Originally Posted By: DWallach
Originally Posted By: canuckInOR
I'm now shooting with an f/2.8 lens. It helped immensely.
The next step, assuming you can get closer to your subjects, is something like a 50mm f/1.4. Two extra stops are a non-trivial improvement, and the lens is cheap.
For me to switch to a 50mm prime, I'd have to use two cameras, or I'd be spending all my time switching lenses. I haven't pulled the statistics from my exif data, yet, but I'm generally closer to the 70mm end of my lens. It's an FX lens, so there's the 1.5x crop factor to account for, too. (I know, I know... I shouldn't really be using this lens with a DX sensor, but we bought it knowing we'd eventually move to a body containing an FX sensor.)

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I think my next photography-related purchase will be a D800 body. I'm currently using a D80.
Needless to say, it's a world of difference, or at least that's what I thought when I upgraded from a D70 to a D700. I'll caution you that the upgrade to FX implies an upgrade in carry weight.[/quote]Yes, but I'm already carrying with a fairly large lens on it, so I don't think the extra ~1/2lb is going to be that significant. I guess we'll have to see.
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And I don't have to caution you that kids have a habit of forcing you to haul around things besides cameras. This sort of logic led me to my Fuji X-Pro 1 and might similarly lead you to one of the various "mirrorless" cameras out there.

Yeah. I've been looking at the rugged cameras. Waterproof/crushproof/diaper-bag proof. I have an Olympus model that went tits up when the seals went out (splashdown on a 2-storey waterslide), but I was never really fully satisfied with it. It was the only serious waterproof digital P&S available at the time I got it, though, so I'm happy to see Nikon and Canon enter the market.