Two weekends ago in Jackson, I was able to get my hands on a Nikon D80 for the first time. I took seven or eight shots to test it out, and although the only scenery I had available was the store lit with fluorescent bulbs, the pictures were nonetheless stunning.

The only word I can think of to describe the opportunity is “Wow.” I’ve been in the market for a digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera a little over six months and while they are the most expensive, the top company time and time again in my searches has been Nikon.

My father has had a Nikon SLR 35mm camera for as long as I can remember so one might say I’ve been trained to have a Nikon bias. However, I always want to think of our readers when writing, and for that reason, today we are going to take a look at three of the best DSLRs available from Nikon, Canon and Olympus.

Next, we give you part two of our look from last week at browser specific widgets (or “extensions” or “add-ons” – whatever one wants to call them) for Opera. And be sure to check out this week’s “Website of the Week” on the web while using some of your favorite widgets.

We also present you some very important reasons to consider switching from a Windows based computer to a Macintosh computer.

Making this decision in computing purchases over the next few months is critical, especially with the hardware requirements Windows Vista is supposed to have, when it is released sometime at the end of this month.

The semester is winding down, the UTM computer labs are staying filled as long as they are open and laptops can be seen all over campus. No one can tell me that technology isn’t a part of their life. Keep reading The Technophile each week for the latest in tech!