My birthday is a little more than three weeks before Christmas. So, in November, my family starts pressuring me to hint at the gifts I’d like to receive in December. My trusty old Nikon Coolpix 950 has given up the ghost, so I decided to look for a new digital camera to add to my wishlist.
I spent some time looking at product catalogs, as well as reviews and user comments on a number of websites. There are more than 100 digital cameras that can be considered consumer or “pro-sumer” oriented, and it was really difficult for me to decide on one that I would say I wanted.
I finally chose the Canon Powershot S400. I was initially attracted to the unit by a review I found in a Forbes Magazine article called Gadgets We Love. Bruce Upbin said:
There are lighter, more function-rich and better-reviewed ultracompact digital cameras than the Canon PowerShot S400, but something about this one gets everything just right…. {You} can’t take pictures if you don’t have the camera with you. The S400 is so small, a business card across and two fingers high, I don’t think twice about grabbing it before leaving home.
When I bought my Nikon Coolpix 950 several years ago, I spent the money necessary to buy one of the best pro-sumer cameras available. Now, I don’t feel that I need the absolute best camera. I’d like something small that produces good high resolution pictures when I want them, but is also good for quick family photos. The Canon PowerShot S400 seems like it’s in a sweet spot in the market: it’s a reasonably-priced 4 megapixel compact digital camera. That’s why it’s on my wishlist.