Digital camera research

We had to find a digital camera before heading over to Namibia and wanted to get one with camcorder capability since we're going to have to produce a ministry DVD each year. I've been researching for a bunch of days and have narrowed it down to this one:

Here's what I wanted it to have:
➀ Image Stabilisation - don't want it to be all blurry just because I'm shooting from the back of a moving truck
➁ AA battery powered - have to be able to get replacement batteries anywhere
➂ Hi-res movie capability - this one has the 640x480 at 30 frames per second; any less than 30 fps is jerky
➃ Sound with the movies with low camera noise
➄ Long movie clip length - the capper on this model is 4GB, 4x what most other consumer level digicams have
➅ Not too expensive - can get it on Amazon for $250, plus a 2GB card as a bonus before June 11, 2007
➆ Built-in flash

The only drawback that I could find for this camera is the long flash-recovery time but apparently you can't get short flash-recovery and AA battery power in the same model. In fact, every camera I saw reviewed online, even highly recommended or rated ones, seemed to have an equal-sized collection of pros-and-cons. No-one makes a great or perfect digital camera at the consumer level, it seems. So, every consumer review collection ranged from "love it. best camera ever!!!!!!!" to "sucks. do NOT BUY THIS pece of jnk!" Given that we're going to be taking pictures in a bright, sunny place, we figure flash delay is a small price to pay.

Risen indeed

Good Friday: Rob got to read as Jesus and I got the part of a Witness.
Easter Vigil, Saturday: Went to church early to set up for the party after the service that night. Christy took me to check out her vintage dress collection and gave me a loaner green beaded capelet to wear over my black formal for the show that night. Went home after set-up and crashed before the show. Will post more on this when the pictures arrive.
Easter Sunday: Had breakfast at the church, service at 11AM. Had Easter dinner with the Zaffke family, crashed a bit afterward, watching recorded TV. My adrenals were shot from all the excitement and I got a headache.

Today, I'm taking it easy, recovering. The headache is gone but I'm still taking it slow, looking at some software to maximize our move productivity. Talking to mom on the phone right now.

Good Friday

We're getting ready now for the Good Friday service this evening, at 7PM, at Cross of Christ Lutheran Church. I got my Canadian passport application couriered this afternoon so I can hopefully get that before leaving the country. I also gave Rob something like a haircut but not quite. He's reading the part of Jesus in the service tonight, from up on the altar, so I thought I'd better tidy him, just a little. We hope to get him in for a real haircut with our friend Michelle soon.

Holey wooly

My favorite cardigan is giving up the ghost ... again. I had briefly salvaged it by creatively patching the elbows while I was at seminary. Alas, as you can see, the hole has migrated beyond the patch. A sad day; it's not that I can't just go get another cardigan. Really, I could. But I found this particular sweater to always be the perfect temperature in air-conditioned buildings, a true necessity in the air-conditioned South. I don't know how it did it but it did. I guess I just need to 'take the bullet by the hand' (as Jilly would say) and chuck it. Though, I won't be doing that until the big move to Africa. I don't have the heart. We've been through too much together, this cardigan and I.

Optomap

Went to the eye doctor today and got an optomap of my retinas. Here they are!