goodbye Canon, hello Sony (Sony Cyber-shot DSC H9)
from AntBlog701

goodbye Canon, hello Sony (Sony Cyber-shot DSC H9)

Well, it's time to say goodby to my Canon PowerShot S50. I suddenly can't close the lens cover during the Walk Tour in Maryborough on 27th September. It happened for no reason. The camera itself is still functioning, can still take good photos. However, as I've been thinking about getting a new camera for quite a while, it seems like a good time (or perhaps a good excuse) to get a new camera.

Here's the a photo of Canon PowerShot S50. I dropped it twice as I recall. The camera on the tripod was knocked to the floor while I was waiting for the opening of the Apple Academy Store opening.The second time was in Garden Island Navy Base, I did not hang it properly I have to day. The top right red circle indicates the case damage caused first time. The second drop caused a dent in next photo.

As you can see from the photo above, that was the maximum I can close the lens cover.

The Canon PowerShot S50 was a great digital camera. It was a 5 MP (Megapixel) digital camera with 3x optical zoom (12x combined with digital zoom), and full manual control. I got it in 2003 and it cost me more than AU$1200.

I bought a new camera in Bundaberg next day, a Sony Cyber-shot DSC H9. (It is not a Digital SLR.)

The contents:

Memory card (Memory Stick Duo) is not included. The camera has a 31 MB internal memory. I bought a 2GB Memory Stick Pro Duo to make my life easier.

Why did I choose Sony Cyber-shot DSC H9? Bundaberg is not a big city like Sydney or Brisbane. I asked for a point and shoot camera with full manual control meaning that I can control both shutter speed and aperture at the same time. Unlike Don, I prefer not to use Auto mode, which more photographers would agree with me. There were two cameras that have hight resolution and match my requirement, Canon PowerShot S5 IS and Sony Cyber-shot DSC H9. Both are similar, I chose Sony one for lighter weight and slightly bigger zooming and larger LCD.

Quick specs of Sony Cyber-shot DSC H9:
8.1 MP (Megapixel), 15x optical zoom (up to 30x combined), ISO range: 80 - 3200, shutter speed: 30 sec - 1/4000 sec and Aperture range: F2.7 - F8, 3.0" (7.5cm) LCD.

One interesting aspect about this camera is that it can shot HD resolution photos directly at 1920 x 1080 (that is 16:9 ratio). The sticker on top of the camera says "Full HD 1080 Still Image". As you might have noticed I don't usually remove stickers, unless necessary.

Before Don or Pedro calling me rich, this camera is cheaper than my previous camera (Canon PowerShot S50). I admit that this camera is the top model currently available under Sony's Cyber-shot series (point and shoot cameras), a prosumer model. The camera itself is AU$795, I bought a 2GB Memory Stick PRO Duo and an additional 4 year warranty at the same time. (Well, the total cost is just over 1 grand if you really want to know.) I don't think I am moving to DSLR any time soon.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC H9 (Sony Australia)
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