Buying consumer electronics

Online shopping presents mind-boggling options

Man, what a scam. You will literally drive yourself crazy trying to feature shop and then price shop for an electronic gadget that you don’t happen to be an expert at.  Computer gear, no problem; video, audio, cameras and lenses is another matter. If you are researching several items for purchase at once, you may need medication. And when it is all said and done with you still don’t really know if you are buying the best kit for your money.

In my case I need a couple of lenses to compliment the Nikkor 70-300mm zoom I bought with my new Nikon D90. I have been taking my time to decide on exactly which lenses to buy since it is a one time shot to buy this stuff. If you are on a tight budget, like me, then your lens purchase represents a significant long-term commitment. There is no oh if I don’t like it I’ll just get another one.

To do the same range of photography with the D90 that I was able to do with an all-in-one like the Lumix FZ50, I need four lenses: I need a wide angle, a true macro, a mid-range zoom, and a telephoto zoom for which the 70-300 will have to suffice for the foreseeable future. If you have plenty of dough to spend the purchasing decision isn’t so difficult as there are excellent Nikkor lenses for every focal range. Excellent and expensive.

If you are trying to make a dollar stretch and are looking for the most value for your dollar, considering 3rd party lenses from Sigma, Tamron, and Tokina –  which cost about half of what the Nikkor glass will cost you — is a must and those added choices make the decision mind boggling.

Since I could still use my Panasonic Lumix FZ50 for the focal range not covered by the D90 with the zoom, I didn’t need to rush into a decision. I’ve spent the last several weeks perusing the literature. But the Lumix fell into Bastrop Bayou after the boat parade and now except for taking closeups with the D90 I am out of the picture taking business. I’ve been jonesing for about a week now to take some wide angle photos and some spider closeups.

The drowning of the Lumix was a complete freak accident. The night’s boat related events were at a conclusion and as I was deboarding with my gear the usually very secure velcro flap ripped open, loosing the Lumix. The camera bounced twice on the dock and splashed into the murky bayou water. I scooped it out with a net, retrieved the SD card and placed the Lumix on the shelf in its place amongst the lineage of image taking devices I have acquired over the years.

Since I was also using the Lumix for making video, I am also out of the video making business until I get another video camera.  As much as I didn’t care for the Lumix FZ50, it sure was versatile and useful and I sure do miss it.

As confusing as the SLR camera lens market is, the camcorder market is even worse. To get all the features you want on a non-professional device is impossible. If you find one that has about everything you want it will be lacking in some other key area.

One big problem for me is that I want an eyepiece to shoot through for when it is inconvenient to flip open the damn video screen and the majority of the new flash memory based cameras have done away with the eyepiece altogether in favor of smaller size.  And the trend towards putting the camera controls on the flip out screen or as touch screens is troubling. If you are out taking video of a fishing trip I imagine the smudges on the screen could get quite nasty. Or the tiny controls may be next to impossible to manipulate if you are wearing cold-weather gloves. Just doesn’t seem like a good idea.

I am also concerned as to how prevalent the Blu-ray hi-def format is going to be. Is anything less than hi-def, even if very good quality, going to be obsolete next year? Considering how much video is consumed over the Internet, probably not. And even if the AVCHD format does dominate, the $800 dollar cameras today will be $350 cameras tomorrow.  I am leaning towards the high quality recording of a 3ccd sensor but non hi-def, which is a bit more than just hi-def. Hi-def with a 3ccd sensor would be nice but that is way out of my price unless I would settle for recording to the MiniDV tape format, which I can’t do. No way, no how. No tape. Never.

The only other item I need to buy that could be considered big ticket is a ball head for my carry-around tripod. I have a big tripod for normal use and a small, light, yet very sturdy tripod that I use to carry my camera on through the woods. The proper ball-head for the setup  provides a whole nuther set of mind-boggling choices. You would think that ball head technology can’t be such a big deal. You’d be wrong. And ballheads can be quite pricey, too. Must do your homework before buying.

Here is a couple of things I’ve learned over the past few years to help get through the online shopping ordeal:

• When you first start your search make a list and put each product you look at on it so you can remember the items you have already reviewed. You will be surprised how after a day or two all the confusing product names begin to sound similar.  Or just more confusing. The marketers do that on purpose to keep consumers from comparing apples to apples. And to confuse them. All the crappy products have to be sold too.
• Trust yourself. Once you have ticked a particular product off the candidate list, do not let any future consideration override the decision. After a few days you may not remember exactly why the item was removed from the list so trust that you ticked it off for a good reason. The only exception to allow an override is a hands-on review.
• Be very careful of the shills on the consumer review sections. A lot of people are trying to make a living by writing reviews on line.
• Remember that many of the people posting these reviews are complete noobs and don’t know Shinola from you know what.
• Be careful of biased reviews by large media outlets who live and die by advertising. For example Microsoft spends a ton of money on advertising and there are plenty of people out there who will tell you to this day that Windows Vista is a good product.
• If you lack hands-on experience with a particular type of technology, don’t over spend on your initial acquisition under the assumption that a higher price equals the best performance. You can not know what features will be important to you and which ones are nothing but hype until you have some experience with the technology in the field. While I believe in the old saw that you get what you pay for, I think it applies more when trying to buy cheap than it does with paying too much.

Merry Christmas and Happy Shopping!