[OLS]

Man, what a day. I spent the first four hours of today online trying to decide whether to buy a used D700 for roughly $1200,
a new D600(610) or a used D3 or D800. When it was all over, I had decided that just because my D700 is experiencing
mirror return issues after smacking it against the pavement in NOLA, I can still operate around it and simply not buy
another camera. After selling a D90 and giving away 3 D100/D70's for Christmas, I still have about 8 bodies.
So while there is no shortage of backup cameras to my D7000, I have no dependable full frame body anymore
and almost all I shoot is low light environs. So while I can still take the D700 and shoot with it, once the mirror gets
caught in an up-cycle, I can no longer see for framing or focus through the VF. I can fire off as many shots as I want,
the shutter opens. And if I want to make the mirror behave, I usually just have to fire off about 8 shots of high speed
continuous to get it back down to resting in the right position. But it can't be depended on, its just there if I want to carry
two bodies and shoot two lenses without switching out.

If I got PAID to shoot, it would be an easy decision. But just because everything I do is for pleasure, I can still get away
with having a bum full framer. But what I shoot is ALWAYS a potential FUTURE cash cow, one day I hope to sell a
print of everything I like, so having something in the chain be intermittent is still a big issue. But like I said at the start,
I wasted a half day of work and still made it out to lunch without having spent a penny. So I am technically ahead of the game.
But what messes up the WHOLE equation is the 'for pleasure' angle. I simply can't justify spending even used-stuff money
as an amateur right now. I think that is what kept me from jumping, that and the less-than-attractive prices, even used.

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I think what I am REALLY hoping for is that if I just STOP babying my D700, i.e. only using it when I have to have low light capabilities,
then I can get the mirror to start behaving eventually BEFORE I wear the shutter out from all the wasted shots trying to get the
mirror to return to a 45 degree angle after every shot. It will be hard, because it was halfway to 150k when I bought it. And believe me,
I have thought long and hard about bouncing it on the pavement AGAIN to try and reset it back to being a solid performer. Works with
a frying pan on all the old TV shows to relieve amnesia.