The New Camera

My camera was so old, the largest memory card it accepted was 256MB. And to my dismay, when I tried to take pictures at a very important event, they were all blurry. Clearly, a new camera was in order.

I poured through the Consumer Reports and CNET Buyers Guides before going to a local camera shop. That didn't have any of the recommended models on my list. Unwilling to wait, I settled for the salesman recommended Sony Cyber-Shot. For the price, I chose the WX50 model.

As touted, this is a true point & click. It automatically adjusts for backlighting, indoors, night-time, etc. There's hardly a need to go to the menu.

Which is a good thing. Because you need 30 minutes and the User Guide to understand the menu. Though the Instruction Manual is good for setting the date and time, and figuring out where to put the memory card.

I could plug my old camera into the computer, open the appropriate folder, and cut & paste photos to my storage device. I could right click on an image and select "rotate clockwise" or "rotate counterclockwise". I only needed to remove the memory card from the camera when it was full.

Not so with the Sony Cyber-Shot. If I plug the camera into the computer to move images, they're protected. I can only copy. I have to edit the photo to rotate it.

Now, according to Sony, "Images stored in the internal memory of the camera are protected so they cannot be deleted from a computer. Images store in the internal memory must be deleted from the camera directly."

Um-Hm. I'm using a memory card, not the camera's internal memory. Even the camera recognizes I'm using a memory card. So. . .

For the convenience of cutting, deleting, or rotating using my computer, I must remove the memory card from the camera and put it into the computer. No big deal.

Except the way my laptop is physically configured on my desk, the memory card slot is obscured. My problem, I know. But since I never had to remove the memory card before, it's off-putting to have to do it now.

The camera uses a rechargeable lithium ion battery - no more buying souped-up Duracells or Energizers twice a month. But would it be difficult to recharge while on a trip to Budapest or Lake Victoria? Yes, you are welcome to help pay for me to research to the answer to this question. I'm on PayPal.

Would I recommend this camera? Nah. It's a good point & shoot, but it's taken me six months to resolve my out the cut/paste/rotate photo issues. I may be a technology late adopter, but I'm not dumb. It shouldn't be so difficult to do simple things.