It’s a bit hasty to say goodbye to the D2X, I suppose. I still have thousands of shots that remain unprocessed. There are some fab ones, and you will see many more of them for years to come. MOST of you could care less what kind of camera I use for this and that… I think 10% of people are interested in cameras, so I will simply “tag” my posts with a D2X or D3X, so you can keep track at home.

I’ll post the first D3X shot right around midnight, CST, so it will be up for the full day of Christmas.

Three Quick Stories… on a trip down memory lane with this camera…

Story 1: First Shot of the D2X
This one was the first shot I ever took with this beast. It was a 9-exposure HDR, which I later discovered was horribly overkill, but I was still learning. This vantage point, from the John Hancock building, holds many good memories and many levels therein.

Story 2: D2X Becomes Radiated Like the Hulk
The next shot I posted below is of my adventure in Chernobyl. This story was recently reprinted online right here, in case you missed that one. I am pretty sure the sweet D2X absorbed some of the Cesium-138 radiation, possibly dislodging an electron or two and making a slightly better camera than the traditional factory model. I am still selling the camera soon and I will need you to sign a waver on any possible radiation poisoning.

Story 3: D2X Nearly is Lost Forever
This is the biggest geyser in Iceland. It’s called Strokkur. By the time I had spent a small epoch there, freezing, trying to get the shot I wanted, it finally came time for my stiff joints to leave. This is already an extremely slippery place, but what I didn’t anticipate was how slippery it became when the superheated steam and mist quickly settles in billions of tiny spherical ice-particles on top of existing frictionless ice. I swear there was superconductivity here.

I completely lost balance, and, by an unexpected reflex, I launched my camera into the air with the tripod still attached. I was flat on my back with the air knocked out of me — the camera barreling down at me. It spun just right as I stuck out my hands to catch it, and as it snapped smoothly into my hands, I was looking over to the side to see the lens just a few centimeters from the ice. It was probably the most awesome thing I had ever done.

Farewell D2X! You’ll soon be in the hands of some other cool photographer that emails me a good offer! I’ll keep processing your pics for years to come. But I gotta move on… I’m sure you understand… Maybe if you were able to grow with me through life, but you can’t. Since you have not yet achieved sentience, this should not hurt your feelings (too much).