Thursday, April 17, 2008

Happy dance

I got my new camera last night! As usual, I'm too impatient to wait; in this case, to wait for Mr. Bush to finish signing my incentive check and put it in the mail. So last night I casually suggested that we stop by Circuit City to check out the cameras.

I'd decided on a Canon S5 IS because it appeared to have almost everything I wanted in a point-and-shoot camera: good macro setting (even super macro), decent wide-angle and zoom, can be used like an SLR if desired, image stabilization (for those shaky days) and face detection technology, and other things I can't remember here. Oh yes, it had to be under $450, and this one was $329. I hadn't handled one, so that had to be a big consideration, the way it would feel in my hands.

I'd have loved to have a DSLR; some of them are reasonably priced, but with a telephoto lens, which I'd have to have, I just couldn't hold it steady. Since I take lots of photos of far-away stuff, that just wouldn't work. So I opted for a nearly-DSLR.

I've only taken a few photos with it; it was getting dark when we got home last night, and I really have no idea how to use it for even the simplest photos. I was trying to photograph the yarn on my desk but had a difficult time getting a clear picture, so who knows what I did to the settings when I played with it.

I took some pictures of it with my old camera, which will soon be on its way to J. If/when I learn to use the new one!!!











I didn't realize till I got it home that it has a USB card reader with it, so I don't have to hook up the camera to the computer and waste batteries uploading photos:

This is what I have to wade through in order to learn how to use this camera. Auuuggghhh!

What it came down to, though, when choosing a new camera, was the batteries it uses. I really wanted a Sony H7; it has really good reviews, has so many manual settings and longer telephoto plus 15x zoom; this one has 12x zoom, which is close enough. But the Sony H7 uses a proprietary (read: expensive) lithium ion battery, which no doubt will last a lot longer while shooting photos, but the expense is what stopped me. A spare rechargeable battery is $60. The Canon S5 IS uses 4 AA batteries, which I can find anywhere anytime. I know that in the long run I'll end up spending a lot more on AAs than if I bought the rechargeable, but AAs are just so much easier to deal with. And if I want to, I can use rechargeable AAs; somewhere I have some batteries and the charger.

So. I have my new camera. I've done my part to jump-start the economy. Now I just need to learn how to use the thing!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Betty said....

Congrats on the new camera. I need a new one, too, but my brain just can't absorb too much new technology right now. And, my April, May and June paychecks are already spoken for by my planned fun summer activities, so I guess I'll have to live with the old camera for a while longer.

rita said...

You know me, I have to research this stuff till it drives me nuts. I have no idea how to use this thing, but it looks so cool just to carry around. It's gotten to the point that I'm ashamed to pull out the old one!

Debbie T said...

Very nice camera!! I'm with Betty though...I don't think my brain could handle all those doodads right now. I'll just sit and enjoy all the photos you post! :=)

rita said...

The pictures aren't very good yet, Deedee. I can't wrap my brain around the instructions. But I'll keep trying.