Yes, I did it. It was serendipity. It was blind luck, the kind that doesn’t usually happen to me.

I have been thinking about new camera equipment for my upcoming trip to London, so Giles and I decided to take a run up to Showcase to try out some lenses. When we arrived, we began chatting with a nice guy behind the counter — Danny, I believe. They had several lenses that I wanted to look at — including my current favorite, the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8 L II USM — and, just on a whim, I asked him if they had a 5D, suspecting what the answer would be. To my delight, Danny’s face lit up, and he said “we have a brand new used one.”

It turns out that a guy purchased a new 5D from Showcase, but he never used it. It sat in a box; he never opened the manual, never opened the battery. The camera was immaculate. And best of all was the price, well below any that I had been able to to find online. Period. Giles looked at me with a knowing grin on his face and said “I think we’re leaving here with a camera.” And we did.

Of course, we had to try it out. When we got back to Macon, I grabbed a charged battery and my trusty Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM lens, and off we headed to Rose Hill to try out my new toy. The day had become gorgeous, reaching almost 70°, so we were able to spend an hour at the cemetery before we began losing the sun and its warmth.

My initial reaction is nothing short than astonishing. The fact that I was able to shoot with the lens wide open in the direct sunlight blew me away. Try that with a 30D; the image would be totally blown out. The 5D’s colors are vibrant and accurate, and the full-frame is lush and so . . . big!

The first twenty-three photos in my Rose Hill gallery are from this break-in stroll. I can’t wait to go do more.