UPDATE: ***A friend of mine tried to get the $199 price deal as advertised. They weren't honoring it saying it was a mistake and the price was actually $329.***
Good news, bad news. I just saw the Konica Minolta X50 5 mega-pixel camera extraordinaire that I bought on Friday selling for $199 at Dell in my SF Chronicle this morning. Good news for anyone who hasn't already bought this camera. This is incredible for everyone but me, who just paid $34o for it on Friday from Amazon. That hurts bad.
But for you, it's awesome. Unless it is a typo they won't back up. The paper lists the deal as available for 3-5 days. Here's the URL and the phone number to call is 888-617-9683. I clicked on this link and didn't see the X50 listed.
I love my new camera. I just wish I had bought it for $200... For one thing, I would have $250 left over from my $450 budget to start my fund for a second bigger camera for taking better photos.
My fantasy number 2, bigger and *better* camera will be used (1) when I've planned ahead and brought the big gun, (2) when a bigger camera isn't too heavy to lug around such as a family get-together and (3) when I'm home or in the backyard.
Meanwhile, my new baby's 5 mpx is a profound improvement over my old Minolta Dimage X's 2 mpx in two ways:
- It allows me to use telephoto less and less often because I know I'm going to get an abundance of pixels that can be cropped down to get closer to the target. The less telephoto I use, the less likely I am to take a bad picture. Telephoto requires proportionally longer exposures that increase the likelihood of shake.
- Since my photo image is much larger, I have more options in my cropping to find that hidden gem in what starts as a boring photo.
Two small frustrations I had with my otherwise very likable Dimage X have been eliminated on the X50:
- I can review and delete photos VERY conveniently. It used to require an arduous trip into the small menu to get rid of bad photos. Now it's effortless. The bigger 2" screen makes it easier to evaluate photos right on the camera rather than having to wait until I've uploaded them to my computer.
- They moved the lens to closer to the center of the camera body rather than near the edge where it was easy to accidentally block the lens with a finger.
There's more to say about my camera. I already am more enthused about photography. I got out my old Digital Photography for Dummies book circa year 2001 and plan on getting a current book soon. I added a digital photography category to this blog. As I learn things, I'll be posting it for your knowledge and pleasure.