Nikon Coolpix L310

I do love a bargain! I already have a digital camera, but it has been in the back of my mind for sometime to upgrade it. I take the occasional Puppy- and electronics-related shot, also personal and family shots. I was particularly interested in one with bigger optical zoom.

A few days ago I noticed a Nikon Coolpix L310 camera for A$94 in a BigW sale catalog, reduced by A$100. A bit of checking, yeah, these usually sell for A$150 or more in Australia.

The specs are lovely, the reviews are good, so I bought it.

Well, not at BigW. My local store was sold out, no more available at the sale price. However, I found it was also selling at the same price at OfficeWorks, and it was in-stock.



Interesting, my old camera, purchased several years ago, cost A$199, with nowhere near those specs.

Here is a review:
http://www.ephotozine.com/article/nikon-coolpix-l310-digital-camera-review-19389

Smartphone
Changing the subject, I posted yesterday about the possibility that I might buy a touchscreen laptop. I have decided to hold off on that. I did receive a very kind offer of an old laptop that has a touchscreen.

But, I will wait. I want to see what phone/tablet hardware Ubuntu will be supporting. I want to be very efficient with any purchases -- in the case of a smartphone, acquire something that will be usable long-term.

Though, it might be necessary to buy something intermediate, as Ubuntu Phone OS currently only runs on the Galaxy Nexus. Apparently, things are looking good for two phone manufacturers to bring out an Ubuntu-based phone, but that will be end-of-2013 or early-2014.

Ha ha, a phone vendor here in Australia had a model-runout sale of the Galaxy Nexus, for only A$210, but the sale ended 28th December. Now, they are about A$360.

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Comments

no good digital photo


Re digital cameras
Username: BarryK
"Yes, it is predicted that the market for digital cameras will shrink dramatically, probably already has. Phones and tablets are getting increasingly sophisticated camera capabilities.

Ubuntu on tables and smartphones
Username: eowens2
"It looks like Canonical is targeting the Nexus 7 tablet for Ubuntu, as well as the Nexus smartphone. But the Ubuntu image for the tablet is a slightly-modified desktop version, whereas the smartphone version is has adaptations for the phone form factor. In fact, Canonical has a wiki page devoted to rooting the Nexus 7 and installation instructions for the image they provide https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Nexus7. They say they currently have no plans for providing a dual-boot arrangement (android/ubuntu) but provide a link to XDA developers who describe such a procedure. Linux Action Show http://www.jupiterbroadcasting.com/tag/linux-action-show/ on Nov 18, 2012 has a 22 min segment on Ubuntu-on-Nexus7-tablet, and speaks pretty highly of how far the port has come in such a short time (the segment begins at 48 minutes into the show). The Linux Action Show also devotes a pretty big chunk of their Jan 6, 2013 show to Ubuntu-on-Nexus-smartphone (segment begins at 28 minutes). I've seen the quad-core 32 GB Nexus 7 in the US for $249 and used ones for $225. I'll bet Precise Puppy would FLY on a Nexus 7! I am thinking about getting one for Ubuntu...I hope Puppy is not far behind with an image!

Digital cameras
Username: Sage
"21x true optical zoom is amazing, esp. as they all come with gyro stabilising these days. Agree that the better long-term solution is SLR, always was but price and fittings standardisation was always an issue, viz. bayonet vs screw. Tablets are too clumsy to consider alternatives until the new smaller cross-over types become available. In the meantime a good (Samsung Galaxy! - Apple is for posers) mobile is adequate for routine stuff. Horses & courses, as usual - not just for burgers. I saw a lady with no photographic experience win a big competition with a box Brownie - right subject, right time, right place. Get it right and it'll be syndicated worldwide making you an A$maire.

The problem with...
Username: Sage
"...most of these fixed-lens machines is that, unlike the SLR, there is no viewfinder option. Some of the Fuji models retain this feature and, in my opinion, it is worth accepting the plastic case and (minimal) edge distortion (crop it out) over the sometimes (watch out for production spread!) superior Nikon lens to obtain it. All things being equal - they are not - a Zeiss lens would still hold sway if they were available in a suitable package. They are not. Yes, go for a viewfinder every time; even better in practice than an Hasselblad or Rolleiflex with over the top screen. Unless you do all-studio work, of course.

Tablets as cameras
Username: disciple
"> Tablets are too clumsy to consider alternatives until the new smaller cross-over types become available. It seems that a lot of people, particularly older American tourists, now use them instead of regular cameras, and it finally occurred to me why. A lot of people have trouble using digital cameras because they are long-sighted - they can't see anything on the screen, and even if they shell out for a DSLR with an old-fashioned view-finder, they struggle to read any of the controls. I think they're using tablets specifically because of their "clumsy" big screens.

Tags: general