Death and Rebirth
Feb. 5th, 2009 11:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
aseDear beloved external hard drive (late April 2007 - about now),
When I named you after Rosalind Franklin, I had no idea what I was intimating for your lifespan. Please cough up my music mixes. Now.
Sadly, A.
Now that I have my bonus in hand, and have hit my minimum savings goals, it's hardware time. Since I can get a 1 TB external now for the same price I paid for 350 GB in 2007, the only question is: can my ancient desktop handle modern peripherals?
The other big hardware purchase is the camera. (Camera!) I'm looking at the Canon SX110is with a thoughtful eye. The breakdown:
PROS
- It's in my budget (less than or equal to $400 for camera, batteries and backup, memory storage and backup, and bag - no backup needed)
-Roughly purse-sized. (I tend toward capacious bags.)
-Manual control format.
-Awesome spinny wheel that brings Canon's detailed (cumbersome) interface up to my instant gratification speed.
-10x zoom.
-SD / SDHC card format compatible with the baby laptop's built-in six-card reader. (I am assuming SDHC backwards compatibility: please correct me if I am wrong.)
-takes AA batteries.
CONS
- NO OPTICAL VIEWFINDER. Since my reaction to n storage capacity is to stuff in n+1 items, LCDs tend to have a limited life-span, seperate bag or no.
-Does the lens threading thing mean I can't stick the camera on a microscope? There's a rumor we're getting a dissecting scope approved, and I feel a moral obligation to share the next wacky extraction sample to cross the bench.
-no CHDK for the sx110 (or its megazoom predecessor, the sx100) yet. CHDK is one of the reasons for getting on the Canon bandwagon!
- CNET says "meh". CNET likes the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H50 more. I don't, mostly because I'm not ready for 15x zoom and (especially) not ready to deal with twice the weight. I think. But the point is, CNET had (minor) reservations. ( A side by side comparison illuminates several pros and cons. The categorically appropriate compare-and-contrast would be the DSC-H50 with a slightly more upmarket Canon, such as the PowerShot S5 IS.)
The other option is to go with two cameras, a small cheap point and shoot and the DSC-H50 or even more upscale, but I mention this mostly so I can mock the stupidity it displays. Jumping back into a hobby by investing in the most expensive option possible is neither smart nor wise.
If anyone has anything to say about the SX110, now would be a really good time to weigh in.
When I named you after Rosalind Franklin, I had no idea what I was intimating for your lifespan. Please cough up my music mixes. Now.
Sadly, A.
Now that I have my bonus in hand, and have hit my minimum savings goals, it's hardware time. Since I can get a 1 TB external now for the same price I paid for 350 GB in 2007, the only question is: can my ancient desktop handle modern peripherals?
The other big hardware purchase is the camera. (Camera!) I'm looking at the Canon SX110is with a thoughtful eye. The breakdown:
PROS
- It's in my budget (less than or equal to $400 for camera, batteries and backup, memory storage and backup, and bag - no backup needed)
-Roughly purse-sized. (I tend toward capacious bags.)
-Manual control format.
-Awesome spinny wheel that brings Canon's detailed (cumbersome) interface up to my instant gratification speed.
-10x zoom.
-SD / SDHC card format compatible with the baby laptop's built-in six-card reader. (I am assuming SDHC backwards compatibility: please correct me if I am wrong.)
-takes AA batteries.
CONS
- NO OPTICAL VIEWFINDER. Since my reaction to n storage capacity is to stuff in n+1 items, LCDs tend to have a limited life-span, seperate bag or no.
-Does the lens threading thing mean I can't stick the camera on a microscope? There's a rumor we're getting a dissecting scope approved, and I feel a moral obligation to share the next wacky extraction sample to cross the bench.
-no CHDK for the sx110 (or its megazoom predecessor, the sx100) yet. CHDK is one of the reasons for getting on the Canon bandwagon!
- CNET says "meh". CNET likes the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H50 more. I don't, mostly because I'm not ready for 15x zoom and (especially) not ready to deal with twice the weight. I think. But the point is, CNET had (minor) reservations. ( A side by side comparison illuminates several pros and cons. The categorically appropriate compare-and-contrast would be the DSC-H50 with a slightly more upmarket Canon, such as the PowerShot S5 IS.)
The other option is to go with two cameras, a small cheap point and shoot and the DSC-H50 or even more upscale, but I mention this mostly so I can mock the stupidity it displays. Jumping back into a hobby by investing in the most expensive option possible is neither smart nor wise.
If anyone has anything to say about the SX110, now would be a really good time to weigh in.
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(no subject)
Date: 2009-02-06 07:08 am (UTC)Also, my upgrade to the venerable Nikon Coolpix 5400 is now waiting for me at my mail receiving place...it is the slightly less venerable Coolpix 8400...similar except for being 8MP and slightly wider angle.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-02-10 01:37 am (UTC)