I'm not new to photography or to Nikon, just new to this site. It looks like a friendly place where people communicate and share information. The last site I was on seemed populated mostly by trolls.
Anyway, I bought my first 35mm, a Yashica TL Elecro when I was 18. Decent shots were rare, and I thought it was the camera. Fast forward 15 years. The Yashica, after being carried on motorcycle, in planes, backpacks, and rowboats, finally died, so, with zero knowledge of Nikon, I bought an FM10. After talking to quite a few people, I got rid of it and its awful kit lens and picked up an old Nikon FE2 with three lenses: a 35mm f/2, a 50mm f/1.8, and a 105mm f/2.5. That was in the mid-90s. I still have the FE2, plus an F100, and my first DSLR, a D700. I've bought and sold many lenses, because I can't seem to stop admiring the equipment.
With an artist wife, I've finally learned why I hated most of my photos in the past--they were terrible, but most importantly, I now understand why.
I now pursue photography from two directions: being a gearhead at heart, I love the equipment, but to achieve the images I want, I have to continue learning about art.
It looks like this site is good for both.
