So maybe 11 PM isn't the best time for painting your toenails.

[ase]

Tomorrow I'm doing the restaurant week thing and going to Poste with Perky K. I am wearing a skirt and strappy black sandals, so someone better appreciate the non-denim lengths I've gone to. (Things I love about my job #57: "well, you're cleaning your workspace with bleach solution" dress code! This leaves me with very little motivation to upgrade my clothes.)

Pursuant to shirts, this weekend I walked into Macy's looking for a camisole-type thingie and walked out with... a blue v-neck t-shirt. Yes, I know: you are all shocked by this break from tradition.

Also, shopping appeal: I'm breaking down and buying a digital camera. I'm soliciting opinions. HOWEVER, comma, I am on a budget. I'm looking in the $200 - $250 range, with an absolute limit of three hundred fifty dollars ($350) for the camera and basic accessories (second battery, larger memory card, etc). I really would like a digital SLR, but it's not happening this year. CNET has a real crush on the Canon Powershot series; does anyone else have nice or nasty things to say as I reach for the sales papers? I want instant gratification at high resolution, but I'll settle for decent warmup and shot-to-shot time, good picture quality, 7+ mpix, and an optical viewfinder.

Comments

[trolleypup.livejournal.com]

Considering that you can get the kit you want for $500 in Nikon now, I would aim lower and save your money for a DSLR next year...or spend the extra and get one now.

You can get some nice used point and shoot digitals on eBay. I seriously considered upgrading my semi-broken Nikon Coolpix 5400 with a 8700, (8MP, 7X optical zoom, many user controls (same CF and battery)), but I wanted to stay with something smaller and lighter. The 8700 seems to go for about $200. I've been very happy with my succession of Coolpixes over the years. If you prefer a simpler (less accessible user controls) smaller new camera, 8MP is easily in your range.

[ase.livejournal.com]

I worry about ebay because I don't know where that camera's been - is it just out of the box, or well-used?

Since a lot of dSLR users seem to wind up with a small-to-ultracompact point and shoot, getting a $200 camera now and a dSLR later might be the way to go. I'm really tired of washed-out LCDs in sunlight, but a lot of low-end cameras are eliminating optical viewfinders. I need to make a list of candidates and handle the physical cameras this weekend.