I have the enviable / unenviable position (depending how you look at it) of being spoilt for choices and am currently in a purchasing dilemma.
You see, I am contemplating buying a digital camera…my very first. Wei! Don't laugh-la! Yes, I’m lagging behind in terms of electronic / electrical gizmos but hey, I’m slowly catching up.
The compact camera I’m currently using is not too bad. However, it can be a nerve wrecking experience to anticipate how your photographs will turn out after you sent the film to be developed by your favourite photography shop. There’s no way to turn back the clock to take a second shot. Unless you have at the first stage, taken a second shot as “insurance”. Even so, the “insurance” shot could have turned out as bad if not, worse.
Anyway, I’ve set myself out to do some scouting for a digital camera in the range of RM600.00 and have come up with a shortlist…as nominated by the various shopkeepers.
Nikon L4
On the Nikon L4, this is what some have said:-
a. Good picture quality but in-door flash photography need some manual tweaking
b. Reliable
c. Comes with rechargeable batteries
d. 4 megapixels with 3x optical zoom
e. RM650.00 inclusive of 512mb SDcard
Next on the nominees list:-
Canon PowerShot A430On the Canon PowerShot A430, some say this:-
a. Plenty of featuresb. 4 megapixels with 4x optical zoom
c. Solid
d. Fragile??!!
e. RM650 inclusive of 512mb SDcard
Third on the list:-
Ricoh Caplio RR630
a. 6 megapixels, 3x optical zoom and 4x digital zoom
b. Not much advertised but serious photographers know it's a good and reliable brand (really??)
c. Simple to use
d. Can shoot movie with sound
e. RM650.00 with 512mb SDcard thrown in.
So, you can see that all are priced the same but features differ. Having had a feel of all three cameras, my heart tells me the Nikon L4 is the best bet. The camera feels good (handling, size, etc) and the LCD screen is crystal clear. The Canon PowerShot A430 is rather chunky and does not feel as "solid" when held. As for the Ricoh Caplio RR630, the camera is well built and looks easy to use but the LCD screen disappoints me compared to the Nikon L4. The shopkeeper swears by the print quality though (since it's 6 megapixels).
Hope by the time I make up my decision, my hair would not be as thin as Zidane's.
If you can help, why not leave a comment down here? The faster I make up my decision, the less hair I lose and the more pictures you will see on this blog!
