Camera Trial #1

So, our camera short list came down to four models - Not that I'm an expert, as you can tell by the complex criteria I analyzed on the specifications.

Fujifilm Finepix F100fd-
Pros: Reviews indicated camera was optimized for low light/indoor situations
ISO: 2800-6400
Battery: Lithium ion approx. 200 shots

Nikon Coolpix P90 12 MP Digital Camera (Black)
ISO 6400, Pa Finnigan – recommended
Battery: Lithium ion approx. (reviews complained about battery life); 200 shots – AC adapter available

Canon PowerShot SX10
Battery: AA batteries - eikks!
Indoor shooting: Reviews indicated low light photos could be better
ISO 3200 – 2 mega pixels

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28K 10.1 MP Digital Camera (Black)
ISO: 100 – 6400
Pro: Very positive reviews for general picture taking and low light/indoor
Con: Max recommended operating temperature 104F - hmm, I do live in Phoenix!
Battery: 460 pictures - but the way they tested the battery was pretty unrealistic for my actual usage

I guess the only way I can really find out if I like a camera is to try it out. So, to Costco I went where they have the Nikon P90 and a generous return policy. My first test was the camera's ability to take night photos on auto mode. Conveniently, our Christmas lights went up yesterday and, miraculously, we actually tried to take pictures of them last year with our old camera. Because the subject is the same, I figured it would be a good way to compare the two cameras.

Here are the results:

2008 Christmas lights taken with a Kodak C340 (Best of 3 - sad, I know.)


2009 Christmas lights taken with a Nikon P90 (Best of four)

My takeaways:

Have you every heard of a beginning golfer purchasing premium golf balls? Not really, because if your skill set means you're going to slice the ball to the water or the bushes... well, the most expensive ball in the world isn't going to change that. Why lose the expensive balls when you can lose the cheap ones? Anyway, I guess I always figured that cameras followed a similar learning curve. I might have to start rethinking my philosophy. In the meantime, I'll have to keep testing it out.