I'm in love with the digital camera I bought last week. Although I didn't get the one I really wanted, I got the one I was willing to spend the money on and has already proved to be a nice "beginners" camera.
After much investigation, wavering and downright stalling, I decided to get the Canon Powershot SD1000. It takes a bit of getting used to - the menu system is a bit involved. But then again, this camera can do a lot of things that I never thought a slimline could do (and some that I never really heard of or thought about).
The most impressive feature for me so far has been the ability of the camera to adjust for subjects that are back lit, or conversely, those that are lit a lot more brightly than their background.
For example, this is the original picture taken on my way home at about 5:45 PM. The sun sets about 6 PM and it is setting almost directly behind the hillside:
And this is the picture that came out after a couple of minutes of fumbling around trying to find the setting I was looking for (as I stated, the menu system is a bit involved, plus I was going by memory of what I had read a couple of days ago):
A world of difference!
For the converse, subject over lit compared to background, some hydrangea blooms in a vase sitting on the woodstove. When looking at the flowers in normal light, they don't appear over lit. But the flash is what affects the lighter areas of the Endless Summer hydrangea flower:
The smaller flower on the left looks like it has white buds in the center. With the internal correction, pictures though:
Yep, those buds are definitely green.
I have been playing with ISO settings and other settings too. Although this picture of limelight hydrangea blooms is dark, the impressiveness comes from the fact that the flash was not used, so the results are entirely from the use of the ISO settings:
It is very instructional when you can see the results immediately. I can also tell when I've taken a bad picture of flowers (which 90% of the pictures taken on the film camera were a huge waste of film), and immediately make adjustments to get a good picture.
With this camera, I can turn the flash off. It used to drive me crazy with the other camera because I didn't have that option (and without an auto correct for over lit subjects, was a major pain).
The list of things I don't like about this camera so far is very short.
- I don't like that the only way to imprint a date on the picture is to use the "postcard" setting. What is up with that?
- I want more zoom power (3x optical and 4x digital). However, that is one of the trade-offs of buying this camera versus what I will probably buy down the road (one with interchangeable lenses).
I'm still learning to use the features, but so far have been very pleased with the results.
I'll leave you with the first good picture I have gotten of Fuzzy - taken yesterday, a rainy, dark and gloomy day (the white dots are water reflecting the flash):
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