Norton missed that one somehow, ant. Maybe it's in the newest edition, though. I'll just pencil it in the back cover.

jonnyapple said:
Someday I'd like to get a Zeiss prime. Why don't they just put AF in them like they do for their primes for the Sony mount?

hehe ..because then they wouldnt be as nice as they are, silly-billy.
Not in the same class as the Sony lenses, some are worth having a Sony but these zfs keep me away from Leica.

About the poetry, I keep (and read) a copy of the Norton Anthology of Poetry on my desk at work. Sometimes I need a complete escape from physics. (And don't we all?)

My eldest son is a Physics nut, his Dad(me) is an Engineering nut so we often swap stories.

Poetry, yes Im pretty keen as well ...

O'woe is me, poor little tit in a tree.
Lonely little tit meets another tit
...so now there can be three.

But up came a farmer
with a great big gun.
said, "me those little tits, give me the shittle-bits".

And the gun went Bang!
And the tits went Plang!
Coz he shot the tree in the tits.

ummm, sorry ...coz he shot the tits in the tree.

jonnyapple said:
About the poetry, I keep (and read) a copy of the Norton Anthology of Poetry on my desk at work. Sometimes I need a complete escape from physics. (And don't we all?)

You got beat up a lot after school when you were a kid didn't you jonny? :^)

I wish I had the problem of not being on a budget, ant. I oscillate between thinking I'm doing fine with what I have and thinking I need more. Someday I hope to be always in the first situation. Being on this site has definitely helped if you can believe it. I would have bought a D700 last summer if it weren't for rumors of a replacement, and I've since seen that I could be perfectly happy with a D300/D90 for almost everything I do (there's that almost again). The D700/s would just be so nice for the occasional wedding I do and all the low-light situations that come with it. Someday I'd like to get a Zeiss prime. Why don't they just put AF in them like they do for their primes for the Sony mount?

About the poetry, I keep (and read) a copy of the Norton Anthology of Poetry on my desk at work. Sometimes I need a complete escape from physics. (And don't we all?)

Jonny, have you got one of those desk calendars with quotes and poetry. That was beautiful, have a small tear in my eye.

I dont have a budget Im afraid but always balance what I want with what I need. Have always done it. I was going to wait for the D700 update but thought hard about what did the D700 do that I didnt want. There is nothing wanting and my plan on bodies was always to upgrade or replace between models. I get to see user opinion and I get the body at a street rather than premium price. Its not a stingy thing I do, I just dont like excess. The D3 models are just to big and heavy for my kind of photography and if the D300 (not even the s interests me) had the viewfinder of the D700 then I'd take it in a heartbeat. I would guess that Im in the D700 range from here on in. Only an RF or an FF in a D90 size body might pursuade me otherwise.

With my zeiss lenses Im the same. I saw some grab them all and that just makes no sense for my application to street. Imagine carrying a bag full of every FL, as if you would go through that many lens changes in a day. The only time I was naughty was not being able to decide between the 28 and the 35 so I got both after a month of indecision.
I also remind myself all the time of what is is that I like. I decided ages ago that there is not much for me after 100mm and before 21mm and I get weak sometimes but I get a bigger kick out of not wanting anything.

Haha, oh gear lust. It's like a plague that runs through the mind of a gear head. I would love a D3s to, but I'll aim low and say D700s/replacement next year. I do aim to make money through my photography, so having the tools I need to get the job done will become more important. At the same time I often feel I'm in over my head, always looking for that next thing that will improve my photography. Then I go out and shoot, have a blast and realize that what I have now is great! Sure I'd love to have a camera with less noise, and better detail at ISO1600, but that can wait for another day! It's just like someone aiming to taking a great photo, patience and persistence win the day!

So, hanging around this forum for the past year I've noticed something that has led me to come up with a little theory that I'm calling The One Above theory.

It seems like most of the time when someone posts about getting a new camera here and asks for advice on which camera to buy, they're trying to get more camera than they need. Based on what they say they'll use it for, it seems like they're usually looking at the one above the one they need in Nikon's product line. I don't think it's all bad because having too much camera in itself won't hurt anyone's photography, but if it makes people get The One Below on their lenses lists it really might. And most of us are unfortunately on a budget, so tradeoffs are something we have to deal with.

I've seen it in myself, too—I'm not trying to single anyone out. So how do people here overcome these thoughts?

Here's a little paraphrased Wordsworth on the subject:

My heart leaps up when I behold
  A rainbow in the sky [through the viewfinder of my D90]:
So was it when my life began;
So is it now I am a man;
So be it when I shall grow old,
  Or let me die [unless Nikon has released the D700s]!
The Child is father of the Man [and the D90 of the D700s];
And I could wish my days to be
Bound each to each by natural piety.

There I go again, but it's true—I'm hoping for days with the D90 and D700s bound each to each in my camera bag. BTW, for the record I want a D3s. ;-)