Review

So I decided on the Nikon D40. It is a lower end DSLR but it still has outstanding performance in low light and in general takes great pictures. I originally looked at the Canon XTi vs XSi vs Nikon D40 vs D60. Here the rationale of my choice:

1. Cheap, I paid $400 for the body and an 18-55 lens.
2. It gets great reviews, see ken rockwell's review as well as dpreview
3. Nikon has a wide variety of excellent very flexible lens particularly the 18-105VR (Vibration reduction) and 18-200 VR
4. Great low light performance, see dpreview above.
5. Super lightweight, even with my new bigger 18-105 lens
6. Nikon also makes the D90 which is in the Canon 40D 50D range that has video. I have a clear upgrade path.

The only real drawbacks this camera has I did think were that important name a CCD rather than CMOS sensor and slower continuous shooting 2.5FPS versus 3.5FPS. So far this is a great camera.

I originally got into the digital SLR market because I was tired of waiting seconds, like 5-10 or more with flash,  for my point and shooter to turn on. I also don't like the shutter lag that has caused me to miss so many shots of my kids. I originally really liked the idea of the Pentax, because the Vibration reduction is in the body it works with every lens Pentax has made for the last 30 years. However, when I tried out the camera it felt too big and the lens was really slow compared to the Nikons and Canons. I did a lot more research and changed my finalists to the Canon XTi and the Nikon D40. When Nikon released the D90 w/18-105 lens it kind of pushed me over the line for Nikon. The new 18-105 lens was pretty affordable (much less than the Canon equivalent) and there was an upgrade path to video.

 I bought my camera from PCConnection for $400 shipped and a few weeks later bought the Nikon 18-105 lens from an authorized reseller on Ebay for $200 shipped after Microsoft cashback. In retrospect I may have done a little better on the body but $600 for both body and lens is about the same as the Canon with kit lens.

Well, now I have owned the camera for a couple weeks, was it worth it? Absolutely! It is so fast, focusing and charging the flash and has almost no shutter lag. It also has this cool feature that will automatically increase the ISO to allow for faster shutter speeds in low light. (You can set the speed at which it steps as well as the max sensitivity). As the camera has pretty good performance at high iso this is a great feature it has allowed us to take a lot of pictures we never would have gotten with our point and shooter. The new lens is also amazing. It gives that extra reach you so often want and the VR lets me take much slower shots then I ever would have been able to with a normal lens.  At the end of the day this is a great camera, we get great pictures and miss so much less. What a pleasure.

Sarah and I went out on a date last night. Without Peter... three cheers to Katie and Ed for taking care of Peter for us.

We decided to head for Bellevue and have a little dessert at the Melting pot. We spent a while window shopping at the various new shops in the new mall downtown. We went into the container store and we mentioned the Melting Pot. The guy at the counter mentioned they have a great happy hour in their lounge. So we monkeyed around for another half hour and then headed off toward the Melting Pot. The walk took another 15 minutes and we arrived at about 8:45. Happy hour started at 9:00. We went in sat down and started browsing the menus. The bartender came over in about 5 minutes and said the happy hour was started. We ordered Dark Chocolate Fondue, A Honey Almond Brie Cheese Plate and a couple drinks (Sarah getting her's virgin).

To start I need to step back. I haven't been to the Melting Pot in years, almost 9. Then it was the Seattle store and the ambiance was dark warm and kind of unfinished. The ceiling was just open to the ventilation and it didn't feel quite as nice as the price would indicate. The Bellevue shop is decidely different from that experience. It was very classy and felt very finished. The seats were comfortable although I have to recommend the chairs to the benches. Sarah was on a bench and the back was very steep and a little uncomfortable.

The drinks were great. The pacing of service was perfect for an evening out (but might have been a bit slow if we had been on a schedule). They brought out the Brie which was quite delicious although not really my favorite style (sitting in a pool of honey). The serving of Brie was very generous and tasted of high quality for an appetizer that was only $4. The cheese was accompanied with crackers, apple slices and grapes. They all went very well with the Brie. Just after we finished off the Brie our chocolate fondue came out.

The chocolate was great. It was served with a variety of fruit, cookies and cakes and marshmellows. The strawberries in particular were delicious as was the pound cake. Rice Crispie treats were a new addition from the last visit to the Melting Pot and were a welcome addition. Both Sarah and I thoroughly enjoyed the variety of food that was presented.

Speaking of presenation... Both the Brie and Fondue plates looked delicious. It is always a pleasure to have food served in a stylish and elegant manner. It made the whole dessert feel a little more special.

In conclusion - It has been a long time since our last visit to the Melting Pot but this experience has made a new favorite. I am sure we will be returning soon to try the other types of Brie and perhaps a cheese fondue. Overall this made for a great night out and was overall a great value.

Happy Hour specials included reduced price beer (3.50 or 2.50)and wine (6.00)as well as premium well drinks (4.50). Select Cheese Fondue or Chocolate Fondues were $8 Select Salads or Brie plates were $4.