Then the drama of, "are you sure this is the one", set in?
There are two lines of thinking I carry whenever it comes to making decisions. There's what I want and then there's reality. Much of my initial research is done gathering information on what I want. When it comes to crunch time however, I find what I want, doesn't always align with reality.
I wanted a digital camera with better zoom capabilities...it's really that simple.
Better zoom means better close ups. Only the camera with better zoom capabilities I was looking at, wasn't very stream line. It was bulky and larger than the types of digital cameras I'm used to. This was not a fancy professional camera, it was very basic but it did have the capacity for 10 zoom.
My old digital camera was 3 zoom, which I'm not sure they make any more. It was the even, rectangular shape however, that made it easy to hold.
Old Canon Power Shot A410
~ deceased 2010 ~
~ deceased 2010 ~
The reality of putting the new camera in my pocket or taking it in the car however, meant more opportunities for accidents. It was an irregular shape with different places to click buttons. Given I wouldn't be the only one using the camera, I had to take other members of the family into consideration. I could just see our daughter's nearly eight-year old fingers, struggling to hold the camera and hit the shutter button at the same time.
A hundred dollars more expensive for the camera I wanted, and yet (in reality) it was probably twice as likely to get dropped. It was pretty simple to stick to the basic digital camera after that.
At the moment, I'm looking at a 4 zoom camera (4 optical, 4 digital - does that make it 8?) with all the standard features, basic digital cameras have. It's one of the cheapest ones I could find with a brand I trust. For me it's Canon. I don't have experience with other brands, but the Canon cameras I've used in the past have all been reliable. Especially when it comes to family on-the-go treatment.
New Cannon Power Shot A3100 IS
~ commissioned 2010 ~
~ commissioned 2010 ~
By the way, I know there are better Canon cameras available, that are streamline and with exceptional zoom capacities too - but again, on a family budget with family treatment of a family camera; the reality is the extra money would again, be for naught. What we ended up with, was a pretty acceptable compromise. It's a budget consciencious camera with a reliable brand, which has a little better capacity for zoom. A little better capacity for zoom is still acceptable. I'm more than happy with that.
So you've seen a photo of our old camera and our new one, hopefully taken for the last time by my mobile phone. But I've yet to demonstrate what quality of pictures can actually be taken with the new camera. A suitable subject is probably one of the main reasons we have a digital camera - capturing what we do as a family.
Now witness the awesome power of a 4 zoom digital camera!
Zoikes!
It's Mango Man Dave, demonstrating his awe at such a powerful zoom. Look at the exceptional detail it captures, as his eyes pop out of his head. All in focus too! Now do I know how to shop for a bargain or what?
Mango Man Dave is pleased, and so was our daughter...once she got the Mango's back!
By the way, if you're wondering what happened to our no spend year, I've got some thoughts to share on that next year. I wanted to talk about our experience, on the anniversary of our decision to start our no spend year. Even though it didn't all go to plan, we learned some interesting (and surprising) revelations along the way.
Camera shopping is so hard, as there is so many to choose from. And there is the thought, 'maybe I should have looked at this one too.....'
ReplyDeleteMy fab little Kodak was commissioned off to be a steam techs work camera & I got a big SLR olympus, with a big price tag too. She is a beauty with a 1 inch thick instruction book! But I swear the 10th of the cost Kodak takes better pictures!
I hope you are happy with your new camera, it looks like a good one
I completely understand. We needed a family friendly camera of decent quality that our teenagers could tote to school or events as needed. If it were stolen or broken, I didn't want to cry about it. So we bought a budget friendly one for them to share.
ReplyDeleteMy old camera was the bulky traditional looking kind and I found that the smaller ones caused much camera shake so I still have the old one for me.It was worth getting it repaired when it died on us.
I have several cameras overall and was once a Fuji fan...until I started to use the Canon video camera for still shots. A world of difference! Good choice on your part.
Does this mean that we can look forward to more posts here at long last?????LOL!
Thank you both for leaving a comment. My apologies for not responding until now. Life and all that jazz, LOL.
ReplyDeleteWhat you said about the small Kodak versus the fancy SLR Olympus, very much confirms some of the research I did. In a reputable brand, they ensure anti-shake technology is in their smaller cameras. The fancy, larger cameras however, assumes the buyers are more enthusiastic to erect a tripod. It's very un-user-friendly, if you don't read the 1 inch thick instruction book!
Family cameras for shots on the run, was something we would all use more readily. I'm glad we made the decision we did now, but I'd definitely like to explore a more fancy camera in about 10 years time.
I hope you pick up your new instruction manual (time permitting) because I'm sure you've got a powerful weapon on your hands there, LOL.
Hi rebel, what you said about small cameras having no anti-shake technology, is precisely why I didn't want to venture to another brand. For reputations sake, I think Canon relies on that anti-shake technology in their small cameras.
ReplyDeleteI also think it was smart to buy the kids their own camera and have your old one repaired for you. That's one less camera in the bin. Our daughter plays with our old one now. It's her pretend camera.
As to your last question, I hope I can now post more entries with photos. The only thing stopping me now, is the weather, LOL. I'm going to have to improvise I think!