I'm an avid photographer; a hobbyist with a love for the lens. As such, I'm often asked by friends and family, "What camera should I buy?" I prefer a DSLR but it's not always practical (or wise) to carry in all scenarios. Besides, a DSLR is overkill for most people in terms of size and price. Not to mention ease of use. When life intervenes a good compact, pocket-sized camera is a must.
The topic of what camera to buy came up again recently while out having dinner and drinks with some friends. In particular taking good pictures in low-light conditions; indoors at home, bars or restaurants. So, to answer the question, "what kind of (party) camera should I buy?" I wrote up some guidelines I would look for in a compact camera to take pictures in low-light.
Price
The $50 camera off the shelf from Target probably isn't a bad camera. I believe they make great first cameras. I've even bought a few as gifts. And for most people that's all you'll need. But if you're reading this article then you're not most people. Instead, be prepared to spend around $250 for a good compact camera.
Size
Yes, size does matter. How much is up to you. An extra 1/4 to 1/2 inch will make a big difference if you're like me and carry a camera, phone, wallet and keys (and maybe some gum) in your two front pockets. This is where seeing a camera in person before buying may be the deciding factor.
Manual Settings, Including Exposure
Having manual control over you camera is a good indicator you're buying a decent camera even if you never use those manual settings. Being able to control the exposure will help in low and bright light situations. I generally look for +/-2 on the exposure. Increase the exposure in low-light situations (restaurants, etc). Decrease it when ample light is available (like the beach at noon).
Hi ISO Settings
ISO is the modern day equivalent of film speed from the 35mm days. What does this mean? The higher the ISO number, the better it will do in low light. The lower the ISO the better it will do in bright light. Look for either a "High" setting or preferably numbers. 200 - 400 are great for outdoors in the sun. 800+ for low light.
Fewer Megapixels
Yes, the almighty megapixel is marketing hype. When it comes to compact cameras with very small lenses extra megapixels may create worse photos. Having more megapixels may also slow down your camera creating the awful blurred faces. All things being equal I'd take 5MP over 8 (or 10 or 12 or 16) any day.
Optical Zoom
Digital zoom is just in-camera cropping. With a digital zoom, the camera takes the picture, cuts away at the edges and blows up what's left. All the while degrading the quality of the original picture. There's an old photograher's saying: "Your feet make the best zoom lens you can find."
Waterproof, Weather-Proof and Shock Resistant
Some manufactures have been coming out with waterproof, weather-proof and/or shock resistant cameras. It's a niche market geared towards the outdoor adventurous types. As such, they're probably better suited to well-lite, outdoor photos. I haven't taken pictures with any of the new ones myself but it's always worth looking into for the sake of durability.
My first digital camera was a Kodak DC5000 which was weather-proofed with a 6-ft drop rating. (Meaning I could drop it from 6ft and have nothing happen to the camera). It was big and bulky but took great pictures all while being able to withstand a beating. It had drinks spilled on it. I took it dogsledding and fell on it a few times in the snow. I've even taken it poolside for some great beach and outdoor photos. I had no fears letting my little nieces and nephew run around family parties taking pictures with it. After 11 years it's still in use and taking great photos.
SD Cards
Pick a camera that stores its pictures on an SD card. There are a lot of competing formats these days but the most popular tends to be the Secure Digital (SD) card. They're cheap and easy to find. I've seen them for sale at Walgreens and various convenience stores. SD card readers are even being build into more and more computers nowadays. Not so with other formats.
Good Brands
Cannon and Panasonic consistently show up on the lists of good performing compact camera's. It's a side topic with all DSLR owners cause we don't want to carry our full gear all the time. When I bought mine (Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS Elph) the Cannon Powershot was that camera for most photographers, even those in the Nikon camp. (Yes, I shoot with a Nikon DSLR).
Now What?
I know what you're thinking: "Great, you listed out a bunch of specs that I can't find listed anywhere." You're right. Most manufacturers don't list these specs on their promotional material. I'll have to answer why I think that is in a different article. Here's what you can do: Find a couple cameras you like in your price range then pull up their user manual online to see what, of the above options, they support. Every major manufacturer will have the user manual online in their support section. You may need to dig a little but it's worth it. Nothing more frustrating then a new camera that takes crappy pictures.
I'd also look around online for photos taken with the same camera. A lot of people who post to Flicker have the camera make and model searchable. Look for photo's taken in the same scenario's you'll be in.
Read camera reviews (not just the press release posted as a review). Read user comments on Amazon and other sites where people purchased the camera. DPReview is one of my favorite photography equipment review sites who also have sample pictures taken under a variety of scenarios. The navigation is terrible, but the reviews and sample photo's are excellent. The downside is they don't review many compact cameras.
Additional Thoughts
DSLR's, super zooms and micro four thirds are out of the running for this article due to the expense and size. They are great and far better at taking low-light photos, but the topic of this article focused on compact, pocket-sized cameras. Plus, I don't know about you, but I don't want a $500+ camera ruined when someone spills a drink on the table.
Yes, there are those who will argue that a good camera phone is all you really need. Especially now that more and more phones are equipped with a flash. Personally, I'm not convinced that a camera phone is a good replacement for a dedicated camera. It's great in a pinch, but not what I would choose to capture lasting memories.
There you have it: Dave's guide to buying a good party camera. Good luck in your quest.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Kodak Pulse Digital Photo Frame Reviewed by Family Tech Support
Digital picture frames have been on the market for years and come down considerably in price. Despite it being a one trick pony no one's really gotten it right over all these years. Kodak finally stepped in with the Pulse and hit a home run: Easy to set up and I can load pictures and administer all the settings online.
In all it's a little bit more expensive than some of it's peers. If you're not planning on using the remote features then I wouldn't spend the extra money. But if you're the one saddled with tech support for your family the Kodak Pulse is worth it's weight in gold.
Pro's:
Con's:
My siblings and I have been debating getting a digital photo frame for my parents for some time. I kept vetoing the idea because I hated the thought of another piece of tech I'd have to "take a look at" next time I'm over for a visit. As the family's resident tech support, Kodak's Pulse was worth the wait.
My mom was excited when she opened her Mother's Day gift: a 7 inch Kodak Pulse digital picture frame. Maybe it was the idea of all those pictures on display? Or maybe she thought it was an iPad? At some point the excitement turned to dread as she realized she'd have to somehow get pictures onto this thing. Or, like many of her friends, years later she'd only have the first set of pictures we loaded on the device.
Kodak got it right with the Pulse. Set up was easy (with one exception below). Adding photos to it is a breeze. Changing the settings is a snap. And my most favorite feature: I can do it all remotely from my house.
The initial setup asks if it's for you or is a gift. If setting it up as a gift you're given the option of activating it and designating an administrator. The Pulse connects directly to the internet over a local wifi connection. It's self contained so no software to load on any computer. Although you'll have to register your device and set up an account on KodakPulse.com [Link] to use the remote features.
I did run into one snag during setup: it (apparently) connected to the internet fine but was unable to connect to the Pulse service. The error message was vague and it took me a long time to find the fix. You need to update the firmware before connecting to the Pulse service; annoying that it didn't connect out of the box. Figuring this out and resolving the problem was by far the longest part of the setup. Once over that hump the rest was a breeze.
It's worth registering on the Pulse website even if you're the owner. A few additional features and settings were available online that I couldn't find in the frame's settings. For example, the energy saving feature of scheduling the frame to automatically turn on and off.
The Kodak Pulse website is also where you configure albums from KodakGallery.com to display on the frame. Instead of hoping back and forth between KodakGallery.com (where I keep a lot of albums I share with the family) and KodakPulse.com I simply created a single, album dedicated to the frame on KodakGallery.com. I update this with individual photos as events occur; opting for the "best of" from each event.
In all my mom and dad loved the gift. The picture quality is great and they can get new pictures sent to them without the hassle of the computer or checking email. And I know I love that I can "fix" most problems that may arise over the phone. Not to mention being able to load new pictures on the device from my house is the biggest bonus of all.
The Kodak Pulse is one piece of tech I was excited to give as a gift.
In all it's a little bit more expensive than some of it's peers. If you're not planning on using the remote features then I wouldn't spend the extra money. But if you're the one saddled with tech support for your family the Kodak Pulse is worth it's weight in gold.
Pro's:
- Good picture quality.
- Respectable size.
- Add pictures remotely via email, Facebook.com or KodakGallery.com.
- Remote administration of all the settings.
- Easy to get online.
- Intuitive touch screen interface.
- Supports friends albumns from KodakGallery.com
- My parents don't have to do a thing.
Con's:
- Error message during setup was vague.
- Would have liked to see a more traditional frame style or interchangeable frames.
- On screen keyboard was alphabetical instead of QWERTY; awkward.
- Doesn't support Event Albums from KodakGallery.com.
- No other 3rd party integration (Flicker, Picasa, SmugMug, etc).
- Touch screen is a magnet for little, dirty fingers.
My siblings and I have been debating getting a digital photo frame for my parents for some time. I kept vetoing the idea because I hated the thought of another piece of tech I'd have to "take a look at" next time I'm over for a visit. As the family's resident tech support, Kodak's Pulse was worth the wait.
My mom was excited when she opened her Mother's Day gift: a 7 inch Kodak Pulse digital picture frame. Maybe it was the idea of all those pictures on display? Or maybe she thought it was an iPad? At some point the excitement turned to dread as she realized she'd have to somehow get pictures onto this thing. Or, like many of her friends, years later she'd only have the first set of pictures we loaded on the device.
Kodak got it right with the Pulse. Set up was easy (with one exception below). Adding photos to it is a breeze. Changing the settings is a snap. And my most favorite feature: I can do it all remotely from my house.
The initial setup asks if it's for you or is a gift. If setting it up as a gift you're given the option of activating it and designating an administrator. The Pulse connects directly to the internet over a local wifi connection. It's self contained so no software to load on any computer. Although you'll have to register your device and set up an account on KodakPulse.com [Link] to use the remote features.
I did run into one snag during setup: it (apparently) connected to the internet fine but was unable to connect to the Pulse service. The error message was vague and it took me a long time to find the fix. You need to update the firmware before connecting to the Pulse service; annoying that it didn't connect out of the box. Figuring this out and resolving the problem was by far the longest part of the setup. Once over that hump the rest was a breeze.
It's worth registering on the Pulse website even if you're the owner. A few additional features and settings were available online that I couldn't find in the frame's settings. For example, the energy saving feature of scheduling the frame to automatically turn on and off.
The Kodak Pulse website is also where you configure albums from KodakGallery.com to display on the frame. Instead of hoping back and forth between KodakGallery.com (where I keep a lot of albums I share with the family) and KodakPulse.com I simply created a single, album dedicated to the frame on KodakGallery.com. I update this with individual photos as events occur; opting for the "best of" from each event.
In all my mom and dad loved the gift. The picture quality is great and they can get new pictures sent to them without the hassle of the computer or checking email. And I know I love that I can "fix" most problems that may arise over the phone. Not to mention being able to load new pictures on the device from my house is the biggest bonus of all.
The Kodak Pulse is one piece of tech I was excited to give as a gift.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
The Bistro Review: Steak and Salad Edition
We like to think of The Bistro as our own romantic getaway; at least for a couple hours. The Bistro continues to please and our last trip was no exception.
Food: Simple, creative and flavorful.
Service: Friendly, helpful and personable.
Atmosphere: Funky and fun, but not immature.
Price: Not cheap, but a good value.
Kid-friendly: Not geared towards kids.
Food
The Bistro has a lot going for it, but it's the food that keeps bringing us back. The simple elegance of the menu matches perfectly with the fare. We started with drinks of a micro-brew and a vodka tonic. The blond beer was good but too hoppy for my tastes. Glad I stuck with the spirits.
Erin led with the French Onion and I a duck, egg-drop soup. I could have gone without the egg drop. The smokey flavor of the duck and the mild egg drop were too unbalanced and left a bit of an after taste. The French Onion was fantastic. I love French Onion soup and the The Bistro's is one of the best in town. The cheese along the bowl was crispy while the rest was perfectly melted. And it's not overwhelmingly salty like most restaurants.
The New York strip was superb. I'm a bit of a steak snob but this is one of the rare cases where I felt humbled. A light, delicious crust on top a perfectly seasoned steak. Aside from being a steak snob I'm a bit of a purest who thinks adding A1 is a sin. That being said you should order the strip just for the aioli sauce. Adding the aioli to each cut felt more like buttering bread with each bite melting in my mouth. The two textures and flavors of the rare, seasoned steak combined with the creamy aioli sauce was perfection. Everything came together to really highlight the great steak flavor and texture.
Erin ordered the salad as an entree despite it being listed as an appetizer. Light, and refreshing yet surprisingly filling it consisted of a mix of apples, endive and cheese mixed in a light, summery dressing and topped with candied walnuts. The salad became the muse for my weekend culinary experiments. Sadly, mine didn't come close.
Desert. Mmmm.... desert. I don't normally have much of a sweet tooth but a rice crispy square melted atop a brownie, wrapped in chocolaty goodness and baked thoroughly with yumminess kept me coming back for "just one more bite." We split the chocolate brownie so big and rich that two of attacked it and we still took some home. We were both expecting the brownie to be warm since it was served with a small scoop of ice cream. Instead it was room temperature and surprisingly dense. It was work to get the fork through all the layers of delectable goodness but well worth the effort. It felt justified to get a little exercise with my dessert.
Service
The Bistro's always a good time and the staff and service helps complete the experience. Always friendly and helpful and no pressure to eat and leave. (We spend more time socializing than eating). When we asked for recommendations our waiter offered his top choices based on how hungry we were. I thought that was ingenious and way more helpful in narrowing down my choices. In all the staff were fun and engaging while still maintaining a slightly refined atmosphere.
Once again The Bistro is worth the trip downtown and always a great experience. I look forward to our next occasion.
Food: Simple, creative and flavorful.
Service: Friendly, helpful and personable.
Atmosphere: Funky and fun, but not immature.
Price: Not cheap, but a good value.
Kid-friendly: Not geared towards kids.
Food
The Bistro has a lot going for it, but it's the food that keeps bringing us back. The simple elegance of the menu matches perfectly with the fare. We started with drinks of a micro-brew and a vodka tonic. The blond beer was good but too hoppy for my tastes. Glad I stuck with the spirits.Erin led with the French Onion and I a duck, egg-drop soup. I could have gone without the egg drop. The smokey flavor of the duck and the mild egg drop were too unbalanced and left a bit of an after taste. The French Onion was fantastic. I love French Onion soup and the The Bistro's is one of the best in town. The cheese along the bowl was crispy while the rest was perfectly melted. And it's not overwhelmingly salty like most restaurants.
The New York strip was superb. I'm a bit of a steak snob but this is one of the rare cases where I felt humbled. A light, delicious crust on top a perfectly seasoned steak. Aside from being a steak snob I'm a bit of a purest who thinks adding A1 is a sin. That being said you should order the strip just for the aioli sauce. Adding the aioli to each cut felt more like buttering bread with each bite melting in my mouth. The two textures and flavors of the rare, seasoned steak combined with the creamy aioli sauce was perfection. Everything came together to really highlight the great steak flavor and texture.Erin ordered the salad as an entree despite it being listed as an appetizer. Light, and refreshing yet surprisingly filling it consisted of a mix of apples, endive and cheese mixed in a light, summery dressing and topped with candied walnuts. The salad became the muse for my weekend culinary experiments. Sadly, mine didn't come close.Desert. Mmmm.... desert. I don't normally have much of a sweet tooth but a rice crispy square melted atop a brownie, wrapped in chocolaty goodness and baked thoroughly with yumminess kept me coming back for "just one more bite." We split the chocolate brownie so big and rich that two of attacked it and we still took some home. We were both expecting the brownie to be warm since it was served with a small scoop of ice cream. Instead it was room temperature and surprisingly dense. It was work to get the fork through all the layers of delectable goodness but well worth the effort. It felt justified to get a little exercise with my dessert.Service
The Bistro's always a good time and the staff and service helps complete the experience. Always friendly and helpful and no pressure to eat and leave. (We spend more time socializing than eating). When we asked for recommendations our waiter offered his top choices based on how hungry we were. I thought that was ingenious and way more helpful in narrowing down my choices. In all the staff were fun and engaging while still maintaining a slightly refined atmosphere.
Once again The Bistro is worth the trip downtown and always a great experience. I look forward to our next occasion.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Flying Pigs, a Tree House and Lots of Paws, All Topped with Whipped Cream
Who'd have thought that waking up early on a Saturday to take my girls to the Flying Pig race would have gone on to include hanging out in a tree house, an afternoon at the dog park and a trip to Putz's Creamy Whip?
The Flying Pig
Saturday began like any other race day except this being Erin and Alycia's first race together. Go team Double Rainbow! Woke up early. Packed up my camera equipment, dogs, post-race water & gear and drove the girls downtown on the first nice Saturday in months.
We parked in a garage and our old dog, Lucy, had to navigate the stairs. I think her eyes gave her more problems then her legs. After all, she can scale a fence faster then I could but she stumbled down the stairs about as gracefully as a giraffe through a tire obstacle course. Our other dog, Roxy, had no trouble with stairs and was, like always, super excited.
The five of us made our way towards the starting line of the Flying Pig. I stopped early with the dogs, wished them luck then sat to wait for the start. Erin and Alycia were the last two to cross the starting line after taking a quick moment to pose for a picture.
The three of us made camp on a street corner while all the runners trotted by. Between the other spectators and runners it's always a good time people watching. It's easy to make friends having the dogs with me as people of all ages came by to pet them. I was able to snap a quick picture as the girls ran by then I headed to the finish line to stake out a good spot. Luckily it was the last race of the day so the bridge overlooking the finish line was clearing out. I was able to grab a picture of the two of them finishing their first mother-daughter race.
Walking back to the car Alycia had the brilliant idea of wanting to grab lunch and eat in a park. I realized that (all things being relative) Mt Airy forest was nearby with a huge dog park. So, we hopped in the truck and headed west. We picked up Subway and drove to the forest to eat lunch. My aunt was on her way to meet us at the dog park, but had to stop and pick up my niece and nephew and their dog.
Tree House
After lunch we stopped at the tree house in Mt Airy forest to kill some time. I hadn't been to the forest in years and had only heard of the tree house. This was new to Erin and Alyci and none of us had any idea what to expect. It was a treat and a great place to hang out. The most interesting was the wooden, carved bench inside looking more like drift wood that accidentally morphed into a bench. Anxious to get to the dog park we headed out.
Dog Park in Mt Airy Forest
The five of us arrived at the same time as my aunt and her crew. The dog park was old hat for them but I hadn't been in years. And, like the rest of the forest trip, Erin and Alycia's first time. The first warm, dry Saturday in a long time brought everyone out to the park. Dogs running amok was great to see. Even our Lucy was prancing around and playing for a while. Roxy didn't know what to do. She'd run ahead, then stop and come back to make sure we were still there. That was the first time I'd seen her unleashed in an unfamiliar area with so much room to run. I think it may have freaked her out a little. Or it was her natural herding instinct wanting to make sure the group stayed together.
Ellie, the young pup of the family and the latest edition to my sister's family, was fun to watch tearing around the park. She was either chasing other dogs nonstop or jumping into the water buckets. Yes, there were a few buckets just big enough for her to squeeze into. Her whole body drenched she'd follow up with the standard dog shake flinging water everywhere.
Aside from Ellie, it was great watching the kids interact with all the dogs. I even spotted a few smiles on my older niece; apparently dogs are "cool." The three of them had great fun chasing the dogs and trying to get them to run the obstacle course. It was good exercise for the kids to run up and down the ramp. Unfortunately, Lucy was the only one interested in the ramp and that was just for the shade. Ellie made it up and down the ramp a few times, but it didn't give chase, so off she went.
Unfortunately for Ellie our dogs were growing tired after a couple hours in the park and were starting to get annoyed by the other dogs. Not wanting to create an intra-city incident (they are East side dogs and all) we packed up and headed out. Instead of cutting the day short, we decided to make one last stop: Putz's Creamy Whip.
Putz's Creamy Whip
Putz's is a West side staple in Cincinnati. When I was growing up my neighbor would load up all the neighborhood kids in the back of his pickup truck and drive us down to Putz's. Later, Gold Top opened closer to home which made a trip to Putz's even that much more special. It was a welcome bit of nostalgia having all the kids and dogs eating ice cream in the back of my (safely parked) truck. I'm glad to know that I could carry on that tradition to the next generation. Hopefully they'll look back one day with the same fond memories.
The Flying Pig
Saturday began like any other race day except this being Erin and Alycia's first race together. Go team Double Rainbow! Woke up early. Packed up my camera equipment, dogs, post-race water & gear and drove the girls downtown on the first nice Saturday in months.We parked in a garage and our old dog, Lucy, had to navigate the stairs. I think her eyes gave her more problems then her legs. After all, she can scale a fence faster then I could but she stumbled down the stairs about as gracefully as a giraffe through a tire obstacle course. Our other dog, Roxy, had no trouble with stairs and was, like always, super excited.
The five of us made our way towards the starting line of the Flying Pig. I stopped early with the dogs, wished them luck then sat to wait for the start. Erin and Alycia were the last two to cross the starting line after taking a quick moment to pose for a picture.
The three of us made camp on a street corner while all the runners trotted by. Between the other spectators and runners it's always a good time people watching. It's easy to make friends having the dogs with me as people of all ages came by to pet them. I was able to snap a quick picture as the girls ran by then I headed to the finish line to stake out a good spot. Luckily it was the last race of the day so the bridge overlooking the finish line was clearing out. I was able to grab a picture of the two of them finishing their first mother-daughter race. Walking back to the car Alycia had the brilliant idea of wanting to grab lunch and eat in a park. I realized that (all things being relative) Mt Airy forest was nearby with a huge dog park. So, we hopped in the truck and headed west. We picked up Subway and drove to the forest to eat lunch. My aunt was on her way to meet us at the dog park, but had to stop and pick up my niece and nephew and their dog.
Tree House
After lunch we stopped at the tree house in Mt Airy forest to kill some time. I hadn't been to the forest in years and had only heard of the tree house. This was new to Erin and Alyci and none of us had any idea what to expect. It was a treat and a great place to hang out. The most interesting was the wooden, carved bench inside looking more like drift wood that accidentally morphed into a bench. Anxious to get to the dog park we headed out. Dog Park in Mt Airy Forest
The five of us arrived at the same time as my aunt and her crew. The dog park was old hat for them but I hadn't been in years. And, like the rest of the forest trip, Erin and Alycia's first time. The first warm, dry Saturday in a long time brought everyone out to the park. Dogs running amok was great to see. Even our Lucy was prancing around and playing for a while. Roxy didn't know what to do. She'd run ahead, then stop and come back to make sure we were still there. That was the first time I'd seen her unleashed in an unfamiliar area with so much room to run. I think it may have freaked her out a little. Or it was her natural herding instinct wanting to make sure the group stayed together.
Ellie, the young pup of the family and the latest edition to my sister's family, was fun to watch tearing around the park. She was either chasing other dogs nonstop or jumping into the water buckets. Yes, there were a few buckets just big enough for her to squeeze into. Her whole body drenched she'd follow up with the standard dog shake flinging water everywhere. Aside from Ellie, it was great watching the kids interact with all the dogs. I even spotted a few smiles on my older niece; apparently dogs are "cool." The three of them had great fun chasing the dogs and trying to get them to run the obstacle course. It was good exercise for the kids to run up and down the ramp. Unfortunately, Lucy was the only one interested in the ramp and that was just for the shade. Ellie made it up and down the ramp a few times, but it didn't give chase, so off she went.
Unfortunately for Ellie our dogs were growing tired after a couple hours in the park and were starting to get annoyed by the other dogs. Not wanting to create an intra-city incident (they are East side dogs and all) we packed up and headed out. Instead of cutting the day short, we decided to make one last stop: Putz's Creamy Whip.Putz's Creamy Whip
Putz's is a West side staple in Cincinnati. When I was growing up my neighbor would load up all the neighborhood kids in the back of his pickup truck and drive us down to Putz's. Later, Gold Top opened closer to home which made a trip to Putz's even that much more special. It was a welcome bit of nostalgia having all the kids and dogs eating ice cream in the back of my (safely parked) truck. I'm glad to know that I could carry on that tradition to the next generation. Hopefully they'll look back one day with the same fond memories.
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