Cameras Through the Years - June 29, 2010
I've owned and used quite a few digital cameras through the years. It took me until June,
2010 to realize that, "hey, these things have computers in them too!" This can easily be seen
in the shot to the right of our Canon SD1000 that recently bit the dust. I assume it was
opened one too many times in my pocket. Eventually the lens started refusing to come out all
the way, and I'd have to power-cycle it about a dozen times to take a picture. Not fun when
you're trying to capture your baby's incredibly cute smile. So I did the most natural thing
(to an engineer): I took it apart!
After playing around with floppy-based Sony Mavicas in high school (that was fun...) and
checking out a few different models from the awesome IT building at IA state, I finally
purchased a Canon Powershot S230. (Maybe I had an A20 before that, or maybe it was just one
that I checked out from the IT services) It was a display model at Best Buy, so I bought their
extended warranty plan... something I would never do today. It was a good thing, however,
since almost 2 years and 11 months into my 3-year warranty, I realized the camera had a stuck
spot on its image sensor... a blue pixel appeared in the same position on every picture.
Somehow, the staff at the Best Buy I visited figured it qualified, and I traded in for the
aforepictured gutted SD1000 which has been our pocket camera ever since.
As I started noticing the blue-pixel problem, but before remembering the warranty card I had
stashed in a drawer somewhere, we bought a Canon S2IS megazoom camera. I had always hated
the tiny zoom on my camera, and I loved the flip-out LCD screen. I tried out the slightly more
expensive S3IS over Christmas 2006 but realized I we didn't need a $450 camera, when the
S2IS had a great deal going on. (I really didn't care about megapixels after 5 at that point)
The S2IS has been great for trips and screnery, though its bulk means it doesn't end up being
used as often as the pocket cameras. The image stabilization and zoom during movies, however,
make this my current favorite camera.
Since I seem to be extremely loyal to Canon, we figured the most logical way to replace the SD1000
was with its bigger brother, the SD1300IS. Image stabilization and 4x zoom: nice (though the 4x
is a bit of a gimmick considering it starts out at widescreen...which as I've used it over the last
two weeks is actually pretty nice). Performance: Argh! Maybe it's the 12 megapixels it has to
write to the card every image (though lowering the resolution didn't seem to help), but if it
doesn't take a picture instantly when I click the shutter (even with the half-shutter-to-focus
trick), I lose the moment I'm trying to capture. We sort of made fun of a relative's Kodak that
took forever to take a picture, but I'm really surprised by Canon on this one. Maybe the more
expensive SD1400IS doesn't have the problem, but from the reviews I've read, the Canons aren't
that fast any more. Which is sad, since while the SD1000 was running, I compared these two, and the
SD1000 ran circles around the SD1300IS from shutter lag to shot-to-shot time. This one's probably
going back...
As I write this (actually, the inspiration for writing this), I'm awaiting delivery of a
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7. I've read reviews on a lot of cameras, and tried several out
at the store, and this one just excites me. (Well, okay, that and the fact that I got it for $90
under retail with an Amazon sale + coupon) But it has more zoom than our S2 in a pocket-sized
package. It's a bit bigger than other pocket cameras (but potentially comparable to our older
PowerShots), but it's a 12x zoom camera that fits in my pocket! Supposedly it can do 16x
intelligent zoom without looking too digital, and since I'll definitely not run it at 12MP, I should
get a tiny bit extra even then. It has the dedicated movie button both Amanda and I have come
to love, and you can zoom during video (also very important). Speaking of video, it records
HD video in AVCHD format (hopefully taking up less space than Canon's MJPEG I've been stuck with
for years). I don't exactly care about HD yet... still a bit behind the bandwagon on getting a big
TV... but it's nice to have the option. Aside from what reviewers I've read
say is an excellent auto mode, this thing has so many menu options and other bells and whistles
to keep this computer engineer satisfied. Oh... it also has GPS to auto-tag photos. Neat! Perhaps
I'll update this page when it arrives... which might actually be... right now!
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Dueling MP3 players: 32GB iPod touch vs 80GB Zune
In summer 2009, woot had a deal on an 80gig Zune. Since our old Rio Karma MP3 player
bit the dust, Amanda hasn't had a music player in the living room (besides *shudder*
a CD player). This thing certainly fits the bill, with enough storage for all our
'legitimate' music (we've purged everything else) and access to Zune Pass to listen
to almost any music legally. The wireless sync is beautiful (after MS replaced our
non-functioning refurbished model with a brand new one: customer service WIN!), and now that we have
a Windows 7 machine with an awesome media player, I can record movies or shows
(currently a large collection of Dora and Diego off cable) and send them right up to
the Zune to play on the TV. Excellent!
The iPod was a painful thing for me (to actually buy an Apple product), but I got a
relatively good deal on it (and it was a Fall-'09 pseudo-birthday present!),
and I'm certainly in love with it. I don't use it as much
as an MP3 player, as a replacement for the X30 as a pocket computer. E-mail/calendar/web
surfing are a breeze. E-book and Biblereaders are awesome (Olivetree transferred
all my previously-purchased translations just fine). Plus, with over 100,000 apps,
there are plenty of games and other utilities I can use. And with 32 gigs (as
opposed to the 512MB card in the Axim), I can have most of my music and
videos that I'm watching (Yey, Red Dwarf!) on the device at the same time.
So now we're in the unique position to compare iPod vs Zune. Honestly, if I just
wanted an MP3/video player, I'd stick with Zune (and perhaps get a Zune HD, so I could
get web surfing and potentially apps down the road). The Zune Pass is incredibly
worth it to listen to all kinds of music legally. But for a pocket PC replacement,
definitely the iPod Touch hands down. It's much more (to me) a pocket computer
rather than an MP3 player.
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sC#rambled - Computers & other Gadgets
Amanda's family is, and frankly, she talks to them a whole lot more than I talk to my
Verizon-tethered relatives. I've always said I didn't need anything fancy (never had a
camera or mp3 player or web access before), but I now love the ability to switch
between my audiobooks (nice on my 35-minute commute) and talking on the phone, and the
standard-sized headset is interchangeable with regular headphones. Plus the guys at the
local Radio Shack seem to love giving things away.
Amanda uses a W385, seen at right. It's the free one,
but still has a camera and
bluetooth... which I lovingly used to put the Goonies ringtone on for her!
X10 Remote Control System
for a measly ten bucks at Amazon! The thing does everything I cared about with some
bonuses like a clock and temperature display. For $10, you can't go wrong!