The First Blush workhorse camera, a Pentax Optio X previously died, and had to be shipped off to Pentax repair (2 months out of warranty - grrr), and then we started using Linda's 5-year-old CoolPix, which has been doing the job until this morning. After snapping a shot of cows on a hillside, the Nikon screen flashed 'SYSTEM ERROR' and the camera stopped working.

Googling (actually, A9-ing) the camera and error, came back with the news that this happens rather a lot, is caused by a jam in the lens, and that Nikon wants $249 to even look at the camera. By comparison, Pentax looked at the Optio X for free, and quoted $92 to fix it. Both cameras cost about $400 new.

But this left us without a small, light camera to take on the trail, and left Linda with no camera at all. So this afternoon, off I went to Fry's after doing a little web research. A Panasonic Lumix FX-9 came home (after taking a hard look at a very similar and much more expensive Leica version of the camera) and is now the designated First Blush official staff camera. It's light, relatively small, has a huge screen, very little shutter delay and an image stabilizer - important in the low light of dawn. It also has a Leica lens (Panasonic makes Leica's digital cameras)...
Comments 5:58:15 PM    

Chris Gulker's view from Silicon Valley - in words and pictures