Lucian Marin
Standby, lights, camera, action!
I think I did the same mistake, again. Rewind. It all started back in 2006 when for no reason I wanted a cell phone with a good camera, so I can always have it with me. I got a Sony Ericsson K800i which was the first phone branded Cyber-shot, the leading compact camera brand from Sony. It was quite annoying at first for others to see my crappy photos taken with a cell phone on Flickr. Everything got better over time, I started to get 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 was driving me crazy for a few years. Finally, I gave up after Nikon announced its last P-series cameras. The Coolpix P300 was looking so good that I couldn’t help myself not buy it.
Actually, I think it all started back in 2004 when I got a Sony Handycam, a consumer friendly camcoder with a really small sensor. I will always hate that small resolution clips. The same thing happen with the K800i and I promised myself not to get a camera with a small sensor ever again, but I did, because good cameras are for rich persons. Who in this world has money for a Leica X1, FujiFilm FinePix X100 or anything full-frame from Canon or Nikon? I know that quality comes with a price, but I think the price is too high. C’mon, it’s 2011, the glass is still made of SiO₂ and the sensor technology didn’t change much in over a decade — I know this because I study it in college. Why the prices didn’t go down? Is it all about keeping a brand alive even 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. Nikon Expeed 2 doesn’t exceed my expectations at all. The water looks like plastic, people faces are so smooth you can’t see the pores even if you take a macro shot. I really hope for a new firmware to disable some of these insane noise reductions features. The 1080p recording feature of the camera is actually great and you can even record directly in an high contrast black and white mode.
I started a new photoblog on Tumblr to show case 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 to read my thoughts. Some people where hoping for a detailed review of Nikon Coolpix P300, but DPreview already took care of that for me. People are starting to follow me on Tumblr, I hope you do to, if you have an account there.