Help- clueless husband

[gjmphoto]

Even cooler if you gave her a toy camera, and the card was inside. I love thinking of creativity ways to give gifts.

Make a whole day of it...take her to B&H to try and buy ... While you're in manhattan, take her to 5th ave and then south to aqua grill for dinner (make a reservation). get a room in mid town. Don't tell her about any of it...let the day uncover itself.

Oh..and if you're not near new York...this just gave you a reason to travel here!

 

[pgriz]

The real gift to your wife is the thougthfulness and support you are showing for her activity. Although I really like the advice of gjmphoto, given that you are in BC, it is not very probable that you will fly to New York to get yourselves a camera. I don't know if you are close to any "good" brick-and-mortar store, but if not, going to reputable mail-order businesses (Adorama, B&H, or others) is probably the way to go. However, I echo John's (tirediron) advice - she has to make the decision based on her needs and growth path. I really like the various suggestions about how to surprise her, but again, you're a better judge of that - and husbands do know what their wifes want.

 

[kathyt]

Even cooler if you gave her a toy camera, and the card was inside. I love thinking of creativity ways to give gifts.

Make a whole day of it...take her to B&H to try and buy ... While you're in manhattan, take her to 5th ave and then south to aqua grill for dinner (make a reservation). get a room in mid town. Don't tell her about any of it...let the day uncover itself.

Oh..and if you're not near new York...this just gave you a reason to travel here!

This is my kinda thinking right here!

 

[kathyt]

You could do something similar to the movie Sweet Home Alabama when he took her into Tiffanys but with a store like Adorama or B&H. I can picture it now, all the sales reps standing behind their camera counters saying, "pick one." Okay, back to reality.

 

[jwbryson1]

My wife is an "amateur photographer", doing cheaper family photos and the odd wedding while she builds a portfolio.

Yeahhhh....ummm.....I'm going to have to sort of DISAGREE with what the other posters have said above....I know them on this forum and I respect their opinions, but a self-professed amateur photographer (sounds like an "advanced" MWAC) does not need to jump from a D3100 to a D600. DX to FX is a huge jump, particularly considering the investment in glass that will have to come with it if you want to really get your money's worth out of the body.

D7000 is a good jump IMHO. But, maybe the others are right in letting her pick out her next body.

Good luck with that.

 

[TheLost]

Gift card? Are you serious? Are you guys married? You might as well give her a vacuum cleaner.... It might come off more personal and thoughtful then a gift card!

Buy her a camera, keep the receipt and make sure she knows she can take it back and exchange it if she doesn't like it.

Think about it...

"Here honey.. I know you like that picture take'n stuff so i got you a gift card! Do we have any more of that fruit cake left?!"

or

"Here honey.. I know how much you love photography so i spent months doing research to buy you this camera. If its not what you want we can take it back and exchange it. Your the best wife ever!"

IMHO, The D600 would be an awesome choice. However, keep in mind her current lenses are not made for a full frame camera. But a D600 w/Kit lens and a cheap Nikon 50mm 1.8 (1.8d = $120ish.. 1.8g = $220ish) would be an great start for somebody doing weddings and portraits.

The D7000 is nice (i have one) but the D600 will get you nominated for husband of the year.

 

[Dao]

hum ... maybe my wife is different. She do not let me choose her expensive purse. It does not really matter if it can be returned or not. No matter how much time I spend on researching, she just like to pick it herself. But she do enjoy visit stores and try them on and see which one she like better (she may ask my opinion even it does not matter too much), she went online and do a lot of research as well (not technical research of course LOL). And that is the time I do not bother her too much since I believe that is part of the process she enjoy as well.

So, personally I agree with the gift card idea. If she is really into photography and enjoy shopping, bringing her to a camera store (such as those mentioned) and shop with her means a lot to her I think.

 

[Overread19 7]

Nothing says that you can't go out BEFORE christmas and go shopping with her. Let her pick the item out and then wrap it all up and hide it under the tree until the day

 

[KmH]

Frankly, if she is using a D3100 with 35 mm and 18-55 lenses for "doing cheaper family photos and the odd wedding", I would be surprised if she knows enough about photography and photography gear to make her own informed gear decisions.

Plus, if she is "doing cheaper family photos and the odd wedding", which implies getting paid to shoot, many would call her a 'professional' photographer. In such circumstances home owners insurance will likely not offer any liability protection or cover the loss of what little gear she has.

If she doesn't already have them, maybe you should spring for business registration/licensing and/or business liability, indemnity, or E&O insurance instead of gear. (see PPA membership)

 

[luckofthedraw]

Thanks everyone for all the replies. You've given me a lot to think about.

I really like the idea of the plane ticket to NYC, a night or 3 in the hotel and a stroll to B&H where she gets to pick her own toys out. Unfortunately this option won't be in this years budget.

I'm thinking the D600 is a better long term choice, even though it's more expensive. I ran a bunch of comparison charts and the 600 even beats out some of the higher end cameras that are hundreds of dollars more. So when you consider bang for you buck, it looks like a clear winner.

I'm leaning toward the cash or gift card idea and a shopping day on boxing day. But I can't see the D600 going on sale too much as it's fairly new. So maybe money towards necessary equipment like speed lights, diffuser etc. One thing I didn't know is that the D3100 lenses she has won't be compatible with the new D600 if I go that route. That is real unfortunate and thanks to TheLost for pointing that out.

KmH, she mostly does shoots for family members and close friends at this time but is growing all the time. I have got the license but didn't think about some of the other stuff you mentioned like business liability, indemnity, or E&O insurance etc. Thanks, I will be google-ing what is required tonight.

Thanks again everyone for all input. I'm sure I will have more questions I will add them under this thread as they come up. I appreciate it.

Cheers,

Clueless

 

[markj]

Come on bunny, buy her a necklace? The man probably bought her at least 6 already. Seven necklaces or one D7000 or D600? BTW, my wife would opt for number seven I'm sure. Can't figure it out.

 

[texkam]

Beware of the Doghouse- Hilarious! - YouTube