What do you want from Santa this year?

vincechu

vincechu

Veteran
Everyone I know has been asking if I've started my Xmas shopping yet or what am I getting for Christmas, and to be honest I've not even thought of either yet lol

So just out of interest, what do you want for Christmas this year? Photography related or not, please share :)

Personally I seem to be eyeing up photography stuff, my GAS has been good the past 9months, so I was thinking of treating myself too ne of: GRDIII/IV (probably) or iPhone 4s (for the camera), or maybe even a GX1/GH2 (very unlikely)... though a micro four thirds camera would make my GAS go crazy....

(Please Santa one of the three above if you're reading, I've been a good boy this year ;) )
 
Nice, Vince. Hope Santa is reading!

My Christmas gift is coming early: a new laptop, for work and for play. I chose a Lenovo Thinkpad W520 because it's simply a beast: rugged, modular, easy to fix/customize/upgrade, and powerful. All of my previous "high end" laptops have sported fruit on the cover, and while those have been uniformly excellent (sentimental favorite being the 12-inch Powerbook G4), I'm looking forward to a change of pace.

Here's how the "beast" is currently configured:
  • Core-i7 2860QM (2.50GHz, 3.6GHz turbo mode, 4 cores, 8MB L3 cache)
  • 16GB RAM (4 x 4GB)
  • NVIDIA Quattro 1000M Graphics w/ 2GB DDR3 memory
  • Full HD (1900 x 1080) LED TFT 95% Gamut Display
  • Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
  • 128GB SSD - SATA 6Gb/s
  • 320GB HDD (7200 rpm) secondary drive
  • DVD burner can be easily swapped in place of the HDD (as simple as replacing the battery)
  • PCI-E WWAN card slot which can accomodate an mSATA drive
  • 9-cell battery (good for 9+ hours of websurfing, etc, per independent reviews)
  • Lenovo 3 year pick up and return warranty
  • Computrace Lojack

Total price for the system as configured above is $100 less than the lowest end 15-inch Macbook Pro in base configuration (2.2 GHz processor, 6MB L3 cache, 4GB RAM, 5400 rpm HDD) with educational discount and Apple Care coverage. I'm not bashing the Apple, which has many things in its favor, but the Lenovo packs a lot more muscle in my budget range, and the Dell option was a good bit less expensive still than the Lenovo!

My pre-unibody 2008 MacBook Pro still performs very well. I hope the Lenovo can serve as well for as long!
 
thekeddi, fingers crossed Santa will bring you an X10, just remember your please and thank yous in your letter to him ;-) The X10 looks like a great camera, if I didn't already have the LX5 I'd certainly be looking at it right now, especially as it's very attractive :)

:O wow Amin, those specs blow the Apple out of the water and into outer-space lol, I have to admit I've been eyeing up a iMac the past few weeks, mainly for the looks and their screens, but the Lenovo you found has made me think to look elsewhere, or maybe even build my own PC.
 
iMacs represent some of the best value in Apple-land. If you like Mac OS, then they're a great option.

My Lenovo won't have the slim profile and unibody construction of a MacBook Pro, but then again you can pour a glass of water through a Macbook Pro and expect it to live: Lenovo ThinkPad Torture Test: The Water Spill - YouTube

These days I prefer Windows 7 to Mac OS 10.7, and I prefer the looks of the ThinkPad to those of the MBP, so it was a no brainer for me.
 
I'd like either an updated Sony NEX-7 or an updated Ricoh GXR, each featuring a FX sized sensor and optimized for rangefinder glass. Shipping yesterday. For a reasonable price.

Failing that, probably some socks.
 
World peace would be great, as would stop to crimw, gluttony, and a few other vices.

More seriously, I hope the soon to be released NEX lenses arrive, as well as the viewfinder for the NEX-5N, which is top of my list!
 
Armando, exactly, the brand name of Apple carries clout lol and to want so much from Santa you must have been a really really good boy this year ;-)

Hyubie - +1 for world peace :)

Tord - The NEX equipment sounds good, the new lenses are apparently top class as well as the EVF, hope Sony's production delays don't keep Santa out of stock ;-)
 
stanleyk said:
I have to agree with Amin. My new job gave me a Lenovo laptop for work. It's a great computer. Lenovo has an educational discount? I just went back to work in Higher Ed after a two year hiatus. I'm hesitant to load any photo software on my work computer. Maybe I'll take a look. THANKS!!!!!!
Click to expand...

Sorry, I was referring to the Apple educational discount. I don't think Lenovo has a blanket educational discount, although some schools have a relationship with Lenovo such that there is a discount. I called Lenovo to see if there was a discount for my school, and there was a modest one, but they actually gave me a better one just for asking if they could beat the online price. Ended up being a surprisingly good deal, close to Dell consumer prices for a business class workstation.

In the past 10 years, I've bought 7 Apple laptops, a consumer class Dell, and a cheap Lenovo netbook. The Thinkpad is my first high-end non-Apple laptop, and I'm really excited about it. Part of the appeal is that it's different from all the Apples which people use around me. No doubt the Macs look and feel terrific, but I also love the look of the Thinkpad, the design of which was inspired by the traditional black-lacquered Japanese bento box. In every way, form follows function.

I will miss 16:10 aspect ratio though. Apple is the last company carrying that torch :(. With the 11" Air and iMacs having gone to 16:9, I wonder how much longer the MacBook Pros will hold out. So useful to have the extra screen resolution.
 
Since we're talking about the man who makes dreams come true, I'd like the jolly old elf to bring me a camera that feels like an extension of my body and operates like an extension of my mind. It should also output images that look (only slightly) better than what we see through the giant, clear optical viewfinder (with electronic overlay).

If that order is too tall, I'll take an improved world economy, a true and lasting peace and health for friends and family (and how about a digital camera with a shutter sound like my old Pentax Spotmatic).
 
Luckypenguin said:
Okay, how about an E-P3 and less argumentative BS over at mu-43.com. I'm thinking I've got more chance of getting the camera...
Click to expand...

It's a shame how combative a few people are over there. I had to go and buy an X100 to finally leave that poisonous atmosphere. I wish this forum were more active, but not if it would turn into that that place. Geez! Less active and nicer is MUCH better. Hey Santa, if you have an E-P3 to spare afte you give Nic one, I'll take it.....preferrably in silver.
 

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