Engineer-Poet's Journal: California, here I come... again.

Out of the blue, a friend from the ether presented me with a question: since it was 30 hours round-trip flight plus other things if he went (presumably from Australia), how would I like to attend the CleanTech 2007 conference as a member of the press?

I got my press pass last night. I have a few more arrangements to make (and a laptop to acquire), but right now it's ON! I'll be live-blogging it for The Oil Drum and The Alternate Energy Blog. ... oh, and I'll need a digital camera! (My old 35mm died last month.) Anyone got any suggestions? I'm drawn to the ones which look more like SLR's (big lenses), but I'm not sure these are really any better than the ones which retract their optics into clean rectangular packages. What do you have, and what makes you like it?

Cameras

[ces]

oh, and I'll need a digital camera! (My old 35mm died last month.) Anyone got any suggestions? I'm drawn to the ones which look more like SLR's (big lenses), but I'm not sure these are really any better than the ones which retract their optics into clean rectangular packages. What do you have, and what makes you like it?

Kind of depends on what you need it for. If you want to do photojournalism, especially indoors without flash then get an SLR type digital with big bright glass. If you just want to take snaps then one of the pocket-size compact cameras should be fine.

I tend to like Canon cameras, I think that except for certain specialized needs they have the best in both digital point-and-shoots as well as SLR type cameras.

Right now I've got a Canon A540 which I got both because it got good reviews and because it offered

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[nizo]

I second the Canon brand; I have one, and I bought a newer one for the SO. They both work awesome. Though a digital SLR would be to die for....

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[Engineer-Poet]

My handicap is that I'm in Podunk and the closest thing to a camera store is the electronics department at Target (which only opened a few months ago). I'm hoping I can find something good there. Part of the problem is that some data I want isn't readily available, e.g. what's the delay from button-press to the actual snap?

I'll have to go look at those units I liked and see if they're Canon. I'm staying away from anything associated with an electronics-only manufacturer (Panasonic, and especially Sony) r

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[nizo]

Yeah I would recommend looking for reviews online too if you can before you buy. Why not order something oneline?

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[ces]

My handicap is that I'm in Podunk and the closest thing to a camera store is the electronics department at Target (which only opened a few months ago). I'm hoping I can find something good there. Part of the problem is that some data I want isn't readily available, e.g. what's the delay from button-press to the actual snap?

Go with ordering on-line. Many online vendors will ship overnight and have a much wider selection than any brick and mortar camera store outside of NYC will have.

If you have to get one in-person then on of the Canon Digital Rebel models should be available.

If button-press delay is a concern then you definitely want a digital SLR as even a cheap one will have a shorter delay than the most expensive point and shoot.

I'll have to go look at those units I liked and see if they're Canon. I'm staying away from anything associated with an electronics-only manufacturer (Panasonic, and especially Sony) rather than a camera maker (Canon, Kodak).

Panasonic and Sony actually make pretty decent cameras. Panasonic has partnered with Lieca fo