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The Indefinite Article.

Monday, March 21, 2005

Speak now or no telling me later how much my camera sucks.

If you know anything about me, you know I'm not big on gadgets. I kept the same cell phone for four years. Now I have the cheapest one Verizon sells and I pay $20 a month for something like 50 weekday minutes per month. My computer is a refurbished Compaq from when I worked at Compaq, so it's about 4 years old, not including its time as a new computer back in '98 or whenever. I don't believe in handheld organizers because I have nothing to organize and most people who have them don't either.

I was one of the last people on the planet to get a digital camera, and it's been the only gadget-y thing in my life that I've really enjoyed. But its battery-draining screen and its inability to take quick photos has made me see that it's time for something new. And though I be buried in debt with no end in sight, I'm going to use my tax refund for a new camera. I could make a decent payment on a credit card or whatever, but that's BORING.

So I've read through some back issues of Wired, I've looked online, and here is what I have come up with:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=6970389&type=product&productCategoryId=pcmcat31100050033&id=1099386329724

This actually isn't mentioned anywhere in Wired. The one they have most recently liked that is in my price range was a Casio camera. Yes, I know, Casio? Given how cheap it is and how Wired seemed to really love it, I went in search of it, but no one is selling them other than the Casio website. It's listed on Amazon and Best Buy, but unavailable for some reason. Anyway, using the guidelines from the Wired article, Brian and I went to Best Buy and looked at the selection. This Olympus looked like the best choice for my price range. The Wired article panned the little Canon PowerShots and I'd feel uncomfortable with something that small anyway.

So tell me what you think, camera geeks.

posted by Sara C. at 11:18 PM

5 Comments:

  • I like my Canon SD200. Probably the best explanation of the camera is at O'Reilly Digital Media. Before you buy anything, be sure to check out Digital Photography Review, Digital Camera Resource and Imaging Resource. In terms of a quality point and shoot plus camera you may want to focus on start-up time, shutter-to-shoot time, chip writing speed, pocketability and file quality before considering megapixels.

    By Blogger Adolph, at 12:02 AM  

  • Wired poo-poo'ed the powershot? hmmm... well, seeing that adolph has already covered most of what you 'should' be looking for in your camera, i'll tell you that i like my little canon sd10 (downside: no optical zoom)

    although, right off the bat it sounds like you don't want something small (most point and shoot digi cameras these days, with the exception of full slr's and some of the nikon's are fairly small).

    the best thing to do is to go to the zoo and ask families if you can take their picture. use their digital cameras in 'real-life' situations. by the end of the day, you'll know exactly what you want.

    By Blogger Killy, at 8:08 AM  

  • I'm going to use my tax refund for a new camera. I could make a decent payment on a credit card or whatever, but that's BORING.

    Not only is it boring to pay off debt, it is also un-american!

    By Blogger pablo, at 9:30 AM  

  • First, let me tell you that I AM paying off my debt. I do not spend far beyond my means, but I needed a new car, a new apartment and a sofa all at once late last year. Maybe I didn't "need" a new sofa, but everyone who has seen it or sat on it agrees that it is a huge step up from the crooked, wobbly futon I used to have.

    Now that that's cleared up. I have done some more reading today. I'm less sold on the Olympus because the reviewer on dcresource.com didn't seem to like it much. Everyone likes the Canons, except for Wired, who said everything about it was too slow.

    So now I'm just confused. But thanks, Adolph, for the links.

    By Blogger Sara C., at 8:37 PM  

  • i think that delays in shooting are just part of point and shoot digital photography. some cameras are a little faster than others, but then you end up losing on another more important issue (lens, functionality, size, etc...)

    my personal recommendation is to go with a canon. i like them and the functions are really cool if you know how to use them. and with this many camera geeks around you, i don't see how you can go about your life not playing a game of dodgeball, er..i mean, ... uh --what was i talking about???

    By Blogger Killy, at 9:42 AM  

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