I Changed My Mind

I've been having a terrible time getting clear shots with the new Canon digital camera (the Powershot A480) that I purchased back in February.  It got really good reviews both in Amazon and also on different photography websites.  The problem seems to be that it doesn't have an image stabilization feature.  For many people, that would not be a problem at all.  But my hands must shake just a bit (and I know that my husband's hands shake) so a lot of my pictures end up blurry.  Other than that, it is just the right size and it's features are easy enough to understand but I just can't get past all the blurry pics I have to erase.

Earlier in the year, I had purchased a Canon PowerShot SX20 IS.  That got really good reviews and I was all excited about getting it to take pics of the new grandbaby.  But I found that it was big, heavy, and pretty complicated for me.  Half of the time, I'd forget how to do something (like set it on self-timer) and by the time I'd run to look it up in the manual, I would have lost the shot.  So I had decided to sell the SX20 and get a smaller, less-complicated camera -- hence the A480.    Well, today I was getting ready to list my SX20 for sale up on Amazon when I decided to take another look at it.  Doggone, it takes some nice pictures.  The calendar shot at the right was taken zoomed from across the room.  That's pretty clear.    The shot of the A480 was also taken when I zoomed across the room.  I think it came out pretty good.  I remembered, too that the SX20 takes videos.  I walked over to my sewing room where Fresca the Wonder Dog was napping and roused her enough to video her barking and prancing up to the window.  When I played back the video, it was crystal clear.

OK, so I've changed my mind.  I listed the A480 for sale instead.  In the meantime, I had ordered another Canon (no, not the one pictured on the box.  That's my older Canon from several years ago which was and is a swell camera but only has 6 mega-pixels).  I've ordered another Canon Powershot SD780 IS.  This one is tiny, takes video, and has the optical image stabilization feature.  So the plan is to use the 780 when I need something small that I can slip in my purse.  I'll use the SX20 for pictures I take at home or at family gatherings or on trips when we take the car.  See, I knew there was a reason that I was dragging my heels about listing the SX20.  Apparently my subconscious knew what my mind just hadn't figured out.  It was too good of a camera to give up.  Let's hope the SD780 will be a winner as well.  It should be arriving tomorrow afternoon so I'll give you a review on it after I've played with it for a day or two.