My new toy with a side of ramble

[IronMaskDuval]

Warning! Long.

I can't get enough of the camera market. I think since the Nikon D90 (I'm a past Nikon shooter with little gear experience, so I can't refer to anything else), consumer dslrs have produced amazing image quality. Many of the advancements we've seen since that time were either increased in low light capabilities or tools designed to help photographers "get the shot." Sure, being enthusiasts, we babble on about image quality, but hardly anything discernible to the untrained eye without bias guidance. That's why I love the camera market so much. I can buy something from 5 years ago at a deep discount and still be able to produce great photographs.

So, here's my new toy that I picked up from the pawn shop today: The Canon S95. I got this thing for $80 cash, and it came with two cases, memory cards, batteries, and a desktop tripod. This baby is in excellent condition. Best of all, it fits in my pocket!

Here is a shot sample cropped down.

Wow. What a beauty coming from a compact camera. I can't even spend $300 on a modern point and shoot and get raw capabilities, much less a fast lens. AND, LOOK AT THAT DOF! Sure, I have to get offensively close, but it's a sacrifice that I'll make in trade for not having to carry my A7 around all day long. And yes, it does well in low light-- surprisingly. I can shoot up to 1600 iso and come out with a usable photo for dear ol' Facebook. The IS also allows me to shoot at much lower shutter speeds as well. Phenomenal for the price and age.

With that being said, I'm onto my ramble. Wow, I love pawn shops. I remember back in the 90s, you could go to a pawn shop and get a steal on items that you were competent of but the shops were not. I remember going into a shop in the mid 90s and buying an old Carvel guitar with a German Floyd Rose on it for $50. Ha! Then came the internet. Pawn shops started to research items and they were no longer the place to go find a bargain. Everything was expensive. BUT, then came the internet-- opening an endless market of used items everywhere making competition fierce.

In the past two years, I have found that pawns shops have learned that they must adapt or else they'd be the next Blockbuster. Dead and gone. These days, pawn shops sell goods for so far beyond cheap, that there is almost no reason to shop online if you're a fan of the used market. What's the secret? It's the only place of business where you can low ball and get away with it without being punched in the face. Found a price on ebay? They'll sell to you for much less. The key is, you have to negotiate, or you'll be stuck buying at their sticker price.

My point is, camera gear is so easy to find and cheap to buy at pawn shops that you shouldn't go anywhere else unless you need something right away. It's also a fun experience of mixed social economics in one spot. I think if you're in search for some used camera gear, you should try pawn shop hopping the next time you have a free day.

Anyone else as cheap as I am?

 

[jcdeboever]

That is a super camera, I had a the S90 and loved it but recently retired it due to focusing issue. I fixed it a couple of times but was over it. It has a very nice lens and great custom and manual features. I highly recommend you to get a custom grip for it. I made my own before this was available. They are real slippery if you haven't noticed yet. This grip will make a huge difference for you.
Richard Franiec's Camera Accessories

 

[IronMaskDuval]

That is a super camera, I had a the S90 and loved it but recently retired it due to focusing issue. I fixed it a couple of times but was over it. I highly recommend you to get a custom grip for it. I made my own before this was available. They are real slippery if you haven't noticed yet. This grip will make a huge difference for you.
Richard Franiec's Camera Accessories

Wow. That's a cool grip.

I have an unfortunate condition called small girly hands. Sigh. But, the S95 fits perfectly in my hands with no issue. I've read a lot about the awkwardness of the size and it being difficult to hold, but I haven't had a problem with it. I guess I just have these tiny hands like the butler in Scary Movie.

(I hope posting photos insulting self is allowed. Credit to Dimension Films.)

 

[jcdeboever]

I used two self stick rubber PC foot mounts on mind. You said you were cheap.

 

[IronMaskDuval]

I used two self stick rubber PC foot mounts on mind. You said you were cheap.

View attachment 114899

I am cheap. But I'm not going to make my camera look like as if it had two big moles.

 

[jcdeboever]

That is a super camera, I had a the S90 and loved it but recently retired it due to focusing issue. I fixed it a couple of times but was over it. I highly recommend you to get a custom grip for it. I made my own before this was available. They are real slippery if you haven't noticed yet. This grip will make a huge difference for you.
Richard Franiec's Camera Accessories

Wow. That's a cool grip.

I have an unfortunate condition called small girly hands. Sigh. But, the S95 fits perfectly in my hands with no issue. I've read a lot about the awkwardness of the size and it being difficult to hold, but I haven't had a problem with it. I guess I just have these tiny hands like the butler in Scary Movie.

View attachment 114898

(I hope posting photos insulting self is allowed. Credit to Dimension Films.)

yeah, I have monster paws as seen in the photo

 

[goodguy]

I own a Canon G15 which shares a lot same hardware with the S95.
Its a lovely sensor which I even shoot 3200ISO with nice results.
But I do like the G15 better because of the faster lens and more pro like features.
But to tell the truth my wife used it most of the time.
Now that I got the D3300 as my second camera my wife doesn't even look at the G15, she told me its HER new camera so I guess officially the G15 is MY second body LOL

Enjoy your new toy

 

[IronMaskDuval]

I own a Canon G15 which shares a lot same hardware with the S95.
Its a lovely sensor which I even shoot 3200ISO with nice results.
But I do like the G15 better because of the faster lens and more pro like features.
But to tell the truth my wife used it most of the time.
Now that I got the D3300 as my second camera my wife doesn't even look at the G15, she told me its HER new camera so I guess officially the G15 is MY second body LOL

Enjoy your new toy

Thanks, Amir. I know you shoot with the 750, but I can't imagine what your pocket looks like when you put it in there for day to day stuff. lol. Well, if you attached an extended zoom and put it in your pocket, the ladies may get a good impression.

Oh, I bought an LX5 before this, and although it had a faster lens, I didn't really see the advantage other than zooming in with wide aperture to capture shallow dof. Even then, it wasn't much. It was also about a $100 price difference.

 

[goodguy]

Canon really hit the nail on the head with their "S" line, it gives a very strong camera in a very small comfortable to use package.
I actually recommended this line of cameras to few people who asked me for an advice on a small, compact and good camera.

On the G15 what I like is that it has 2 control dials, that's something that no Rebel camera has except now the new T6S.
Canons "G" cameras are really pretty amazing as they stuffed a whole lot of features into a rather small body, still the S are smaller and more compact and give exact same IQ as the G does due to same sensor and same processor.