Image quality on point and shoot compared to $40,000 camera

I am a big fan of Digital SLR cameras.  These devices offer outstanding image quality and virtually instant autofocus and metering.  The difference between these and point and shoot cameras is like night and day. The downside is that dSLRs tend to be large and bulky particularly if you have multiple lenses.  Even an dSLR with one lense is typically bigger than a point and shoot.  IMO, point and shoot cameras are valuable because they offer improved portability vs dSLRs.  Historically, the downside has been image quality.

I recently ran across this article where the author compares the image quality between a $40,000 medium format camera and a $500 Canon Powershot G10.  The results from the two cameras were surprising similar.  A large group of photography professionals could not consistently differentiate between images taken from the two cameras!  Yes, he essentially says that a $500 a picture that is difficult to differentiate from a $40k camera.

The differentiation between the above two cameras will vary by specific lighting and situation.  In the case above, the performance was equivalent while there will be of other cases where there is no comparison.  (It better be that way when spending 50x more!)  That said, the fact the two cameras provide similar image quality in even one circumstance is amazing.

From my perspective, the Powershot G10 is the point and shoot camera to get if you are going to purchase one.  It retails for $500 although you can use the Microsoft Live/eBay discount to save 30%.

The latest Blackberry’s

Well, I have posted quite frequently about my interest in Blackberry cellphones in the past.  I often lamented the fact that the Bold was delayed terribly especially since my phone is getting old in the tooth and desperately needs replacement.

As the old adage goes, "When it rains, it pours", I have gone from having no new options to two brand new choices.  AT&T announced the Blackberry Bold which is the newest QWERTY BB.  This phone is essentially the newest version of the traditional BB form factor device.  It has been delayed incessantly and is finally available.  Definitely a good choice although it is simply an enhanced version of the existing platform.

Continue reading The latest Blackberry’s

Quote from Chris Matthews

On the YouTube video below, Chris Matthews from MSNBC says, “I want to do everything I can to make this [Obama’s] presidency work.”  Politics aside, doesn’t it seem odd that a newscaster would so blatantly indicate that his goal is to ensure Obama’s success?

I am sorry, but IMO, the media’s job is to maintain impartiality.  Like anything else, some policies are successful and others are not and it is the media’s job to differentiate so the viewers can make their own assessments.  Now we have Chris Matthews saying he wants to do what ever it takes to make Obama’s presidency work.  This reflects a complete bias and is hugely problematic.

On a side note, I am not trying to make a political judgement.  I believe that this perspective is very dangerous for either party.  The media must do what they can to maintain impartiality.  How can Chris Matthews have any credibility on political issues whatsoever when he makes statements like this?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7t7NJWW-n1Y[/youtube]

Manchester Airport

I was recently traveling on Southwest through Manchester, NH.  They fly out of two airports in the Boston area, Providence and Manchester.  In the past, I have always chosen Manchester due to its proximity to where I live and its ease of parking and short security lines.  In many respects, it was a hidden gem of an airport if you could get a direct flight.

Unfortunately, I have decided that Manchester is no longer a hidden gem.  The problem is that its popularity has increased and the airport has not improved its security layout commensurately.  The result is that security lines are now bad.  (Logan has many more passengers, and is better designed to handle them.)

I have two datapoints to support this finding.  The last two times I have been there, the wait was about 45 minutes the first time and about 30 minutes last time.  This is not what I expected especially since the wait used to be non-existent.  These wait times are much worse than those I typically experience in Boston.  At this point, my recommendation is to avoid Manchester in favor of Boston unless the fare price is so compelling that you are willing to tolerate the added annoyance.

SD vs SDHC Memory Cards

I recently was purchasing a high capacity memory card and card reader for a digital camera that uses SD/SDHC.  I was a bit confused about the above two card technologies and was not sure if anyone else had the same problem.

In short, SD is limited in maximum capacity and performance due to some kind of limitation.  (I think that it is something technical, but am not exactly sure why.)  To resolve this. they released SDHC.  An SDHC device will read SD cards and SDHC cards while an SD compatible device will only read SD.  This same point applies to card readers and cameras.

The general recommendation is that you should stick with SDHC since it offers higher capacities and performance.  The issue relates to compatibilty.  When making the leap to SDHC, you need to make sure that both your camera AND your card reader support the technology.