city at night

city at night

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Time for a New Camera

It was toward the end of 2011 that I decided to stop being a dinosaur.  I replaced my old 35 mm camera with my first digital camera... a Nikon Coolpix.  I was very happy with it.  It was so much more convenient than lugging around a bag with my old camera and rolls of film.  I had a case for my Coolpix that snapped onto my belt.  

Even though I took a photography workshop years ago (I even learned how to develop film in a darkroom) I've forgotten most of the technical stuff that I learned.  But I used the automatic settings, and got good results.  I used the regular automatic setting for outdoor shots.  I was very happy to be able to take nice interior pictures in museums and churches using the "museum setting", and night pictures usually came out well with the "night landscape setting".

However, on my latest trip to Mexico I noticed that the camera wasn't working correctly.  My outdoor shots with the automatic setting were coming out overexposed.  Oddly enough, if  I switched to the "museum setting" the pictures came out much better.

 
The picture above looks rather faded.  The sky was definitely a more intense blue.
 
Even more disconcerting was the fact that every once while something strange would happen.  I would think that I had snapped a picture, but it seems that the image wasn't captured until after I had lowered the camera.  As a result, I had a number of pictures of the ground!

 
 
 
I did some research on-line, and several experts said that the life-expectancy for a newer compact digital camera is often around three years.  In the past three years I have done a lot of traveling and have taken thousands of pictures.  The Coolpix served me well, but I decided that it was time to retire it.
 
 
Today I went out and bought a new camera.  I had read good reviews about Sony cameras, so I purchased a Sony RX-100.  It is supposed to be the top of the line of the Sony compact cameras.  It was more expensive than my Nikon, but I figure that with all the pictures that I take, it would be worthwhile to get a better camera.
 
 
Here is my new camera...  and the last photo taken with the old camera.
 



5 comments:

  1. That's a mighty fine camera amigo. I'm a little bit jealous. There's a lot to be said for a pocketable camera, and I'm still fond of my old Panasonic. I like Sony too. It was only price and a deal on a zoom lens that got me into Fuji's clutches. I would have very much liked a Sony CSC.

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    1. Thanks, Gary. I know that you are much more expert in photography than I, so your approval of my purchase means a lot.
      I am still getting used to the camera. My one criticism so far is not of the camera itself, but of the owner's manual, which is not very detailed. Today I tried to upload some pictures to the computer. There is nothing at all in the manual about it, so I just did as I did with the Nikon, and hooked it up to the computer with the cable. Nothing happened. Finally in frustration, I called the "help line" of the store where I bought it. Boy, did I feel stupid. The tech person told me to turn the camera on while hooked up to the computer. (With the Nikon, you did NOT turn the camera on.) Voila! The upload screen appeared immediately.

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  2. If you still have the old one, take it to Mexico with you. You can probably find someone there who can fix it for a reasonable amount, and then you'll have a backup.

    Saludos,

    Kim G
    Boston, MA
    Where I am continually tempted to buy a compact camera.

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    1. That's a thought. I'll ask Alejandro if he knows of any good camera repair shops.
      I now wouldn't have anything other than a compact camera, even if they supposedly don't last as long. It's such a pleasure to travel without lugging around a camera bag.
      Saludos,
      Bill

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    2. Alejandro said it was a good idea. He said there are a bunch of camera shops along Ave. Cuba in the "centro histórico."

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