Camera Equipment

I've received a few questions about the digital camera equipment I'm using for posting pictures and video on the Legendary Blog here. The main camera I use is a Canon PowerShot SD800 IS; a 7.1MP Digital Elph Camera with a 3.8x Wide Angle Image-Stabilized Optical Zoom. I bought it from Amazon.com (no tax, free shipping!) about two weeks before the twins came. You can't get it in stores anymore because the new model, the SD870 has come out, but I really didn't like some of the design changes made in the new model (Canon dropped the optical view finder in lieu of a 3" LCD screen, and made all of the menu buttons much smaller and harder to push).

I primarily wanted a compact camera that could be turned on, zoomed and ready to shoot with just one hand (such as if I had to pull it out of my shirt pocket with a baby on one arm, or if Sharon was pulling it out of her purse when the kids are doing something cute). I spent weeks reading camera reviews and decided on the SD800 model because it met my one-hand-use criteria, and also for its wide angle lens and image stabilization features (it's the only compact camera that has a wide angle lens).

If you're not interested in the wide-angle feature, you can get this camera's cousin, the Powershot SD850, which has basically the same features as the SD800, but has 8MP and a 4x zoom (Gavin's Godfather, Mark Flory, just bought this model and he really likes it). You can still get the SD850 in stores, but you'll pay more than you would online and also pay sales tax.

The SD800 has been a fantastic camera in the month I've been using it, and I'm especially impressed with it's low-light and indoor picture taking ability with minimal "noise" in the photo. It also takes great video, and I can record up to 30 continuous minutes of standard-def television resolution (640x480) on a 4GB memory card.

The 2.5" LCD screen is very sharp, and the optical view finder is a must-have if you've got a bright sun at your back and can't see the LCD very well. It's thin and light weight enough that I can wear it on a lanyard around my neck, or leave it in the breast pocket of a button down shirt. The only drawback is that it doesn't use AA batteries, but it's not a big deal as I hardly use a flash, and keep a spare battery in the camera case anyway.

Canon has these preset "scene" modes that are very handy. I almost always use the "Indoor" setting with no flash. Here's a comparison shot from the twins' baptism with the lovely and talented Mark Flory standing in as our model. The first picture is "auto" mode with the flash on, while the the second picture is the preset "Indoor" setting with the flash off. See how the "Indoor" mode retains the natural color and lighting of the scene? (click on the pictures for larger versions).



I use a 4GB Kingston SDHC (secure digital high capacity) memory card (Class 4 speed) and keep a backup 1GB non-SDHC memory card in my belt bag, along with a spare aftermarket battery I also bought on Amazon. I use this Swiss Gear belt case from Best Buy, and I also use this SDHC USB memory card reader to download the photos and video to the computer. It basically turns your memory card into a flash drive that you can also take to Target or Jewel and plug into their photo printing kiosks.

The second camera I use is one that I bought over a year ago before my sister-in-law's wedding: a Canon PowerShot S3 IS; a 6MP Pro Series with 12x Image Stabilized Optical Zoom) (the new model is the S5 IS). The big features on this camera is the 12x optical "super zoom," and the flip-out rotating LCD screen so that you can hold the camera over your head, for example, and still get your shot.

The S3 IS also takes AA batteries (handy when you need fast replacements) and gives you complete manual control over shots, such as aperture, F-settings, white balance, ect. You can also switch lenses, but it's not as universal as a true SLR camera. It takes great video and good low-light shots. However, I like using the smaller SD800 so much though that I'm probably going to retire this camera soon, and maybe pick up a true Digital SLR camera for extra special occasions, like the Canon Rebel XTi.

Researching a new camera is not easy. Here are my favorite digital camera review sites for analysis, sample pictures, and also education about digital camera terms:

• Digital Camera Resource (my favorite!)
  
• Digital Photography Review (compares sample photos side-by-side with other cameras)
  
• Imaging Resource
  
• Steve's Digicams

Feel free to email me anytime with your camera or other tech questions!