“All time, all time.” Within my group of friends, that’s one better than epic. It’s saying, ‘that’s as good as it gets’. And it could be in reference to anything, from a great friend to a great time. Who am I kidding? It could be in reference to anything from hamburger to a homerun.
So today I wanted to share with you two of my ‘all time, all time’ favorite cameras.
First, my trusty Canon SD750 point and shoot (P&S). Why do I love this camera? Simple. It’s rugged without trying to be. I doubt ‘rugged’ was a design spec, and it sure wasn’t marketed that way, it just is.
How tough is it? Think Top Gear Toyota Hilux tough.
The media and certain smartphone manufacturers would have you ditch your P&S and instead shoot everything with your iphone or android phone. And while I love the camera on my phone, a P&S will continue to occupy space in my bag until a smartphone can put up with the abuse that this guy has (notice the lack of lens cover) and still take great photos.
(This isn’t the first time I’ve waxed positive about the SD750, but even I’m surprised when I look at that post date (2009!); am I ever going to finish this little guy off? That, and wow has my tabletop setup improved since then!)
(And if you’re wondering, yes, that’s gaffer’s tape holding the battery door shut.)
Two recent photos that I’ve made with this little guy. First, my girlfriend, Jen, enjoying a stroll through a very wintry evening in Paris.
Second, Robbie Gil, playing another great set at Rockwood Music Hall.
This next choice shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone familiar with my work and travels. My other ‘all time, all time’ camera is the fantastic Kodak Sport waterproof disposable camera. Cameras literally don’t get any easier to operate than this. It’s literally point. And. Shoot. Oh, and it’s waterproof. See the droplets? ;)
Tell me you’d pull out your smartphone 50ft above the Mediterranean, ha!
Full disclosure. I don’t use these cameras for work that I get paid for. They won’t win any pixel peeping or image quality contests. That’s the truth. But that’s not the point. I still like taking photos when I’m on vacation or when I’m out with friends. These cameras let me do that without hesitation or fail. And that’s worth a lot.
You could also say that I should just get a waterproof P&S. And maybe I will. But not yet because I’ve also fallen in love with taking my disposables into the lab to get developed (I use Luster here in NYC). Yes, it’s really that much fun to run across town and pick up my photos the next day which stands in stark contrast to the instant gratification we get from DSLRs.
So, for grabbing quick photos when/where other cameras can’t, these two are some of the best – and that’s why they’re part of my ‘all time, all time.’
