Woe is Wednesday's child ... the dreaded Error 01 rears its ugly head among other misfortunes

Wednesday's child is full of woe so goes an old nursery rhyme or poem known as Monday's Child. Well colour me woeful for I'm a child of said day and faced with numerous equipment misfortunes. It all began with the dreaded Err 01 message on my camera display. Initially, the error message seemed benign enough. After all I just had to clean the lens contacts right? Pfft ...    

Err 01 - a sight I did not want to see on my DSLR display ... like ever

Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 camera lens - my trusted hobby lens of choice

Suffice to say the problem was much more serious for a simple act of cleaning to solve. As my luck would have it, the entire front group lens assembly was shot to hell. Since I have had the Tamron lens for over four years now, that meant I couldn't rely on its already expired three-year warranty for free repairs. So a costly repair bill lies on the horizon. For now, I'm using my camera's stock lens as a substitute. Other than lesser clarity in small details, the stock lens also has a slight lens barrel distortion somewhat akin to a fisheye effect. From the two photos below, you'll notice R2-D2's all-terrain treads (legs) tuck further back into the back of its body when shot with the stock lens.  

R2-D2 photographed using a Canon EF-S 18-55mm lens

R2-D2 photographed using a Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 lens

For a while I toyed with the idea of replacing my old macro lens with the latest model namely the Tamron SP 90mm F/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 VC USD. Only for a while though as it retails for USD649. It's actually a very good value-for-money entry-level macro lens but sadly still too pricey for me. Looking at this new lens was just a way for me to keep my spirits up because a further succession of mishaps and failures meant any longing looks at this new lens remained pure wishful thinking.

Tamron's successor to my old lens and top of my wistful wishlist - the SP 90mm F/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 VC USD

This lens is a thing of beauty and don't get me started on its Vibration Compensation functionality

It sucks when things go wrong. And boy did things go wrong these past few weeks. Adding to my macro lens woe was a whole litany of equipment breakdowns. In brief: my fridge up and died necessitating a replacement; my car's entire clutch assembly - yes, I still drive a stick shift - had to be replaced; the air-conditioner turned into a heater and had to be repaired; and the washing machine stopped powering up resulting in yet another dead appliance. This has not only burned a hole in the metaphorical family wallet but also figuratively obliterated it. Sigh. Time to put on the blues and wallow in self pity. Unless my ancient classic iPod also conks out ... D'oh!