A Dragon in Sheep’s Clothing

I have not done much with my camera (Olympus “Evolt” E-300) lately. For a short bit after I moved, I lost the battery charger (doh), but even after finding it again I have left the camera in the bag for quite a while. I guess other things drew my focus away. Maybe it’s the new job.  (Can I still call it new? It’s been six months. …wow, only six months.)

Whatever the reason, I’ve been thinking that I should take it out and get shooting again. Of course, there are some new cameras out there to tempt me. This week is the PMA 2008 convention (Jan. 29 - Feb. 2), and everyone’s putting their best upgrades forward. More on that in a moment. [About PMA]

I’ll admit that I was rather taken with the Canon DLSR (Digital Rebel XTi, I think) that my last office purchased. Yes, even more than my Olympus. The Canon took great photos in default mode, whereas I felt like I was always tweaking my Olympus, especially for white balance. It was quite annoying when all I wanted to do was set up in the park and wait for the dragonflies to become accustomed to my presence, but I had to run through several shots first to get the color temperature right. Well, not exactly right — I still did post-processing. And I must admit that the Canon felt more like a good camera while holding and shooting.

Anyway, Canon has a new model in the Digital Rebel line - the XSi 450D -  due out in April. (And as usual, I’d rather not settle for the old model after I see the newest features.)

Another new release getting a great initial reception is the Fujifilm FinePix S100FS. Historically, the FinePix series has not been in the line of “enthusiast” DSLR cameras, falling into what DPReview calls the “consumer digital camera” market. Biggest differences for me include an auto-zoom instead of manual zoom. Well, the S100FS is blurring that line. It has manual zoom as well as image stabilization, the latter done through both hardware and software. However, it has a fixed lens. I’ll wait for DPReview’s tests and conclusions. I’ll have plenty of time before the new Canon becomes available in April.

The one thing the Olympus has going for it is the ability to shoot in near infrared. Haven’t done this enough to work out the kinks (noise, exposure time, post-processing), but it is possible. Remember, I’m speaking of my E-300; I know that the E-330 cannot since it has a hot mirror. I haven’t read anything yet about whether these new cameras block infrared, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they did. Infrared can mess with the color results in digital sensors.

Really, it comes down to features for the price. The reviews for the new Digital Rebel vs. the FinePix will sway me toward Canon or Fujifilm. I have a feeling the Canon will win on features. Then the feature and price comparisons will sway me between the Digital Rebel XTi and XSi. Are the new features important, and are they worth the price? How much will the price of the XTi drop after the XSi hits the street?

Sorry, Olympus. You were the greatest when I first started out, and the C-2100 Ultrazoom was a thing of beauty at the time. I’d be glad to check out your new E-510, but I confess that I expect not to be impressed. And I have to go with the camera that makes me want to shoot.