Hearts in Hawai'i
A New Camera
10/10/2007
It's not that I needed something better; my Nikon D50 is one fantastic camera and does an excellent job in every shooting condition I've encountered (other than shooting hockey pics, but this isn't the fault of the camera. I just need a faster lens.). The only downside to the D50 is that it's large and slightly cumbersome. It isn't the kind of camera you want to carry around with you everywhere you go, and certainly not in everyday life. For that purpose, I decided to find a small, compact point-and-shoot cam. One I could put in my pocket and carry around wherever I went. I can't count the number of situations I've found myself in where I went "damn, I wish I had my camera!".
After researching and rejecting three other cameras, my eyes landed on the Nikon Coolpix S500. It certainly is small and light enough (3.5 x 2.0 x 0.9 inches, and weighing 4.4 ounces without battery and SD memory card), and has a 7.1 megapixel sensor. The reviews on this camera were mostly pretty good, the primary downside being that it wasn't a great camera in low lighting. Well, heck, very few P&S cameras are; due to the small sensor this type of camera has, boosting the ISO to overcome low lighting results in serious grain issues. Most of us understand that. If I know I'll be shooting in questionable lighting, the D50 will come out. Simple as that.
So, I ordered it from newegg.com, and had it in hand within a week. My first impressions, after shooting 40 pictures, are that this will be a nearly ideal camera for everyday use. It's something I'll be happy to have in those "hey, I gotta get a pic of this" moments. I haven't had the chance to test it in bright conditions because it's been gray and mostly rainy in Duluth these past couple of weeks, but it went with us to the Bayfield Apple Festival this past Saturday and took reasonably decent pics. Overall, I'd give this camera a rating of 8 (on a 1-10 scale).
Previous: 9/23/2007--Heritage Hockey Center update
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