My newest, and lately my most-often-used, camera. At all times I carry an extra battery and about 280 MB of storage (on three cards). It lives in a fanny pack which goes many places I go, so it’s generally available if I see something to shoot….
I got some cash for Christmas in 2001, and earmarked it for a digital camera. What I wanted–a small, smart, high-resolution camera–wasn’t yet on the market for a price I was willing to pay, but it was clear that I’d find one within a year. About a year ago, I went shopping, and found this.
Things to like:
- It’s small, & it’s light-weight.
- It’s pretty savvy about handling light and focus.
- It’s sturdy. I’ve dropped it several times, with no apparent ill effects.
- It can be set up as a fully manual camera.
- The batteries are decent. (But you really need to carry two charged batteries at all times.)
- At its normal setting, the memory card holds about 100 pictures. This is configurable; I occasionally decide to push the resolution up.
Things that I have issues with:
- It’s a little slow to start up.
- It’s a little prone to argue with me about settings.
- The LCD is pretty dim.
- The batteries occasionally fail earlier than I anticipate. I may add a third to my normal kit to combat this.
- It doesn’t handle high contrast particularly well.
- It’s not a good camera for garden pictures, as the shortest focal length is about four feet.
All in all, an excellent and convenient camera. It’s a good deal less serious than my Nikon, but it’s terrific for most purposes.