20060610 008.jpg

He was watching a view similar to this one:


* * * * *

I was going to take the Canon 350D & 3 lenses on this day trip to Macau (we went for
Lilac's grandmother's birthday dinner) but at the last minute I decided to just take
the new E900 to see whether I would grow to like it more.

The reason for choosing the E900 is that it seems to be the best compromise at present
between my requirements for a carry-everywhere camera, which include compactness, full
manual control, RAW format, image stabilisation and/or very good high ISO performance.
Of course image sharpness etc matter as well but that's qualitative and harder to specify.

What I'd ideally like (of today's technology) is a Fuji SuperCCD sensor in a Lumix body,
with RAW thrown in. But there is no compact camera offering IS, manual control and RAW format.
The smallest so far is the Kodak P850 (450g, and much to big for any reasonable pocket).

I would have bought an Panasonic FZ7 or a Canon S3 IS ages ago if either of them had raw format,
even though they're not pocketable (FZ7 would be easier than S3). But without RAW I tend to be
unhappy with the results after PP.

With quite a lot of missed shots today, I suspect I'll just go back to carrying the 350D
everywhere. Even with just the 25-105 it is hugely bigger and heavier than the E900, but
it's also hugely more capable.