Hello to all the forumites! My name is Wes and I am joining you from the Hilton Head Island area of South Carolina, USA. I recently came upon a copy of DCW and was so impressed that I subscribed immediately, and have been enjoying my first, albeit digital, issue. I have joined the forums and have been reading with great enjoyment.
By way of background, I am a retired attorney and very avid photographer. My first camera, purchased when I was in what we call Jr. High School, was an old Argus C3. Worked as the high school paper photographer and ultimately worked my way through Law School as a wedding and event photographer, using medium format Mamiya equipment to start and Hasselblad at the finish. The pressures of the practice of law forced me to give up my passion, but after retirement in 2007, I jumped back in. I am a member of 5 camera clubs and organizations, compete actively and display at several artists' galleries. I also work as the motorsports editor of a local magazine, covering NASCAR, Indycar and Road Racing venues.
I have long been a devotee of Nikon and most recently, due to a series of back injuries, was forced to sell off my heavy iron. Last spring in China I found myself dragging around a camera bag that weighed in at 41 lbs., and I couldn't part with enough weight to help the back. I sold off the D3s, the majority of my lenses (just couldn't part with the 70-200 f/2.8 VRII) and replaced the lot with a pair of the new Nikon 1 V1 cameras. With the LT-1 lens mount adapter, I can still use my 70-200 and the resultant output is very much acceptable.
Many people who haven't tried the V1 are apt to bash it for the sensor size, but I can attest to the sharpness of the output. It is true that I seldom enlarge more than 24x30, but with a cropped image, I believe I am enlarging to about 40x60 full frame.
I am probably going to be posting and responding to posts, but please keep in mind that I am a few hours behind you so rapid fire responses are not likely to occur.
Anyway, I am most happy to find you (sorry, I keep forgetting that I am now in the deep South), I meant to say that I am most happy to find y'all.
Wes