I’ve taken pictures ever since I was in highschool or even earlier (let’s see,..how many decades ago was it, ;P…). It was a pocket camera, tho back then you really need to have a huge pocket to fit one of those 35mm hand crank camera. I have a fair share of using 9 different cameras in total, excluding the ones I borrowed. Strangely the only one I couldn’t remember is,..my first camera. How weird is that? I know it was a Fuji (It’s the biggest brand in Indonesia until the digital era), but I couldn’t remember the type. After that came the Olympus Mju first generation, then my first SLR the Canon FN1000, entering the digital era with Canon Cybershot 1.3 Megapixel DSC-P30, then change to Nikon Coolpix 3700, satisfied with the coolpix, I upgraded to DSLR Nikon D200, only to downgrade to D80 a year later, sold my Nikon and crossed over to Canon 40D and finally the 7D. Mostly I love them all, except for the Sony cybershot. It was expensive at that time, and the indoor picture quality was just terrible. I believe it was released in Sony’s fifth year in the still-camera business, so it’s justifiable. And they’ve excelled ever since even though they remain the most expensive compare to other brands in each class.

Here are some pictures I took in the last decade using analog and digital cameras, and some from my phones. Sure in some of these images you could even see the pixel count, but I’m glad I took these pictures so I could relive these moments.

My nephew and robot,..the toy robot. Taken with a borrowed Canon Ixy 320 (3.2MP), remains one of my favorite shots. (click on image above to enlarge)

Mom and Dad goofed around. Good thing I had my Nokia 6111 handy at that time.

Sunset @ Stillwater, Oklahoma. Using film camera, with a color slide 35mm film, then printed and scanned without any photoshop retouching. The gradation is smooth like you wouldn’t believe.

Gazing at the sky. Same as before, using film camera, with a color slide 35mm film, then printed and scanned without any photoshop retouching.

Low resolution pic, clock wise from top left, My nephew acting like a boss (taken with Sony’s 1.3 MP camera), my chubby cheeked niece (taken with nokia 6600), Linkin Park concert 2003 (using Sony Ericsson T-630), A truck charging onto me, it was definitely on the wrong side of the road. Scary huh? (also taken with SE T630) (click on image above to enlarge)

So how would you know which camera is the best for you? Just find the right camera that you feel most likely you will carry around everywhere. If you feel the needs to upgrade from your pocket digital camera to DSLR because you feel the image quality of your current camera doesn’t cut it anymore, then go ahead pick one up. But, if you’re the type of person that finds DSLR bulkiness bothers you, don’t be tempted to get it just because everybody arounds you seems to have one nowadays. Trust me, it will collect more dust in your drawer than dust from your trip to a volcanic mountain. Other type cameras that should be seriously considered are the pro-level compact such as Canon G11 or Panasonic Lumix LX-3, and the Interchangable Lens Mirrorless Camera such as the Olympus EP2 and Sony NEX-5. Both types offer larger sensor than your average point and shoot cameras, and the creativity of the DSLR cameras without the bulkiness. If you’re the type of person who wants all features in 1 gadget with no hassle, then iPhone 4 is your thing. Sure its 5MP still images or 720p HD video is not comparable to most DSLR or even high end compacts, but it’s a phone!!! You always carry your phone with you , don’t you? Which means you’ll always have your camera ready with you. Whatever you bought, have it handy. So, any chance you see a ‘moment’, just shoot away!

by ingimg
ingenious imaging

I didn’t need to worry about viruses, or programming back end in case it crashes. Unlike what the fanatics say that Macs don’t crash, in reality, they do. But I always manage to fix it myself, sometimes with the help of, back then, a small community of Mac users. Apple was loved by the creative industry, i.e, designers, artists, researchers, and filmmakers. So loved, that you start seeing Apple computers/notebooks in movies and TV shows (you’ve got mail, sex and the city, and many many more) without Apple being have to pay for the free publicity. It’s just the creatives people’s way of showing gratification for making their lives easier.

Recently, I got the Magic Mouse (Apple’s wireless, multi-touch mouse) as a Christmas gift, and have been amazed by its design and practicality. Thus, I decided to take pictures of it and made it my desktop wallpaper, and shared it thru V7. Let’s just say its my way of showing my gratification to Apple.

So, here’s the final result, after I tinkered with it for quite some time using Photoshop. Click on the image for bigger preview.

Here’s the original image, where I just turned all lights off, except for my desklamp with tissue paper to diffuse the light.

And here’s after I adjusted the contrast, sharpened, fine-tuned the level to bring out the Apple logo, and added vignette effect in Aperture software to make it more dramatic.

I love the contrast of high-tech and the wood texture, and overall satisfied with the original master pic. Maybe next time I’ll show my gratification to Canon. ;D

There are other brands that I love for their value, or for making my life easier, some even I lust after, but never actually experienced it myself, like a Leica. What’s your favorite brands, in term of customer satisfaction? I’m sure it’s not much different accross the world, since most of the successful brands have gone global.