Dropsy
So. On holiday I dropped my Minolta F300 onto a ceramic tiled floor while the lens was extended and it is knacked. As you may have noticed, I've had a hankering for a 10x zoom digital camera for a while now, though I hasten to add that the droppage was a genuine accident and not me being sneaky. I don't carry holiday insurance (I'll have non truck with racketeers), so it's not as if I can claim it or anything.
Also I was without a decent camera for the rest of the holiday, so I'd hardly have dropped it on the 2nd day, would I?
Two choices for a replacement, then. The Minolta DiMAGE Z2, 4 megapixels and 10x zoom. Or the Canon Powershot S1 IS - just 3 megapixels, with a 10x zoom and image stabilisation. And at least £100 more expensive.
I sat and looked through the specs and thought I had it cold. All the Canon had going for it were its looks (subjective, but it looks like something you'd feel comfortable holding) and its image stabilisation, which, with a 10x zoom, is not to be sniffed at.
But the Minolta offers higher resolution, a lower cost, faster startup, and faster autofocus, and less time between shots. And it has a progressive capture mode, ultra high speed capture, and other fun features.
So I got one out of the warehouse this morning and ended up profoundly disappointed. It is an ugly duckling, and unfortunately my shooting style means that, more often than not, the results are unsatisfactory. I should use a tripod or monopod, I even own a tripod, I even took my tripod on holiday, but I never once used it. Just screwing the camera into it takes too long. I don't do that kind of slow, careful setup. I just take lots and lots of photos and hope to get a good one. I'm a 300 photo a week kind of guy.
So, with regret, I put it back and got out the Canon, which feels heavier, better made, and is easier to handle. And it has an image stabiliser which will, probably, get me out of many a tight spot. It is a bit heavy, but on the other hand, it does full screen movies, so I can leave the camcorder at home a lot of the time.
Also I was without a decent camera for the rest of the holiday, so I'd hardly have dropped it on the 2nd day, would I?
Two choices for a replacement, then. The Minolta DiMAGE Z2, 4 megapixels and 10x zoom. Or the Canon Powershot S1 IS - just 3 megapixels, with a 10x zoom and image stabilisation. And at least £100 more expensive.
I sat and looked through the specs and thought I had it cold. All the Canon had going for it were its looks (subjective, but it looks like something you'd feel comfortable holding) and its image stabilisation, which, with a 10x zoom, is not to be sniffed at.
But the Minolta offers higher resolution, a lower cost, faster startup, and faster autofocus, and less time between shots. And it has a progressive capture mode, ultra high speed capture, and other fun features.
So I got one out of the warehouse this morning and ended up profoundly disappointed. It is an ugly duckling, and unfortunately my shooting style means that, more often than not, the results are unsatisfactory. I should use a tripod or monopod, I even own a tripod, I even took my tripod on holiday, but I never once used it. Just screwing the camera into it takes too long. I don't do that kind of slow, careful setup. I just take lots and lots of photos and hope to get a good one. I'm a 300 photo a week kind of guy.
So, with regret, I put it back and got out the Canon, which feels heavier, better made, and is easier to handle. And it has an image stabiliser which will, probably, get me out of many a tight spot. It is a bit heavy, but on the other hand, it does full screen movies, so I can leave the camcorder at home a lot of the time.
posted by Anonymous at
Tuesday, April 20, 2004
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