What's the next photoGadget?

An unusual Phenomenon? a Meteor hitting the Earth?.... or an UFO landing or something else?

Unlike an unpredictable phenomenon it seems that every three years uncle.D adds, changes or upgrades his digital photoGadgets.

A NEW beginning...
While web-shopping around for a suitable compact digicam for a friend, uncle.D found this breaking news...

"The camera is aimed at DSLR users who are looking for a compact camera to complement their existing SLR gear. Consequently the camera comes with comprehensive manual controls and a fast 24mm f2.0 at min. zoom-out ... " - NY Times

O YES! that's all what uncle.D needs for a 'std' super wide angle shootings. He does not have to spend unnecessarily for a slower but more expensive, bulky and heavy 24mm lense for the dSLR.


Looking Back...
uncle.D started digital photography at the end of year 1999 with a sub-Mega pixel Canon PowerShot A5 [fixed focal length with f2.5] at the same price one pays for an entry-level dSLR of today! Later on he bought a prosumer 5-Mega pixel compact digital camera [with f1.8 lens] in early 2003 at the current price of a prosumer dSLR body - just after 1000days using the former.

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Basic Specs for a Decent Compact Digitcam

1. shall have metal body and fast lens with f-number less than 2.8
2. closeup/macro capability is a must-have feature
3. wide angle lens is preferable but zoom range and Pixel count are not important
4. has manual mode

About three years later, in 2006 uncle.D bought his first digital SLR, Olympus E-500. It was an entry-level "plastic-body" dSLR with a set of bundle lenses capable of zooming from 14-45mm and 40-150mm.

In August 2008 uncle.D acquired another set of better zoom lens [EFL of 14-54mm f2.8/3.5 and 70-300mm f4/5.6] after a bundled lenses had broken during a cycling accident.

By using a mechanical adapter uncle.D could also use his legacy manual-lenses on the dSLR. With 2x crop factor CCD on the dSLR, the equivalent focal lengths could be doubled and helped to extend tele-photography reach. On the other hand the wide-angle side suffers, as his 17mm super wide legacy lens would become 34mm EFL on the dSLR.

During the last 1000 days of using dSLR, the widest angle shot was limited to 28mm [wrt 35mm std format with ZD14-40mm f3.5/5.6 and lately with ZD14-54mm f2.8/3.5]. uncle.D is now thinking of getting a better dSLR [light alloy] body with a super-wide angle lens having EFL of 24mm or less. Probably a zoom lens of around 22-50mm f2.8 is good enough for him. Unfortunately, zoom lens of this range is so expensive, bulky and heavy.

For instance an 11-22mm f2.8/3.5 [22-44mm EFL] lense alone measures 75mm in length and weighs almost one-half kilogram. The price is also on the high side for a non-pro photographer. Probably uncle.D must look for alternative at local stores.

Meanwhile there are PHOTOenthusiasts amongst relatives, friends, office mate, automobile club members, fellow cyclists, forumers, bloggers, etc. asking ...

"what is the best compact digicam?".

That is the most difficult FAQ to answer because there are hundreds if not thousands of compact and P&S digicam available on the shelves to choose ranging from a few hundred Ringgit to more the RM10k each! - there is neither good nor bad camera category actually. They are designed and made to fullfill the entire spectrum of users. The reliable persons are the camera users. Ask them...

"is that camera u r using OK? do u recommend me to buy like yours too?"

The only thing to worry about is how much one willing to pay .