New Toy

I love taking photos.

However it is not possible to take my 20D and lens with me all the time. I need a true portable camera. Image quality need not to be top-notch, as they're meant to be snap shots, and I have SLR and DSLR for serious work.

For sometime I had been using my Ricoh GR1v for such purpose, now it is retired and I dare not to spoil it with daily wear and tear (belive me, it is such a great camera!). When the GR Digital comes out I thought: this is the one.

Finally I played around with it yesterday, wasn't very impressed. The speed lose out to the Canon Powershot S80, both with 28mm eqiv. High ISO on GR Digital not very good (or did I expecting too much?), and the size... With the pice close to an entry-level DSLR, I'd rather turn to my trusty GR film camera for its true "build-for-snap" capability.

Another round in the shopping area comes a surprise - the Kodak V570, a 23mm fixed lens plus a 39-117mm zoom. Bravo! I love true wide angle and this is the one, with a fixed 23mm F2.8 optics! Plus its style, bright screen and build quality...

I got one and I LOVE it. It reminds the old days with a fixed 28mm F2.8 Ricoh GR1v, but now with a Kodak. The photo quality is not top-notch in its class, it is the innovation and stylish design the matters!

We need creative products. P&S will never be as good as DSLR, "balance" is the formula when it comes to a P&S.