camera, thy camera, wherefore art thou?

It's highly personal, you know, this shopping for a camera.  For one, this is an intimate decision.  It will be close to my person almost all the time; like my favorite flip-flops. Second, I'm just very particular about my camera - having had a wonderful experience with a Canon, everything else seems less-than, now. Especially considering the much-to-be-desired experience I had with a Nikon and Fuji not too long ago.

But what is one to do when there are six hundred million five hundred fifteen thousand and one options to choose from?  And knowing that frugality is first and foremost on the priority list - do we buy used- and trust that it will all come out in the wash?  Or will we be smitten and then woe-is-me when it just suddenly stops working? Quality vs. Frugality - this is an excruciating compromise.

Of course all of the above can happen with a new camera.  With a warranty, even.

These simultaneously slow and tedious processes are at the top of my field-mouse-brain to-do list.

1. save for camera
2. shop for camera

Literally, number two is much more strenuous than number one. Shopping for a camera is stressful for me.  I get confused between the SD and the MP and the optical zoom and the MB.  Look for a digital camera lately that still has an actual viewfinder window?  Not just the humongous screen on which to review your taken photographs, but the little tiny eye ball window.  

So, here I am, talking to you, gentle and nearly faithful readers and asking for you to opine with me.  I'm not a professional photographer, although I like to pretend to be.  I love taking pictures, it is one of the very best ways I know to stay present; to live in the moment, while capturing a corner piece of the past to carry with me into the future.  It's my unorganized way of piecing together the visual quilt that is my life.  

Why is the choice of camera and picture-taking important to you?

Would you buy a used camera?

What are your thoughts on Canon?  Other brands?  

Do you pay close attention to how many MP and the amount of optical zoom or just go with an inexpensive price?  

Talk amongst yourselves, I'll be back with some herbal tea and we'll sit a spell and watch the clouds roll by.

'Cause we're reunited, hey, hey

I hope, like me, that you now have that song in your head. It's all good. I'm up for some dumb totally important and productive reason at 1:45am and don't know what else to write. So, I stick a song to your head. Like it. Or not.

Actually, when I was younger ( a couple decades days ago) I used to adore that song and also Linda Ronstadt's "You're No Good". For some reason I thought of potatoes when I heard that song. As if she were sorting them.....bad ones here, good ones there. Anyhow.

One time, while I was in a hair salon with my mom - there were ladies in all the chairs getting various things (frosting!) done to their hair and the song "Another one bites the dust" came on. I wondered how many of those ladies were going to lie to their hairdresser that day.... "Oh Janet, it's lovely, yes, yes, I DO LIKE IT, really!" Ahem. That alone makes me not want to get my license in Cosmetology. That, and I don't like to wash other peoples hair.

In addition to songs that take me back to yesteryear, smells do that too. There's something about too-ripe pears and concord grapes that remind me of a couple relatives I spent some childhood time with. Or, maybe it just reminds me of fall. Speaking of which, what IS the difference between Autumn and Fall? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?


Now that I've completely gone off on at least two tangents what I really came here to say is; I'm BACK ONLINE!!!