June 24, 2009

Camera shopping

November, 2007 my friend hooked me up with a great deal on a Kodak Easyshare Z1275 Digital Camera. When it came, I retired my Olympus which was my first digital camera. I got in in 2004 a couple months after we got married. Each camera has been an upgrade to the last, but I’ve been pleased with both. My only disappointment with my Kodak is that indoor photos don’t turn out too well.

My camera has been along for all of our off-roading adventures. It’s really taking a beating this year. I’ve dropped it a few times in the desert. It held up fine until swung it off the seat of the Jimmy. When brushing away tree debris, the camera went flying and so did the battery. Turns out I broke the door that held the battery in place. The last few months I’ve kept the camera together with electrical tape. In the heat, it doesn’t hold up too well. I’m always having to adjust it, not only is it a pain, but I’ve also missed a few good shots fumbling with it. Then, the last time we went off-roading I broke the lens cover and dust has been embedded into the lens and zoom. The camera is on its last leg.

I’ve been toying with all kinds of ideas the last couple months. Do I want another point and shoot or should I upgrade to a DSLR? I’ve been more interested in photography lately, so it’d be nice to have the ability to take professional quality shots. After much thought I decided against the DSLR, I enjoy the convenience of a point and shoot far too much. I was told Canon offers point and shoot camera with additional settings; I thought that might have been the answer. Until I remembered how badly I’ve beaten my Kodak. I then considered using that one for off-roading and I’ll pick up a new one to capture other outings. Still, I knew there had to be a better solution.

It took an article in Entertainment Weekly, of all things, to bring the Canon Powershot D10 to my attention. It’s waterproof to 33 feet, has an operating temperature range of 14 to 104 degrees and is shockproof to four feet. Now, we’re talking, I was practically sold.

However, before any big purchase I research the product and price to be sure I’m getting the best value.

My search turned up the Olympus Stylus Tough-8000. It is shockproof, waterproof, crushproof, freezeproof, sandproof and dustproof. Supposedly, it can sustain a 6.6 ft fall. I think I am in love.

I also considered the Ricoh G600, Pentex Optio W80, and the Lumix DMC-TS1S, but I preferred the features on the Canon and Olympus.

I haven’t turned up feedback about indoor photo quality on the Olympus, but if it has that, too. I believe I have a winner. I just need to save my pennies.

2 comments:

KathyinNY said...

I have a Canon Powershot A86 (I think that's the number) and I love it. I actually took pictures of our beautiful hummingbirds from my front door (glass window). The pictures aren't the best but it still was a good shot. I also like the feature of movie videos which I use for my son's sporting events (soccer and basketball) and holiday time.

Kellee said...

Yeah, after researching for two days I'm pretty sold on the Canon Powershot D10. The Tough-8000 I fell for, was too good to be true. Once I found actual photos taken by the camera I was turned off by the quality.

Everyone I've spoke to that has had a Canon P&S has been very pleased. I don't think I'll be disappointed.