Lucian Marin
Standby, lights, camera, action!
I think I made the same mistake again. Rewind. It all started back in 2006 when, for no particular reason, I wanted a cell phone with a good camera, so I could always have it with me. I got a Sony Ericsson K800i — the first phone branded Cyber-shot, Sony’s leading compact camera brand. It was quite annoying at first for others to see my crappy cell-phone photos on Flickr. Everything got better over time: I started to feel that desire that drives you to get the perfect shot, no matter the camera, lens or lighting. In the end, I think I got a few decent shots for a phone. The need for a real camera drove me crazy for a few years. Finally, I gave in after Nikon announced its last P-series cameras. The Coolpix P300 looked so good that I couldn’t help buying it.
Actually, I think it all started back in 2004, when I got a Sony Handycam — a consumer-friendly camcorder with a really small sensor. I will always hate those low-resolution clips. The same thing happened with the K800i, and I promised myself never to get a camera with a small sensor again. But I did, because good cameras are for rich people. Who in this world has money for a Leica X1, a FujiFilm FinePix X100 or anything full-frame from Canon or Nikon? I know quality comes at a price, but I think the price is too high. C’mon, it’s 2011: the glass is still made of SiO₂ and sensor technology hasn’t changed much in over a decade — I know this because I study it in college. Why didn’t the prices go down? Is it all about keeping a brand alive even when it’s dead in the water? Or do these brands think photographers are stupid enough to pay a high price for a brand-new camera?
My new camera is like my old camera: it’s light, black, and has that small sensor that makes pictures dirty when you need them clean and sharp. The Nikon Expeed 2 doesn’t exceed my expectations at all. Water looks like plastic, and people’s faces are so smooth you can’t see the pores even in a macro shot. I really hope a new firmware will let me disable some of these insane noise-reduction features. The camera’s 1080p recording is actually great, and you can even record directly in a high-contrast black and white mode.
I started a new photoblog on Tumblr to showcase the pictures I take from time to time. I will try to keep my journal free of photos, so I won’t disturb my readers with dirty pixels when all they want to do is read my thoughts. Some people were hoping for a detailed review of the Nikon Coolpix P300, but DPreview already took care of that for me. People are starting to follow me on Tumblr — I hope you do too, if you have an account there.