Learning Curves (updated)

I haven’t felt this out of my element since I graduated college with no job and no idea what to do.

This past weekend Jules and I took a long walk in Quiet Waters State Park by our house. We were enjoying the nice weather and I was testing out my latest photography equipment acquisition- a (used) Canon 1D Mark II. Formally cared for by Zach Egolf; he was looking for a buyer so he could invest in something that was more functional for the type of photography he likes to shoot now. I took the 1D on a test run while Jules played around with my T2i (and got some great photos).

So after months of debating, I decided to take him up on his purchase. I brought it home, slapped my trusty 50mm f1.8 lens on the front, and started wandering around my house. I quickly realized I was out of my element. This camera didn’t function the same way as my other Canon (having to hold buttons to use them for instance). I was so mystified I had to download and read the manual online to figure stuff out!

Even know this camera is the same brand as my last one, the way it functions is drastically different than what I was used to. Coming from a Consumer body, (T2i) a Professional body (1D MkII) was going to be a change. It is. It really is!

That is what excites me the most about my new investment. For the most part, I’ve basically mastered the hardware aspects of the T2i. I know how to use it and where it excels. Learning how a new camera body works is a great challenge to have before our #C2C12 trip in the end of June. (More on that soon)

Have you ever been in my shoes? Bought a nice piece of electronics only to find out it’s not as easy to use as you thought? Share your story in the comments!

UPDATE (5/29/2012): After some great research from Zach Egolf, we have discovered that the 1D’s focusing screen had fallen out in Zach bag prior to him selling it to me. What’s unusual is that was the first time it’s ever happened to either of us….