An Apple store will open in my hometown of Sydney in just 2 days and Apple plans to increase their presence in China by building their first store there (in Beijing, not Shanghai) though).
I was reading this article which tells you how to "hack" your Canon point and shoot camera. It covers these models: A450
A460
A530
A540
A550
A560
A570
A610
A620
A630
A640
A650 IS
A700
A710 IS
A720 IS
S2 IS
S3 IS
S5 IS
G7
SD450 (IXUS55)
SD500 (IXUS700)
SD630 (IXUS65)
SD700 (IXUS800)
SD800 (IXUS850)
SD850 (IXUS950)
SD870 (IXUS860)
SD1000 (IXUS70)
TX-1
It looks really complicated to me but could be lots of fun for a geeky gadgety camera person!
Related post
Last Saturday we took my mother who was here visiting to our fave massage place. I got into a discussion with my mother's massage girl (who I picked out for her) about my camera. Turns out that she had that same camera as me (Did I also mention that I noticed some girl at the Nanhui blossom festival also had the same camera - I had no idea it was so well-known and popular). Now, when I bought it it was a brand new model so the most expensive it'll ever be. It was more expensive than Hong Kong or USA, but cheaper than Australia. Anyway so this girl tells me she also bought the G9 and I was really shocked because to me it was a lot of money but to her it must've been a mega huge fortune.
Anyway, it turns out her 2 year old son threw it out a window!!! Can you imagine? He likes playing with things and throwing things.. I was horrified. Gosh this poor girl who spent her life savings on a fairly expensive camera (expensive for a point&shoot anyway, and very expensive for an average Chinese person). I felt so heartbroken for her. But he's just a little kid who doesn't understand so what can you do? :( My mother took it upon herself to give her a lecture on parenting and not keeping expensive objects within his reach. haha.
Anyway, I'm thinking of getting a flash unit. One that will be compatible with Canon SLR models too. The 430Ex Speedlite is the smallest unit (current model) with a rotating head. It looks hilarious and kind of stupid this tiny camera with such a massive flash on it though!
Here is a good article about flash units for the G9.
What did I do? Random stuff in no particular order...
* With Chinese New Year coming up (tomorrow actually) I got some red packets. Woohoo! I felt bad about taking them but I couldn't not take them so...
* I went to Guanghua market on Bade Lu and near the Technology University and Nova across the road from Taipei Main station to get me a graphics tablet. My dad took me and we traipsed around in the rain to compare prices. Unlike China they have set prices (price tags) and you can't really bargain much at all which makes it easier to compare prices. I didn't know which size I wanted/needed nor which type. In the end I went for a cheaper, smaller one as I figure I'm not gonna be drawing masterpieces or anything so I didn't really need the high end Intuous model (which cost double the price!). I got the Bamboo Fun model (from Wacom) which has a 'Fun' name (LOL) and from reviews I read online it seems to be pretty good. Yes, this research-aholic actually bought something without researching it beforehand! It cost 3420 NT, which we 'bargained' down from 3490 (other stores were selling it for 3600 and 3700). (and no, it would not be cheaper in China and comparing prices is a nightmare here). I was actually after the Hello Kitty model but they didn't sell it. The Graphire line is being phased out and replaced with the Bamboo/Bamboo Fun line.
* I went to the new Hello Kitty Cafe only to be told there was a minimum 1.5 hour wait (it was that popular) and that next time I should pre-book beforehand!
90 Da'An Road
(very close to Sogo Zhongxiao Fuxing / Zhongxiao Fuxing MRT station).
* Got my Swatch (Menthol Tone - HKD$480) only to realise it was cheaper in Taiwan (2050 NT). ARGH!
* Met up with a friend in Hong Kong (at Times Square, Causeway Bay) for one hour. She is from Taiwan originally, met her in Sydney and now living in Hong Kong.
* Nearly missed my flight in HK after telling myself I wouldn't let that happen again. Of course my plane had to be literally right at the very end of the long terminal in the very huge airport (again!) I don't know how this happened. I checked the board and it didn't say anything. It did not say "Boarding". A few minutes later I looked at it again and it said "Final Call". WTF? Needless to say I ran like crazy but I was surprisingly not even the last person to go on board. You don't want to know what it is like to travel with Mainland Chinese people (roll eyes). They think catching a plane is like catching a bus or a train!
* Can't get the Chinese New Year song out of my head. I am sure there is only one song? They play the same song in stores in China and in Taiwan. There is an English version too. OMG. It is so annoying yet so funny, I can't get that crazy song and wacky lyrics out of my head. "Gong Xi Gong Xi Gong Xi Ni..."
* I went to Core Pacific Living Mall - A 19 storeys and open 24 hours a day mall in Taipei
* I left my video camera at my grandparent's place! :(
* When I came home last night I thought "Wow, our place looks so big and so clean and tidy!" (the joys of having an ayi who cleaned our place and washed and dried and put back on all our bedding and stuff was pretty nice, as was having a chauffeur-driven taxi take me home from the airport at around midnight!)
* I'm feeling quite sad and missing my family :(
* I'm feeling quite hungry and cold so must go out now to buy food and another heater!!
I feel compelled to write about my camera because three people/friends have bought the same camera recently upon my recommendation.
This is the third digital camera I have owned.
The first one was bought in 2001 and was a gift from my mother. It was a small, silver Kodak somethingorather and had 2 megapixels and NO optical zoom. Also, photos without the flash came out looking like nothing. It only really took good photos outdoors in adequate lighting. It was pretty crap and I ended up resorting to using both my SLR and compact film cameras instead and was dying for a new digicam...
The second one was bought in 2004. I bought it on eBay because I really wanted the black model which was not sold in Australia (I really really hate silver!). Also, I could get it cheaper that way. I paid AUD$600 (including exchange rate and shipping) instead of the $800 I would have paid if I had bought it in store locally. It was the Canon powershot S50 and had 5 megapixels and 3x optical zoom. The seller didn't ship overseas but I got it through a very unconventional way. I had it shipped to my uncle who lives in the States, he brought it to Taiwan. He and my dad were going to be in Taiwan at the same time so then he passed it to him and then my dad brought it back to Australia - phew! I was so happy with it. It was brand new in the box and what with all the bad stories about eBay I didn't have any problems with the seller nor the item. It still works perfectly now, despite me dropping it a few times too.
Despite the S50 being a great camera (has several manual modes and can record in RAW format) there were some things I longed for which it didn't have. I really missed the ability to use filters (as I could with my SLR camera), I really wished the optical zoom was 'better' (preferably at least 10x), I wanted 'image stabilization', a better macro mode, a 'vari-angle' LCD screen, and the 2:3 format.
I researched and researched (am a research-aholic as well as a camera-aholic) and concluded there wasn't a single camera that existed that met ALL my criteria. I searched through dpreview.com endlessly to no avail. I contemplated getting the Panasonic or Olympus models with the superzoom - 10x, 12x, 18x even! or the Canon S5IS (at the time S3IS). However the more I researched the more I realised I really wanted a smallish camera and a Canon camera as I really think they make the best cameras. Almost all the news photojournalists use them.
I found a little beauty called the Canon G7 and decided that was the one I wanted. But what with being in debt from the wedding, it had to take a back seat for a while... luckily I waited because in September 2007 the Canon PowerShot G9 arrived on the scene. I had suspected that a new model would replace the G7 but Canon wasn't giving anything away! I perused forums and blogs awaiting any news and hoped that the G8 would be able to record in RAW format (the G7 couldn't) and have a better than 6x zoom. I got the first wish but not the second. However, the LCD screen on the G9 is much better too. It is a whopping 3" and you can view it easily from all angles making overheard or low shots easy.
So in October (just before the Japan trip) I finally got my hands on the little G9 beauty. I bought it in Pacific Digital Plaza in Xujiahui (after scouring PDP, Metrocity and Hong Kong Plaza for the best price). I paid about AUD$580 for it (it had only just come out in China at that time).
It's not a perfect camera by any means but it suits me perfectly. Many have asked me (knowing I'm a photo/camera buff and that I studied photography throughout high school and university) why I didn't get a DSLR. The reasons are simple:
1. They are expensive and get outdated much more quickly than film SLRs
2. They are big and heavy and after having a neck injury I no longer wish to carry a heavy camera around my neck
3. I like to take 'photojournalistic' every day type shots and you can't do that easily when you have a big huge camera which attracts attention
4. I don't like the feeling of being a target of being mugged whilst I am travelling overseas. I have actually been mugged before for my cameras (they didn't get away with anything except some cash) so it's not a pleasant feeling!
5. I know people buy SLRs and mean well but never end up using them much and taking them out because they are 'too big', 'too bulky' and stuff. So what's the point of a camera if you aren't going to use it?
6. I don't believe that SLR cameras 'take' better photos, in the same way that buying a Porsche won't make you a better driver. It's the PERSON that takes the photo, not the camera!
So, I wanted a camera that had SLR type features and functions but was still compact. The G9 is not small by any means but I can easily still fit it into my palm, my pocket, or a pocket inside my handbag. Best of all it has the ability to use filters with it, or to add on an external flash (which is my next camera-related purchase). I think the 6x optical zoom is good enough. I rarely need to zoom in that much and the digital zoom takes it up to 24x zoom! Another bonus for me is that it takes the exact same batteries as my other Canon camera.
I love it! I won't rave on about the technical aspects and tests as you can read about that on various sites online. But if you are a G7/G9 owner who stumbled upon this make sure you check out this site - customized accessories for the G7/G9 which look like they actually were made by Canon, including a hot shoe cover, and the new cable release.
I spoke to a friend who is also a Canon fan and was also looking for a new camera and was contemplating getting a low-end DSLR till I told her I had my eye on the G7 and together we awaited the released of the G9. We contemplated getting the G7 (since it would now be cheaper) but both ended up getting the G9. Then, I had another friend tell me that they bought the G9 too (previously a G2 owner). Then, recently, I met up with my sister and her boyfriend here in Taiwan and he was fascinated with my camera and I was telling him all the great features about it and it won him over too! And he ended up buying one just hours before leaving for the airport to go back to Sydney. He was particularly impressed by the fact that it is 12.1 megapixels! :)
So to summarise... I'm a secret geek girl at heart, I love gadgets (except mobile phones), and I love the Canon G9! It fits most (but not all) of my criteria and I hope to use it for a long-ish time (well, at least 3 years judging by my history ;) )
PS - the reason why the model 'G8' was skipped was because it sounds like a rude word in Chinese!! hahaha...(the S4IS was skipped too because 4 is a bad luck number in Chinese/Japanese superstition).
PPS - I have now taken over 10,000 photos with it (5,000 alone on the Japan trip) in just 3.5 months - scary!
