Mountain of Pain

I know I haven't posted in a while, so just cram it. Fortunately, Jobi has risen to the occasion and put up a solid series throughout the past week.

First of all, I would like to shout out to our confirmed readership of I believe 3. Perhaps more are reading, but only 3 separate people have made comments, so thank you, and I hope you've been enjoying our eggs and toast.

Secondly, I need to get this out of the way: I bought a new camera. For anybody that knows me, that might sound pretty foreboding, considering the behemoth I lug around currently, but this is a simple point and shoot digital camera so that I can take snapshots of friends. The item in question: the Canon SD850 IS. I did very extensive and careful research on this little bugger and its competitors, and I finally settled on it for these reasons: compactness and speed combined with superior image quality and a decent set of adjustable features. And boy what a payoff. This thing is sleek looking and it has a fair amount of weight to the feel, so it doesn't feel cheep to hold. It is rather small, but that's part of the reason I got it. I am careful to make use of the wrist strap, however, as I'm afraid my big hands might slip and drop it. But it fits nicely in my jacket pocket, which is awesome. Photo quality is pretty spectacular for a small camera. Digital noise is pretty substantial at 800 ISO (it goes up to 1600), but the lower ISO's are fantastic, and if I really wanted to get crafty with low light and nice pictures, I'll bust out my real camera. For going to bars, snapshots of goofy crap, and small videos, this thing is my toy of choice, and I highly recommend it. It also has exposure compensation and color effects, ISO selection, and a few other handy settings. It doesn't go so far as to get fully manual, but I don't really mind that much. It's a big relief, actually, not to have to deal with really advanced settings, and the semi-auto modes adjust perfectly well enough and come out with great results. Again, I have my DSLR for "real" photos, which I have full manual control over. Now I can feel better about leaving the beast behind on relaxing trips and fun outings (plus my girlfriend doesn't have to stand around making fun of me anymore while I take 5 minutes to take out my camera, set up a shot, and take 40 photos before I'm satisfied).

Pro's:

• Compact, solid feel.
• Easily navigable menus and quick access to settings.
• Image quality is excellent.
• Auto White balance is pretty accurate.
• Semi-manual settings like exposure compensation, white balance, ISO settings available.
• Movie mode: continuous 30fps high quality movies.
• Fast. Starts up in about a second flat and shot to shot time is pretty fast for its class.
• 4x optical zoom (35-140mm equivalent). That's just pretty impressive.
• Optical image stabilization. Rated to boost camera shake a few f stops.
• Relatively inexpensive at only $215 from Amazon.
  

Cons:

• On/Off button a little oddly placed. Not annoyingly so, but it's flush with the body on the back of the camera and at the top above the lcd screen. On one hand, it takes a little bit of doing to press it (so it's unlikely it will turn on and off at random), but on the other hand, it takes a little bit of doing to press it. *shrug*
• The battery/SD card cover at the bottom doesn't have a lock on it, so when I'm pulling the camera out of the leather case I got for it, I often slip the cover off. Fortunately, both the battery and SD are secured in their slots with springs and locks, but it's still a little strange.
• The zoom lens begins at 35mm equivalent as opposed to something like 24 or 28mm, which means you have a lean back or take a couple steps back to get group shots in at a table. On the flip side you get a pretty good zoom out of it, though. It's just nice not to have to look like an idiot leaning back in your seat at a bar (plus, at a bar and after a few tequila/corona or whiskey/pbr combinations, that could end up being a safety concern..... What? Don't tell me you've never done it)
  

There you have it. In case you might wonder, my two finalists for this camera decision were this and the Canon Powershot A720 IS. The main differences between the two are that while the 850 is a little faster and more compact, the A720 has fully manual controls, a bit better image quality in the medium ISO's, and a 6x zoom. It also uses AA batteries, which is useful for some people, but they drain quite quickly, and the flash recycle time is considerably slower. Not so much fun when 3 sheets to the wind and trying to catch that moment when Jobi has managed to build a mountain out of PBR cans, pint glasses, shot glasses, and Brooklyn Lager bottles, and is about to attempt to climb it.

You laugh.

You shouldn't.

And while I'm on this note, I'd like to suggest, if you haven't already been convinced by Jobi or myself, the absolute splendor of what is known as the Corona with a Tequila Shot. I Think Jobi should have the honor of naming this drink, as he introduced it to me. What you do is simple: Drink about the neck's worth of beer out of a Corona bottle, pour a shot of Tequila into the bottle, drop a lime wedge in, plug the neck with a thumb or palm, turn upside-down until the lime wedge floats to the bottom, upright, and enjoy. You may think this sounds disgusting, but it is a magical summer wonder. Be forewarned, however, as my first introduction to this Mexican liver party resulted in one hell of a story which ended in a lost t-shirt, a soaked and sandy car, and the infamous Gay Blanket. Details will not be disclosed.

That's all for now. More to come.

B-Moto Out.

"yeah... that just came out of your nose...."