It's a clear and windy yet warm day--a nice change from the clear, windy, cold days we've been having lately. The apartment heaters are most definitely off, so it's nice to have a forecast predicting a fairly warm evening as well. I've been having to run my livingroom wall heater at night to keep my apartment at a bearable temperature. I was tempted to bring my other little heater into my bedroom last night but decided against it.
The cold is still a bit of a problem, but I think it's getting slightly better. As I mentioned to my mom, the real test will come tomorrow when I teach for four hours. My voice is at an ok but not yet good state today. I can talk for a while, but singing still doesn't work. At least I'm not doing voice lessons tomorrow!
Yesterday I was downtown with some friends and decided to look into getting a digital camera. I went to one store and was writing down some models I was interested in along with their prices when one of the clerks came over and told me that wasn't allowed. It would have been OK for me to write down the models or to ask them to show me one of them, but writing the price was forbidden. I apologized, put my card in my pocket and left.
The thing is, you have to be careful about buying electronics here, especially if it's a foreign brand (although most of the foreign brands are still made in China; if you can read Chinese, most of the price cards tell you the Chinese city of manufacture!). One of our guys bought a digital camera a couple of weeks ago for what sounded like a good price, but when I was checking it out online, he could have bought the next model up for less at walmart.com. It turns out that the nicest of the models I was looking at is also a couple hundred yuan ($30-$50) cheaper in America, and a few of the less expensive ones either aren't available anymore or are outdated. That's good to know because it at least gives me an intelligent bargaining range and some ammo to back up my demands.
If I decide to go for it.
It might just be better to make due with a cheap-o film camera and wait for a digital until I'm back in the States. Then I would know that I have a solid warranty and that the electrical system won't fry it.
Posted by at April 4, 2004 1:56 PMWe just purchased a Cool Pix Nikon - the top model. It is the thinking photographer's digital. It takes photos within 1/4 inch of the subject - works on several programmed auto modes plus allows you to do anything manually. It is a dream -BUT - has one flaw. We have a wide angle lens for it - and that is in the way of the flash - so indoor wide angle shots must be done manually. The quality is excellent - we paid about $1000 without the wide angle lens at Best Buys.
Our old digital is a Sony - a workhorse that uses floppies. It is superb for computer site uploads. But it is difficult to work with in bright sun - the screen is lost, and there is no alternative source - blind shooting. Still - it is a very good camera and can be bought (outdated as it is) for around $200 on EBAY.
Good Luck - Wendy
Posted by: Wendy at April 4, 2004 8:12 PMafter pulling an all-nighter for a wealthy client, i was sent a digital camera as a thanks gift. (he was a photography buff and knew of my interest.) i had been looking into digital photography, but definitely preferred manual SLR and wasn't ready to invest / take the plunge yet.
so, since it was free-to-me, i got an Olympus D560 zoom, which is about a $300 camera. it uses memory cards, has pretty good auto settings, and serves its purposes for me (i like the portability, versatility and editability).
i still prefer the manual SLR for the challenge and the outcome, but the digital is definitely very nice.
Posted by: joy at April 5, 2004 10:30 AMDon't know that you were soliciting input or not, but here you go...
I use the Sony F707 (which Sony has replaced with the F717 and F808) for my personal photography. It's user-friendly, with good images. Can be fully automatic or fully manual. My bro used his F707 in China a few summers ago w/ no problem.
Like Wendy's Coolpix, the available wide-angle lens is blocked by the onboard flash on the F707. You can have an external flash. I think it's tall enough to get over the wide angle lens. Thankfully, I shoot a lot on the tripod, without flash.
At work, I use the Nikon D100, a digital SLR. It's a nice tool that comes in under $2K stateside.
I'm not a Canon fan, but they've recently released the Canon Digital Rebel SLR for under $1000 in the U.S. That's pretty incredible.
If you can access www.dpreview.com, it's a great site with digital photography reviews and comparisons.
I am learning that digital SLRs have more trouble with dust buildup inside the camera body near the image sensor. The dust will show up on your images. It apparently can be dealt with, but it's nerve-wracking.
Posted by: JRC at April 7, 2004 11:12 AMThanks for the recommendations. Just last night one of the other teachers here was trying to remember the website he had checked out before he bought his digital camera. He wasn't sure what it was, but dpreview sounds like what he was looking for. I'll try to check it out today.
Posted by: Jonathan at April 7, 2004 7:09 PM