How much of homework is necessary to purchase a piece of latest gadgetry? For my camera it took about 2 months. The process was simple: Aim at the best (means expensive) and keep watching the market. Read every possible review/testimonial you can lay your mouse cursor on ;). As the old saying goes, “Premature optimisation is the root of all evil”
For me the result was sweet, today I became a proud owner of a 5 Mpx Canon Powershot A95. It is my creative device before graduating to a Digital SLR. My groundwork tells me that nothing can beat Canon in terms of sheer functionality and features. My so-called amateur model can keep me busy for many, many weeks exploring various permutations and combinations in the nook and corner of the device. Canon has even passed down the features like macro shooting (extreme closeup) or manual focus option from its higher end models such as EOS 300D. This trend is now visible even in mobiles.
I got the piece for Rs. 17, 500 compared to Rs. 28, 500 official prices. I stumbled across this lead after a lot unsuccessful attempts. But as luck would have it, things feel into place in time (my target was Dec 30th, 2004).
My immediate learnings could be quickly summarised as
- An LCD is difficult to see at odd angles, so a swivel LCD is tremendously useful
- Buy memory cards with their sealed and unbroken packages
- Keep more than 1 camera in mind. You might change your mind after the touch & feel experience
So good luck to everyone at Still Photography!
