Seriously, my circadian rhythm is all messed up. I suppose that's what I get for staying up until 4:15 Sunday night/Monday morning to write a paper. Oh, and a cold. I got a head cold, too. (Apparently twenty-seven is officially too old for that sort of nonsense.)
Have I learned my lesson? In theory, yes. In practice? ...we'll see.
I'm ready for this semester to be over. I have a test tomorrow, work over the weekend, and another test on Monday - and then I leave for California for the NSNA convention. I'm pretty excited about it, mostly because it's a change from the same ol'. And the weather promises to be much more agreeable than the 40 degree rainy days we're having around here.
I'm considering another camera upgrade. I love my Powershot SD500, but the limited zoom is starting to get me down. When I bought it, I desperately wanted a super compact camera that I could wedge in the back pocket of even the tightest jeans, and the SD500 certainly fit the bill. But after shooting with it for about a year and a half, I really began to miss the creative liberties available with a longer focal length lens (which in the point and shoot world means more zoom). I've been looking around, and I think a good compromise is the Canon Powershot A710 IS. It has a 6x optical zoom, but is still fairly compact. I hate to spend too much money, because one of the purchases I intend to make upon graduating (and procuring a real job) is a Nikon digital SLR. However, that's out of reach at the moment, and mostly I need myself a zoomier point and shoot to get me by for another year.
This week, upon walking into our chapter meeting for MSNA (Montana Student Nurses Association), I was immediately bombarded with, "Mandi, want to run for chapter president for next year?" Since no one else was keen on taking the position, I (slightly grudgingly) agreed. I already hold a position on the MSNA state board, but I figured, eh, why not? I'm actually pretty excited about it now, though. All the other newly elected local officers are friends from my class, so I think we'll have a great time. Back when I was a music major, I was the president of our local chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota, so I've got a little experience that might come in handy.
Okay, time to give sleep another go. Wish me luck!
3 comments:
Have you looked at the Powershot G7? That's what I just bought. It can be had for $470 on Amazon and I believe it's quite a bit more flexible than the A710 in terms on add-on lenses/filters/etc. I've heard only good things about the A710, but I can't help but think you might be a bit happier with the G-series. Same 6x optical zoom, same image stablization (which is a GREAT feature, especially with the longer zoom), 10.0 mexapixels instead of seven, and I think the G7 is a bit more compact -- maybe. They're close, anyway.
So far, for my G7, I have added on a macro lens, a .42x semi-fisheye wideangle (focal lengh around 17mm), 2x telephoto (brings that 6x zoom to 12x, for about 420mm), and several filters. All of that cost me under $100. I've also just ordered a 3x telephoto, which should bring me to over 650mm. Can't wait.
The other than I LOVE about the G7 is that it has a hot shoe for a slave flash. I'm pretty sure the A series doesn't have that. I haven't bought an external flash yet, but I plan too. All in all, I feel like the G7 gives me all the flexibility of a dSLR without the bulk.
Anyway, I'm sure you'd be happy with the A710, too. So, either way. But, I can't help but think you might be a little more flexibility for not that much more money (the A710 is about $400, right?). Give it a look, anyway. :)
My sister is using a Panasonic DMZ-TZ1 that she's pretty happy with (it has a 10x zoom, you can search by camera on Flickr to see photos), and here's a review on cnet.
If you don't want to spend too much, I'd recommend getting a camera with fewer megapixels (like the older model in a line you like). I bought my Powershot (with 5 megapixels) after the 6+ and 7+ versions had gone on the market, and saved a $100 off it's original price when it was top of the line. In my opinion, taking a cut in megapixels is worth it for a less expensive camera (especially if you are saving up for a digital SLR - and why a Nikon instead of a Canon? :) ).
@ Jeff -
I looked at the G7, but it's really more than I want to spend right now. I compared the two, and for my current needs the A710 is more than enough camera for me for the time being. The biggest differences between the two (other than 10 megapixels versus 7 - and 10 is way more than I really need anyhow) are features that I'm not going to be getting around to using too much for the time being. I doubt I'd use any of the add-ons. And, I'm not really into the retro styling of the G7 - although it's a perfect fit for you! :)
That said, the A710 is available at Costco for $285, bundled with a 2MB SD card. Can't beat that! :)
@ the Mad Sciencita - I used to have one of the 10x optical zoom cameras. I loved it, but it was bulky enough that I didn't love carrying it around. (Since mine was one of the earlier models, the focus was a bit tempremental, and the indoor shooting wasn't great.) When I upgraded, I went uber small. But now, I miss the zoom that I had before. I'm figuring the A710 is a nice compromise between zoom and compact size. I would go for an older model, but I'm really digging the image stabilization feature, and it's just now available on the Canon A series...
As for the Nikon dSLR, I have four hefty Nikon lenses that are compatible with the dSLR bodies. Luis's father is a photographer, and since we both shoot Nikon SLR he's given me several really nice lenses. I hate to reinvest in things like that, especially since a good lens is just as, if not more important than a good body. But, I love Canon's point and shoots. :)
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