Dating and camera purchases

Posted by on May 23, 2012 | Comments Off

I’ve learned that buying a new camera is a lot like dating.

I recently bought a Nikon p7100 point-and-shoot, mainly for it’s high-def video capabilities. My Canon Mark IV shoots wonderful video but for me, it’s kind of cumbersome and awkward to use, enough so that I would shy away from shooting video. I figured the Nikon would be a good, relatively cheap, easy-to-use alternative that would yield good quality results. Most of the video I shoot is quick-hit stuff, nothing terribly involved or sophisticated so this camera looks to fit the bill.

My Nikon p7100 with Rode microphone attached. Note the DIY solution to securing the microphone input and keeping it out of the way of the lens. (GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic)

But it takes a while to get acquainted with a new camera, much the same as it takes a while to get to know someone else.

Every camera, like every person, is different. Each camera and each person has its good points and bad points. Hopefully, the good stuff outnumbers the bad stuff.

You embrace the good – it’s why you bought the camera or asked the person out on a date. For the bad stuff,  you try to adapt, try and learn to live with it if you truly want to be with this camera (or person).

I’ve found the p7100 easy to use – the large, tilting LCD screen is especially nice for ground-level or above-the-head shots. Its external microphone input is a very nice feature. This is “the good.”

But there is the bad. For instance, the exposure compensation dial on the p7100 is poorly placed so it’s easy to accidently dial in some amount of exposure compensation. But there’s an easy fix for this. A bit of gaffer’s tape on the dial keeps it from rotating. Problem solved. The camera takes a while to power up. Hardly a deal breaker, a minor flaw easy to overlook. Sort of like having a date that laughs too loudly. Perhaps a bit annoying but not enough to take the person home early and end the evening with a handshake and vague promises to “call later.”

Most importantly to remember is that it takes time to develop a good and hopefully meaningful relationship. Take your time to get and know each other. Don’t be put off by minor annoyances or idiosyncrasies. Learn to like (or perhaps even love) the other and overlook the small stuff. Adapt, change and evolve.

Happy dating. And shooting.

–Gordon King