I’ve been a long time happy owner of the SD800 camera. Despite my objections about the megapixel inflation game that Canon is playing right alongside all of the other manufacturers, it’s been an awesome camera for me. Sadly, my SD800 was stolen over the past weekend and I was forced to purchase a new SD870. My initial thoughts on this camera are below - these are as a comparison to the SD800 I purchased before.
In a nutshell, I love the Canon SD series (”Digital ELPH“). They have small lenses and small sensors, but they can take some awesome pictures. They are small enough to be in your pocket at all times, so you end up taking a lot of shots with them that you’d never get with a bigger camera. Do they match up to a DSLR (or even a bigger “prosumer” camera)? Of course not, but they hold their own quite well.
Canon in general has had my support for quite a while for a variety of reasons. This is my fourth Canon digital camera (I’ve also owned an SD230 and Powershot S1), and I’m sticking with the company. Besides making good sensors and lenses, I am very happy that they also tend to use standard memory formats, unlike other companies.
On a side note, my mother’s Powershot S1 (my old camera) recently exhibited some odd behavior that was obviously due to sensor problems. It turns out Canon is well aware of this issue and is repairing/replacing all cameras affected by the problem free of charge (including shipping) out of warranty. For more details: http://www.imaging-resource.com/badccds.html. In my mom’s case, the S1 was replaced by an S5 free of charge. Thank you, Canon!
In short, the SD870is is the direct upgrade to the SD800is, but with a bigger screen (3″ vs. 2.5″). Canon’s SD line is confusing to follow, and the model numbers don’t necessarily make sense. Just because it has a bigger number doesn’t mean it’s a better camera. The SD800/SD870 both share the wider angle lens, which I’ve grown quite accustomed to. On the face the SD870 just seems like a minor upgrade (with the exception of the screen).
Initial impressions:
The new 3″ screen is awesome. It’s huge, and it provides a LOT of detail. The colors look great. Losing the optical viewfinder is not even an issue, as it’s always been a weak viewfinder on the entire SD line. I don’t ever see people using viewfinders on this form-factor camera, so props to Canon for dropping it. The new screen is perfectly big enough for composing and reviewing your picture. Get a screen protector.
The power button is larger and protrudes more. This is actually bad, as it allows for easier turning on of the camera in your pocket. This is probably the biggest weakness, and I wish Canon had not done this. The old design was perfect.
The auto and manual modes have been consolidated to the same physical switch. Previously I was constantly switching modes pulling the camera out of my pocket. Now it stays in the same mode unless I change it manually (through the set button menu). This means switching from auto to digital macro is easier as well.
Focusing and general responsiveness seems faster. Not much.
Low light support seems better.
The 8MP is probably useless. Less pictures on my 2GB card now.
It feels a bit less sturdy than the SD800. Not flimsy, just not as much of a tank as before.
I really like that the ISO being used, even when on “Auto” or “Hi” ISO mode, is displayed on the screen now. I don’t know that this helps at all, but I like seeing this info. The ISO chosen is now displayed in the review information as well. This used to only be show if you manually selected an ISO value. I don’t know if it’s recorded in the EXIF information.
The battery meter is now always displayed instead of only when the power is low.
ISO shift. If you turn it on and put it on the print button, the print button flashes blue if the ISO is too low for the lighting conditions. Press the print button, and it shifts the ISO up to the lowest value that’ll work. So 80 might become 120 or 250. You can also set it to “auto ISO shift”, and it always shifts it up. Not sure how the latter differs from “Auto” or “Hi”.
The (previously absolutely useless) print button can be assigned functions now. Most useful function is screen blank, but there are a couple of others - for example, toggle the display overlay on and off.
Reviewing mode is now a button you press on the front of the camera instead of an option on the mode switch. This is a great move in my mind, as previously I would consistently switch to review mode while pulling the camera out of my pocket.
The four-way pad has become a method for selecting the camera mode as well. If you roll your finger around the wing, the mode changes. It’s kind of like the ipod, only less sensitive, and I haven’t really decided if it’s a gimmick or not.
Canon still hasn’t fixed some issues that have bugged me - like the fact the camera forgets you’re in burst mode when you turn the camera off, but over all this is a good improvement. If they’d only left the power button alone, I’d have no real complaints about this upgrade to the SD800.
If you search Google for Syntax - Pride, you’ll find quite a few blog posts mentioning the song; most of which found it by watching Nip Tuck or Bones. The latter is where I first heard it (Season 1 Episode 16, I believe), and I immediately fell in love. Imagine my dismay to find out the group only lasted a year, and the album is not easy to find.
Sure, I can buy it from Amazon (and other stores), but as an import, at $25-$30, and only as a physical copy. I’ve tried to stop purchasing physical copies of music, and the fact that arbitrary limitations keep me from getting this CD at a reasonable price frustrates me. The label, for whatever reason, doesn’t want to sell this digitally, and so I’m forced to decide between not getting the music (ethically right), buying it as an import (it’s too expensive to justify), or resorting to other methods. I really do believe I should pay for the music I download (if for no reason other than to vote with my money), and I’ve all but stopped downloading music without without buying it (or it being released by the copyright holder), so it’s hard to decide what to do. If I feel strongly enough about supporting the artists and paying for the music I get, then the answer should be simple. Is music important enough to violate your own ethical code, or is it so important that to do so is deeply wrong? I am perfectly comfortable with sharing mix tapes, but downloading the whole album is acknowledging the worth of the music to you. If it’s worth something, why wouldn’t you want to help support the person who made it happen?
The song Pride is beautiful (although I’d drop the bit in the middle) and you should give it a listen. I anticipate hearing the rest of the album… somehow.
I recently had another opportunity to visit Ireland for business and again (due mostly to the price of tickets over the weekend) I was able to spend the weekend in Dublin. This is my third visit that included a weekend, so I decided this time to roam outside the city. Ideally, I would have liked to rent a vehicle and travel the countryside myself, but this time I didn’t think I had the time and/or resources to do such. Instead, I turned to the professionals to show me the sights.
The tour started off with a two hour train ride to Limerick, on the western coast of Ireland. There we switched to the bus that drove us around for the majority of the day. The dark red light is our path for the day, with the trip starting off going the southern route and then returning by the northern route.
The first stop on the bus tour was at Bunratty Castle, which wasn’t really what I had previously thought of when I heard the word castle. It’s an impressive building, sure, but just not what I was expecting.
Although it’s not very big, it was complete with a dungeon, turrets, and beautiful stained glass windows. The majority of the adornments are authentic from the same time as the castle, but actually came from other castles. This includes the furniture and glass windows.
Outside the castle is a folk park designed to mimic the style of the time when the castle was in active use.
This features reconstructions of historical cottages and buildings, recreating the general feel of the 19th century with a period style village main street. Old tools, furniture and artefacts are displayed, with the village kept alive by some inhabited shops, an old home bakery and peat fires in cottages. –Wikipedia
This included thatched roofs, waterwheels, and a church.
After the castle we started the part of the tour I really was interested in - seeing the Cliffs of Moher and then the countryside. The first stop was at a O’ Connor’s pub in Doolin, where I had an unexpected surprise:
Yes, that sticker is from the very pub I mentioned in a previous post - one of my favorite Irish pubs in the DC area!
The view outside the pub was awesome, even despite the bad weather:
The Cliffs of Moher were incredibly crowded, but were very impressive to see. Careful examination leads me to believe these would be very climbable, except for the lack of somewhere to stand at the bottom. With some proper traditional gear and a little gumption, these would prove to be an enjoyable climb.
The Irish, apparently, do not always follow directions. The paths past the “do not cross” signs were very well trampled. The guards also seemed to ignore the trespass.
After the cliffs the bus proceeded down some very narrow and very twisty roads. Quite a few times we had issues passing other traffic, including one very close incident with a huge excavator that prompted the entire bus to applaud when the driver made it through without incident.
After a little while on these roads we arrived at The Burren, a very barren part of the west coast of Ireland where large limestone fields dominate the landscape. We got a chance to see some of these, and they proved to be quite photogenic:
Our guide told us that a large variety of species end up growing in the cracks between the limestone, likely due to deposits left by the various birds. Plants that wouldn’t be normally found in Ireland can be found here, including some very nice flowers.
Our bus is off in the distance in this picture:
I spy rock climbers!
After that, it was more coastline driving and a few more scenic shots.
All in all, the rail tour was a lot of fun, but I probably won’t go for that sort of thing again. Rail Tours Ireland was nothing but professional, but I’m just not really suited for that type of adventure. I’m too independent when it comes to travel, and I’d rather not be directed everywhere. Schedules don’t belong on vacations, either, and we were definitely constrained by time the entire tour.
I ended up leaving my hotel at about 0600 on Saturday morning and didn’t return until 2200. I was lucky that the hotel was right beside the train station where the tour started and stopped, or my day would have been even longer. Next time I’ll rent a vehicle or get a cheap flight to somewhere else in Europe.
On Sunday I took a quick bus and walking tour of the city where I took a few more interesting pictures.
I recently had another opportunity to visit Ireland for business and again (due mostly to the price of tickets over the weekend) I was able to spend the weekend in Dublin. This is my third visit that included a weekend, so I decided this time to roam outside the city. Ideally, I would have liked to rent a vehicle and travel the countryside myself, but this time I didn’t think I had the time and/or resources to do such. Instead, I turned to the professionals to show me the sights.
