Addition to the pack!

So, I'm one year older now. The parties went well (at least from what I saw, don't know what I missed though! hehe) and I'm left with a big balance in my credit cards. But that's okay. I only grow old once a year and each birthday I believe is a celebration of life! So, a little expense here and there is not a big of a deal... (although I have to keep my promise that this only happens once a year. That's the most difficult part). You may have noticed I used the plural form of "party". Yep, I had several parties (although not all can be considered the fun, loud and crazy parties). I somehow was able to share the celebration in the Philippines by sending my family to a swimming getaway. I also held a small party in our apartment and bought tiramisu cakes for my colleagues in Cambridge.

And just like every wife (umm...I'm actually not certain), I was so excited to receive the husband's gift. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't actually asking for an expensive, over the top gifts. Being a couple for more than 11 years, I definitely know my husband - He is not into extragavant gifts! But the element of surprise gives me a rush of excitement. Well, I can honestly say that this year, there wasn't much effort exerted to surprise me. This in one way or another, made me sad (and the husband knows this, hehe). But that's okay... let's just say, I got over with it. Anyway, the husband hasn't been so successful in surprising me no matter how much effort he gives in the planning stage, hahaha!

So, this is what I got on my birthday from the husband - an addition to the pack:


CANON POWERSHOT G11
I can say that I already had an idea what he was supposed to give me. I have long been contemplating on buying this camera...maybe for more than 1 year now. But not this particular model, but its predecessor- G10. Before, I was planning to buy this using my hotel points...but other priorities came. So, when the husband gave me this, I was so ecstatic!

Why I like this:
My main problem with my SLRs is that they're very bulky and heavy. It frustrates me that even if we're just going to a restaurant, I have to carry a big camera bag*. And lately, I've been trying to avoid that so I was just putting my camera in my shoulder bag. But this has put my camera and accessories in danger for so many times. So, I told myself that I really NEED a compact camera so as not to exacerbate the damages that my paraphernalia have got into.

However, my main concern with compact cameras is that the quality and controls are not good. I might as well just use my phone in taking pictures. But that is not a problem with this G11. The controls are comparable to an SLR starter and the quality of the pictures is just amazing. Not to use so much jargon but this camera has a vari-angle 2.8" LCD screen (which I really, really, really like!), DIGIC 4 image processor, 28mm wide angle lens (It's incredibly wide for a P&S camera!), can shot RAW images, maximum aperture of f2.8 (nice!), and of course, the famous Canon technology - the Optical Image Stabilizer. These are the only features that I'm really raving about, please check this link for its other features. And another bonus that I really like is that I can use my Speedlite 430EX with it. I really think that this camera is overqualified to be considered a compact camera but underqualified to be an SLR. Anyone who wants some features that are not in this camera should just buy an SLR (in my opinion). This really solved my problem and the quality of the pictures is way beyond the quality from a normal point&shoot. Samples are below (None of these images was post-processed. These were directly downloaded from the SD Card and were shot in JPEG :

Low light, with flash (I am not sure if I used my speedlite for this one, but my guess is that I used it by just looking at how the light was dispersed.) @ 1/8 f3.2

Low light, without flash @ 1/6 f2.8

Indoor (top view - this is one thing I really admired the camera for... I can shoot in different angles without having to put myself in a crazy position....can shoot discreetly too!) @ 1/8 f3.5

View from my room on a cloudy day in Cambridge @ 1/800 f2.8

Tried the macro mode, not bad! @ 1/8 f4.5

Just outside our apartment @ 1/320 f4.0

Tried zooming in and there was just a slight noise @ 1/15 f4.5

It also has video but with a disappointing 640×480 pixel capture. But that's fine. I'm not really into videos but basic video capability would work for me in times I need it. These were just my first few shots with the camera, testing whether I like it or not. Another observation I have is that the camera captures so much light. It is just amazing (how many times do I have to type that word for you to believe me?) My only complaint is that it is quite slow in transitioning from view mode to shooting mode... and I'm a very impatient person, hehe. My rating? 4 out of 5 stars! I really, really like it and thankful to the husband that he fulfilled one of my dreams. :)

*Another thing I haven't blogged about is the camera bag I bought myself for quite sometime now... to which I am very satisfied and happy that I purchased. I'll try to post my review in my next entry!