4MTO / TA5ZC

Since i just got licensed, i am looking forward to to getting started. So, no plans for upgrading at this time, maybe once i get situated and have some experience  

The FT70-DR was recommended and it looks like a nice sturdy radio to start off with.

73 to you!

KM6YLB