Sticker Shock

Back in the 1980's I learned that digital electronics always rapidly descend in price. Pretty much, if you bought a computer, disc player, or digital camera a month ago then the price would already be noticeably lower. But I recently was told (by Erich as he took the pictures here) that the camera he (and I) love to carry has increased in price since we bought them. I didn't believe him, so I looked it up at Pricegrabber.com and at Amazon. Amazon seems to show the real prices that the (lower) PriceGrabber links jump to. The exact camera that I bought for $160 from Amazon 7 months ago is now a whopping $358! Un-be-(expletive)-lievable. You may remember Erich and I raving about this little gem since he first bought his over a year ago. I shopped independently and at length to select the same camera. One odd feature of it is that it is available in a range of colors. I bought mine in Gold because it was the cheapest at the time, by $5. Now however, the price is about $180 in blue or brown, up to $358 in ... Gold! Apparently, this camera is now a hot item. Possibly one reason besides those we've mentioned on this site is that hackers have been at work. One can download uncertified "patches" to make this camera do even more amazing things. See Turn Your Point-and-Shoot into a Super-Camera at LifeHacker.com I feel that this is but another sign of our living in Interesting Times.

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A photo of another one of my cousins

As I worked tonight, this little beetle landed on my pad of paper. Hello, Cousin! You fit so easily between the lines of my pad of paper. You make my pen strokes look quick thick!

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[For this shot, I was using a Canon SD1100IS (which only costs about $150 now), using the digital macro feature. This bug let me park my camera lens less than an inch away for this photo.]

Continue ReadingA photo of another one of my cousins

Cricket Exposed

I followed Erich's example and (after doing extensive independent research) bought the same camera that he's been brandishing and bragging about. I needed an adequate camera that fits in any pocket, and the Canon SD1100SI ELPH fits the bill. It's slightly larger than my cell phone, but smaller than my…

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Institutions of Saint Louis – a little photo safari.

Because I have a tiny new camera (a Canon SD1100IS), I have lots of excuses for taking photos of familiar things.   It’s amazing how taking photos forces me to see.   It makes me appreciate many of those sights that I otherwise take for granted.  With this new little camera, then, I had an excuse to go see.  

BTW-my new camera, a Canon SD1100IS is a small moderately-priced consumer-level camera that is incredibly packed with features.  It has so many features that I would bet that I’ll never use half of them.  It’s an 8-megapixel, 3x optical zoom camera that measures only 3 1/2″ x 2″, small enough to take everywhere.  Some of its features (including image stabilization) allow it to handle existing light photos fairly well (for those of you who haven’t yet sworn off cheap flash units, you might want to consider turning off your flash and noticing the difference).   The problem with turning off the flash indoors is that many digital cameras do not offer a fast enough ISO to allow for a sharp image.

I admit that I processed these photos a bit, but only a bit.  The only processing I used were a few of the features offered by Picasa, a well-designed (and free) photo organizing program from Google.

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Here’s a good way to start a weekend day in St. Louis.  It’s called “City Diner” (It was formerly “South City Diner”).  Located within walking distance of my home, this is where you must …

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Continue ReadingInstitutions of Saint Louis – a little photo safari.