Thursday, March 30, 2017

A DAUNTING DECISION: WHAT CAMERA SHOULD I BUY??

In the scheme of things, does the decision of what camera to buy really matter all that much?? I have LOVED using my Samsung Galaxy 8 camera for nearly four years, with Android technology and all my familiar apps. Wherever we have traveled people have been fascinated by it. "Is it a phone? Is it a camera?" Kinda both -- you can't make a traditional phone call, but it is otherwise connectable while principally being a camera. And then there is the enormous screen size -- 4.8" -- which has been a joy.

It was beginning to show some wear so off to Best Buy for help as they are a big Samsung outfit. Upon learning the distressing news that Samsung had discontinued the product (mon dieu!), apparently due to low sales, I was faced with a mind-boggling choice of what to buy next. The decision is akin to sorting through all the wineries in Napa/Sonoma these days ... so much variety to choose from.

For me (and obviously so many others), travel and photography are intertwined. In discussing my upcoming travel plans, a well-meaning person actually urged me to bring a camera along! I really can't imagine one without the other. Yes, most of us know folks who travel but don't have any sort of record (permanent or otherwise) of their experiences. The hubby has never had to think about it, and likely wouldn't, but still nudges me if I don't have a Shutterfly album (samples below) printed in short order after our big trips.

Typically I go to Samy's Camera, a very reputable dealer in Los Angeles, and rely on their expertise to guide me. This time I did my own online research. I looked at Samy's offerings and compared them to Amazon, plus read user reviews. I don't want to be too much of a skeptic, but how does one know if a user knows what he or she is doing when they review something? Maybe the bad experience is due to "pilot error."

Without going much deeper in the weeds, I decided on a Canon Powershot SX540 HS with 50x Optical Zoom and Built-In Wi-Fi. So far, so good (you be the judge per below). I will still bring the Samsung with me just in case. And I will try not to be influenced by reading all the recommendations in a WSJ column ... seen, of course, after my purchase!