Today was a bit of a long one, and I don’t have too much exciting stuff to write about, so I decided I’d sort’ve go over the stuff on my desk and give little mini-reviews, if it’s stuff that anyone might be interested in.

My desk isn’t often clean, since I usually get around to cleaning it right before the spring and fall semesters start, and it will usually pile up very quickly from there. I did actually clean it off a few weeks ago, so it’s not terrible at the moment, but it’s still too cluttered for me to stretch out on easily, so as I put stuff on this list I’ll also be cleaning it off. Can you say kill two birds with one stone? I can.

It's jpDIV's desk!

Omitted from that picture are my camera and its flash unit, but I’ll list them too, since they’re among my favorite possessions, and are also on my desk.

I’ll start with the biggest items, mainly my core computer system:

  • 27″ 3GHz Core 2 Duo Apple iMac– I LOVE this computer. It was a gift from my uncle a year ago, was the first Mac I owned, and I’m a total convert to the brand. The screen is amazing on this model, and it’s definitely its best feature. Perfect for everything from photo editing and organizing to casual browsing, and it runs amazingly well.
  • A Samsung SyncMaster 932BW monitor– I think it’s like a nineteen inch screen, and it works well enough. Connected to my iMac with an adapter, it functions well as a second screen, though I don’t tend to use it much. The colors on the screen are okay, but they really pale next to the iMac’s screen, so it’s relegated to non-photo related stuff.
  • Epson Stylus Photo 870 printer– My catch-all printer. I really haven’t tried printing photos on it, but it’s supposed to be pretty good for that. Right now it’s out of color ink. It’s a solid printer, but nothing outstanding about it, in my opinion. It’s slow to print stuff, too.
  • Compaq Presario stock computer– My mother’s old PC, since she got mine when I didn’t need it any more. I have peripherals connected to it, for the rare thing that I need done on a PC that I can’t do on my Mac. It also serves as the server computer for my Minecraft server, though I’m not using it for that at the moment. I need to optimize it a bit better first. It’s an older computer, and I try to use it as little as possible, since it’s usually pretty slow on me.

Now, my main peripherals:

  • Apple Wireless Keyboard– Featured in a previous post, this is my main keyboard for my iMac. I really like it, the keys are spread nicely, and it’s compact enough that it really doesn’t take up the space that some keyboards do (It doesn’t have a numpad, however). The keys have a nice feel to them, but it’s definitely a chiclet keyboard, and you have to like them to like this one.
  • Apple Magic Mouse– It’s magic! And even if it’s not, there’s some really nice features to it, what with the touch-sensitive top. I know some people complain about the ergonomics of it, but I’ve used it for extended periods of time and it’s never made my hand sore.
  • Wacom Bamboo Fun pen tablet– Not the fancy new model, I’ve had this one for about two years, but it’s really wonderful for anything Photoshop/Illustrator, and I’d be lost in those programs without it. Works great, built like a rock, nice and portable. (I cart it to and from my digital arts class twice a week, and it fits nicely in my bag, and stands up well.
  • Radio Shack speakers– No idea what model, they’re pretty old, but the bass is better than the iMac’s built-in speakers, and I listen to a lot of bass-heavy music, so I use them. They’ve been my speakers through about four computers, and at least six years, so they’re pretty solid too.
  • Behringer Ultragain Pro microphone pre-amp– I don’t use this much, but if I ever need to record something, the line-in always goes through this baby. I really don’t know what half the knobs do. xD I wouldn’t have it, but my mom did a radio stint for a while, and she needed it to record her audio. Now she doesn’t do that anymore, and it lives on my desk. Works fine, I really don’t know how to use it to better give an opinion.
  • Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 3000– I use this mouse when I need one for another computer, namely the Compaq one. I have this one because it was $12 at Office Depot, and I’m fairly surprised at how well it works, considering what I paid for it. Gets laggy when the computer is overloaded with processing, but that’s probably less a mouse thing than a computer one.
  • Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard Somethingorother– I don’t know what model this is, and it’s under the desk by the Compaq tower. I bought this years ago, and I really liked it when I had it, but now it feels totally unwieldy, since it’s not a chiclet keyboard. Well-built, great if that’s what you’re looking for.

Camera equipment! (There’s always a healthy contingent of this on my desk):

  • Pentax K20D DSLR camera– My first and only DSLR, this camera has been an amazing one. I’ve logged over forty thousand shots on it in the past year, and it still works wonderfully. It doesn’t do video, and is an older model, but I got it for cheap, and it’s a ton of camera for the money ($750). Can’t recommend it enough to anyone who’s looking for a prosumer DSLR, but it’s probably tough to find now that it’s out of production. I love my Pentax, but will switch to Canon when I need a new camera, since Pentax just can’t offer the same sort of third-party integration and video capabillities that Canon can.
  • Pentax AF540FGZ off-camera flash unit– The best flash unit Pentax makes, it works great with the camera and as an optical slave flash. It’s expensive, but works great with the camera, and uses P-TTL when it can, which works well if you need it.
  • Pentax DA 55-300mm telephoto lens– It’s a nice telephoto, and a great buy for the money, but the aperture is limiting, and it’s not all that sharp at longer lengths. Lightweight, sturdy (I may have dropped it a few times), and a wonderful zoom range. If you plan on using something like this a lot, though, I’d reccommend going for a comparable DA* lens, since USM autofocusing and weather-proofing are missed.
  • Pentax DA 18-55mm kit lens– The lens that came on my camera, it’s a surprisingly good one. I use this one a ton, and haven’t really felt the need to upgrade it to a better/faster/sharper lens. It’s not exceptional as lenses go, but it’s cheap and effective, and I’d reccomend it if you’re buying a Pentax DSLR and don’t have extra money to splurge.
  • Pentax-M 50mm lens– My nifty fifty. It’s a manual lens off my mom’s old pentax film camera, but the mount is the same, and it works wonders. My favorite lens, for the f2 aperture and the creamy depth-of-field it gives you. Manual focus isn’t a big deal to me, since I’ve spent a lot of time using old film cameras, but if you’re not someone who is used to it, it might be better to get a 50mm with an autofocus on it. Built like a lens from the seventies should be, it’s a tank. Wonderful in all aspects.
  • Kamero Auto 35mm lens– This is an old screwmount lens from a much older Pentax kit, I use it with an adapter to stick it on my DSLR, and it’s nice enough, but I don’t use it much since the adapter’s a pain.
  • Soligor Auto 2x teleconverter– For screwmount lenses, it doubles the effective focal length at the cost of aperture.
  • Vivitar 2500 flash unit– Old flash unit. Unused unless necessary, there’s not a manual control, so it’s a dumbflash.

Those are the main things on my desk, the bigger ones that I pay the most attention to. Come back tomorrow for a list of the random, trivial items that accumulate on my desk over time.