New camera!
After two years of shopping, I had to pick a camera in a hurry before my trip. But I finally have a digital camera! I knew I wanted a "bridge" camera — that's one of those cameras with a zoom lens, automatic and manual capabilities, that's between the expensive DSLRs and the pocket cameras. It also had to be both Mac and Windows compatible.
So far, I really like my Kodak Z981. The lens is great, with a 26x optical zoom. So it goes from this wide-angle shot...
(see the little sailboat in the middle of the frame?)
to this, with zoom.
(taken with my hands, no tripod)
Sweet, huh?
The manual only has the basics. I don't like the way camera manufacturer's are always wanting you to go to a website to get any instructions these days. What if I'm some place without internet — say, on the beach?
So I had to have help from another photographer as we finally figured out how to make the flash pop up (you set it to P for program mode and turn the force-flash on, as opposed to automatic mode).
I didn't think I would care about face recognition, but that has been great. I can now center a photo with two people in it, and it will focus on the people instead of the distant spot in between them. That's nice.
I hate, hate, HATE the EasyShare software. Although the camera was supposed to be Mac compatible, it won't mount on the desktop (one of the reasons I didn't choose a Nikon, same problem). You're forced to use the EasyShare, which didn't work last night when I needed to post a photo for my news article (so I sent it in without a photo; deadlines won't wait for stupid software).
I got around the download glitch by letting the software default to automatic download when you plug the camera in. These folks don't understand that Mac people hate automatically launched things; we like to have a little more control, and choice.
OK, so that's my quicky review for having used my new Kodak about four days.
So far, I really like my Kodak Z981. The lens is great, with a 26x optical zoom. So it goes from this wide-angle shot...
(taken with my hands, no tripod)
Sweet, huh?
The manual only has the basics. I don't like the way camera manufacturer's are always wanting you to go to a website to get any instructions these days. What if I'm some place without internet — say, on the beach?
So I had to have help from another photographer as we finally figured out how to make the flash pop up (you set it to P for program mode and turn the force-flash on, as opposed to automatic mode).
I didn't think I would care about face recognition, but that has been great. I can now center a photo with two people in it, and it will focus on the people instead of the distant spot in between them. That's nice.
I hate, hate, HATE the EasyShare software. Although the camera was supposed to be Mac compatible, it won't mount on the desktop (one of the reasons I didn't choose a Nikon, same problem). You're forced to use the EasyShare, which didn't work last night when I needed to post a photo for my news article (so I sent it in without a photo; deadlines won't wait for stupid software).
I got around the download glitch by letting the software default to automatic download when you plug the camera in. These folks don't understand that Mac people hate automatically launched things; we like to have a little more control, and choice.
OK, so that's my quicky review for having used my new Kodak about four days.
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