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Recommended Cameras
© 2009 KenRockwell.com
Serious Camera Pocket Camera Flash Straps Bags Lenses Labs
January 2010I start with normal camera recommendations for normal people who just want great pictures, and get to suggestions for dedicated photographers, and end with great gift suggestions.
Click the links (or photos) for detailed individual reviews.
If you find this page helpful, you can help me keep helping you by using the links I've provided to Adorama, Amazon, Calumet, Ritz, B&H and J&R when you get anything.
I've been using these great stores myself for years (or decades), using these links costs you nothing (and probably saves you money), gets you the same great service I've enjoyed myself, and most importantly, is what helps me keep adding to and keeping this page current.
Cameras have nothing to do with taking great pictures. To take great pictures, you have to know How to Take Great Pictures. If you know what you're doing, all a better camera does is make it easier, faster and more convenient to take great pictures.
Forget Resolution top
Resolution, expressed in megapixels, is no longer relevant. Forget it when comparing cameras.
As of 2009, resolution is nothing more than a sales pitch to get you to pay more. I've made great-looking 12x18" (30x50cm) prints from a three megapixel camera, and fantastic 20x30" (50x75cm) prints from a 6 MP Nikon D40 camera.
I usually shoot my higher-resolution cameras turned down to 6MP anyway!
Even the very cheapest cameras here have at least 6MP, so ignore pixels.
Have you ever noticed that the only people trying to convince you to buy a more expensive camera are people who are either trying to sell you one, or people who want some sort of recognition for themselves having bought expensive gear? I have nothing to sell you, which is why I suggest the D40 as the best serious camera for anyone who's reading this page.
Best Serious Camera top
The best camera used to be the Nikon D40, which after over three years, is finally hard to impossible to find new. See my review for links of where to try to find it.
In its place, get the Nikon D5000, which unfortunately costs a lot more.
The Nikon D40, the answer to most people's camera questions.
For the best possible camera for just about anything, fun or serious, I use my Nikon D40.
I prefer my D40 to more expensive cameras from Nikon. It's a better camera!
Sure, I own more expensive cameras, but whenever I grab a camera for my own personal vacations or family photos, it's almost always my remarkable and super lightweight Nikon D40. There isn't anything reasonable I can't do with Nikon's least expensive D40. There is very little reason to pay more for a Nikon D5000 or D90. Save your money for more important things, like another lens or flash, or just pocket the difference and enjoy a nice vacation.
For $499 or less, complete with an exceptionally good 18-55mm lens, The D40 is a no-brainer. (I paid $600 for my D40 in 2006 and still love it.)
I wouldn't bother with the more expensive Nikons unless you really want to spend money, or will be using it all day, every day, or just have to have a bigger screen on the back. Don't worry about durability: I've made somewhere around 30,000 shots on my D40 and it still looks and works like new.
I only use my more expensive cameras when I'm shooting all day. If I'm spending more time carrying it than using it, I grab my Nikon D40.
My D40 is the camera I grab first when my wife says "grab a camera, Ryan is doing something cute!"
While you're saving all this money over more expensive cameras, I suggest getting the Nikon SB-400 miniature external flash ($111.95). The D40 has a built-in flash, but this tiny extra flash gives a lot more range, and most importantly, saves the camera's batteries and lets you shoot a lot faster because it recharges almost instantly after each shot, compared to in-camera flashes.
For available light (no-flash) shooting, get the Nikon 35mm f1.8 lens.
The best tele lens for the D40 is the Nikon 55-200mm VR ($224.95) and while not cheap, if you need wider than the excellent included 18-55mm lens, the Nikon 10-24mm ($784.95) is the one to get.
Best Pocket Cameras top
No compact camera, at any price, is fast enough for photos of people, pets, news and sports. If your friends stop to pose for your photos, pocket cameras are great, but if they're moving, you really want a true SLR like the NIkon D40 above.
I always have a compact camera in my pocket to catch whatever happens around me. I use compact cameras for scenic photos, travel and landscapes, which hold still.
Hint: I get the wilder colors I prefer by setting all my Canon compact cameras to their "Vivid" modes. To do this, hit FUNC/SET, go down a couple of clicks to OFF, and click one to the right to VIVID. I usually prefer the look of outdoor photos when I set the +/- control to -2/3, which is also in the same set of controls depending on model. (details? ask at (800) OK-CANON.)
World's Best Digital Pocket Camera: $400 top
Canon S90 IS: Dial controls, 3" full-height LCD, 28-105mm 3.8x zoom.
The Canon S90 IS is the best compact digital camera ever made because it has direct-control dials which let you adjust it for prefect photos every time. These dials are much easier and faster than the menus of other cameras. See my page about it for details.
The S90 fits in a pocket and has unbeaten image quality for a compact. See my Canon S90 Sample Photos of Indian Country. There is no substitute; get one while you can since compact camera models come and go so fast.
The S90 was announced on 19 August 2009 and started shipping in October 2009.
Ultra-Wide-Angle Super Zoom: $300 top
Canon SD980 IS: 2.5" effective LCD, 24-120mm 5x zoom.
The Canon SD980 IS has an extremely wide zoom, and has such a long range (5x) that it also competently covers the tele range as well.
The SD980 and its LCD are small, but the images are fantastic.
The SD980 has a much wider lens than just about any other compact camera; it's both wider and goes longer then the S90 above. I prefer the S90 for its faster handing and much bigger LCD, while I prefer this SD980 for its wider (and longer) lens.
It comes in silver, gold, light blue or purple.
WIth its all-around zoom, I think we'll all want one of these.
Wide-Angle Compact: $250 top
Canon SD960 IS: 2.3" effective LCD, 28-112mm 4x zoom.
The Canon SD960 IS is 6 months older than the SD980 above, so it costs less. Its lens is also less wide and has a more limited zoom range. I'd get the SD980 instead any day, but if price matters, the SD960 is an excellent camera.
The SD960 comes in silver, gold, light blue or pink for the ladies.
Serious Little Camera (long lens): $310 top
Canon SD970 IS: 3" LCD, 37-185mm 5x zoom.
The rear controls of the Canon SD970 look like the the SD880, except that it has more pixels (12MP), HD movies and a longer lens.
I prefer the wider cameras; if you prefer longer lenses, then the SD970 is your camera. You're going to love the huge 3" LCD.
Ultra-Compact Compact: $260 top
Canon SD940 IS: 2.7" LCD, 28-112mm 4x zoom. About actual size.
The micro-compact Canon SD940 IS is almost too small for my American hands. It can hide behind a credit card it's so small, and picture quality is the same as bigger compacts (no compact, not even the G10, matches a DSLR if you're picky).
It comes in black, silver, brown or blue.
It's never obvious online that this camera is a fraction of the size of the other cameras.
The SD940 has all the features of Canon's larger compact cameras, in a tiny package.
Its corners are rounded, so it's always comfortable to hold or carry in a pocket. It's so tiny I usually worry I lost it!
Inexpensive Ultra-Compact Compact: $180 top
Canon SD780 IS: 2.5" LCD, 33-100mm 3x zoom. About actual size.
The micro-compact Canon SD780 IS is the slightly older version of the SD940 above. It has a narrower-range zoom. It comes in professional black, gold, red or silver.
It's the same tiny size, and adds an optical viewfinder at the expense of a slightly smaller screen.
Cheaper Idea: $110 refurbished top
Canon A1000 IS: 2.5" LCD, 35-140mm 4x zoom.
For $110, the Canon A1000 gives you a serious camera with image stabilization and more pixels than anyone needs (10MP).
It runs on 2 AA cells and also has an optical viewfinder.
Even Canon's less expensive cameras work great. You may lose a little convenience, but not picture quality (warning: no camera makes great pictures out of the box, You have to know how to use it, and if you do, you can make great photos with any camera.)
The Canon A1000, for less than half the price of the other cameras, will make the same photos. What you lose is that you have to supply AA batteries (most others come included with a rechargeable battery and charger), you get a smaller 2.5" LCD screen, not as wide a lens, and larger physical size than the others.
What you gain is a peephole finder and a lens optimized more towards the telephoto end, which could be advantageous for head shots.
The limitations of these least expensive Canons are that 1.) you have to supply your own AA batteries (they come with one set of disposables), 2.) they can't photograph moving things well, 3.) their flashes take a long time to recharge for each shot, and 4.) they are too big to fit in a small pocket. Their photos are great, they just aren't as small or convenient as more expensive cameras.
Cheapest Idea: $99.95 Brand New top
Canon A480: 2.5" LCD, 37-122mm 3.3x zoom.
Canon's least expensive camera is the $90 Canon A480. It's got a 2.5" LCD, a 3.4x zoom lens, and runs on AA batteries.
It comes in black, silver, red or blue.
For $90, the Canon A480 can't be beat. It offers all the features and tricks of the other Canons, like movies, panoramic stitch-assist modes (I think) complete with panoramic software included and exposures out to 15 seconds.
It runs on two AA cells. Its 10MP are more than enough for any sized print, at least up to 20 x 30" (50 x 75cm).
I'd never buy a used digital camera, since new cameras get cheaper just as fast as used values plummet. Never in history could you buy a camera this good for $99.95 brand new.
I'd have no problems making great images with a Canon A480, so if my budget was only $100, I'd get an A470 and plenty of AA batteries.
Pudgy Portable: $450 top
Canon G11: 2.7" flippy LCD, 28-140mm 5x zoom.
The Canon G11 is a favorite of many photographers. It has the same sensor and guts as the S90, but put in a bigger, tougher body, and priced accordingly.
The photos from the G11 are the same as from the S90, and just like all compact cameras, it's too slow for photos of anything that moves.
That said, the G11 is so good that I never miss carrying larger SLRs for scenic, landscape and travel shots. I don't know of any photographer who wouldn't love one of these.
Personally I prefer the faster lens and smaller size of the S90, but for guys who like to have a little more meat in their hands, the G11 is the compact camera for many. For most people, for the same price, the Nikon D40 offers far superior practical and technical performance.
Other SLR Cameras top
SLR cameras are needed to photograph things that move, like kids, sports and just about anything that won't pose for you.
As I mentioned at the top, my favorite SLR camera just happens to be the cheapest SLR camera: the incomparable Nikon D40.
Nikon D40 ($450 with lens).
So why do people pay more for other cameras? Because most of the people buying these don't exactly earn 100% of their income from photography. Full-time pros know intimately the importance of esoterica like sync speed, but snapshooters are more easily separated from their money because they worry about unimportant things like megapixels. Megapixels don't matter. If you want a fancier camera, the next real step up is the Nikon D90 as I explain below.
Flash top
Nikon SB-400, about $110.
The built-in flash of the D40 is excellent, but can't be pointed to bounce off the ceiling to improve your indoor photos. Since I just saved you at least $200 with the D40 instead of the D60, let me suggest an excellent accessory flash, the SB-400. I own more expensive flashes, but I almost always have my SB-400 on my D40 when I run out the door. Even if you don't bounce it, the SB-400 lets you shoot fast with flash since it recharges much faster than the D40's built-in. I use my SB-400 even on my more expensive Nikons. It's that good.
Straps top
I never use the strap that comes with the camera. See Straps for strap suggestions.
Filters top
I prefer to leave a Hoya UV filter on every lens to protect it from damage.
I'll also always carry a polarizer and a graduated neutral-density filter for difficult lighting.
The best polarizers on Earth are the Hoya HD Polarizers. They are expensive, but you'll be using your polarizing filter on many lenses in the future; filters don't go obsolete. I'm still using the previous model Hoya polarizer I got back in the 1990s.
I prefer the Tiffen HT graduated filters. They are also expensive, but I'm still using the Tiffen grad filters I bought back in the 1990s as well.
Filters have a far longer service life than digital cameras.
You Can Stop Here!!! top
You don't need any more lenses. The lens that came with your camera is all you really need.
The Nikon D40, its kit lens, and maybe a separate flash, are all anyone really needs for anything. If you want to go whole-hog, I see no reason ever to need to buy anything other than the DX Dream Team lenses.
I go on vacations for a week at a time with my super-lightweight D40, 18-55mm plastic kit lens and SB-400 flash, and never miss anything. In fact, I love not having to carry more gear! The D40 battery lasts so long, about 500 - 1,000 shots, that you might be able to leave the charger at home if you're feeling lucky. I shoot so heavily that I always take it. Did I say heavily? I've made 18,000 shots on my D40 and it looks and runs exactly as it did when brand new.
If you have special needs, keep reading.
Low-Light without Flash top
The fast f/1.8 aperture of this $199 lens lets it capture three times as much light as any $1,800 f/2.8 zoom, and five to ten times as much light as any other more reasonable zoom lens. Not bad for $199!
My D40 came with an 18-55mm lens, but often I'll use just this lens instead because it lets me shoot indoors without flash, without a problem!
Because it gathers so much more light than zoom lenses, my cameras don't have to shoot at such a high ISO or slow shutter speed, so I can take great photos in bad light.
I'd suggest everyone who shoots indoors or in dim light get one of these lenses, since its a wonderful lens with a wonderful price. It works on all DX cameras, and especially the D40.
For photos of Far-Away things top
Even the 18-55mm plastic kit lens is all I need to make great portraits.
The only reason for longer lenses is if you can't get close enough, like to kids on stage or playing sports on the field.
For nature photography, the best pictures aren't made with expensive telephotos, they are made by carefully sneaking up on the animals.
It's always better to get closer and use the regular lens, but if you can't, here are my suggestions. All of these lenses are super sharp and zoom and focus well, the difference is in what you want to do with them not just today, but tomorrow, too.
Nikon 55-200mm VR ($230).
The D40's included lens is great for everything, so long as you can get close enough. If you can't, get the Nikon 55-200mm VR lens for about $225. The D40 and this lens will cost about the same as the more expensive D60, and I still prefer the less expensive D40.
Nikon 70-300mm VR ($530).
If you want to get serious shooting sports, get the bigger, longer more serious Nikon 70-300mm VR lens. I have a neighbor who uses a D40 and the 70-300mm VR to photograph his high school football star, and everyone (even he) is amazed at the quality of the images. This system easily tracks and focuses on the players as they run around the field!
If you want this 70-300mm VR lens, don't balk at the price. Unlike cameras, lenses stay current for ten years at a time. Unlike the 55-200mm VR, which only works with DX cameras, the 70-300mm VR also works on professional FX and film cameras if you upgrade later.
Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VR ($1,900).
If you really want to get serious for indoor sports and theater, the fully professional (and therefore about $1,600) Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VR works in much lower light, and works perfectly with the D40.
You're paying much more because this lens is ideal for shooting sports at night and stage indoors, and also because it's a heavy metal professional beast.
Personally, I carry the 70-300mm VR if I have to. I own a big professional f/2.8 tele zoom, but I don't want to bother carrying it unless I'm shooting sports at night. The mid-weight 70-300mm VR is just as sharp, and weighs far less for shooting in most kinds of light.
Wide Angles: Getting Closer top
Nikon 10-24mm ($900).
I'm a sucker for ultra-wide lenses, but they take a lot of skill to use properly.
Ultra-wide lenses are never for "getting it all in." They are for letting you get closer and therefore creating stronger images.
If the included lens isn't wide enough, my favorite is Nikon's new 10-24mm DX. For about half the cost, the Tokina 11-16mm ($570) is as good or better, but won't autofocus on a D40, D40x, D60 or D5000 (it will on the D50, D70, D80, D90 and up).
Long term, it's always better to spend money on lenses instead of digital cameras. Any of these lenses will work great on any fancier camera. Cameras drop in price and go obsolete every year, while lenses can stay current for decades.
Cameras for the Man Who Has Everything top
No one, not even me who uses his cameras all day long, needs anything better than a D40.
Guys who own fancy cameras often lack confidence and poke fun at the D40, but I love it. I own fancy pro cameras, and still use my D40 most often because it's more fun to carry all day.
I can make great photos with my D40, so if anyone tells you the D40 can't make good photos, it's because they're crummy photographers.
I own fancier cameras because they make it even easier to do fringe-element things, like make 6-foot-wide prints that are still sharp close up (prints from a D40 look great at any size when seen from a reasonable distance), or shoot with bizarre wide angle lenses, or burn away at 10 frames per second for sports. No one needs this, but if you have the cash or use cameras so much that even little improvements are appreciated, go for it. See also Is It Worth It.
Nikon D5000 top
Nikon D5000 ($740 without lens).
The D5000 is nice, but not that much nicer than the D40, for almost the same price as the D90.
I'd stick with the D40, or jump the small rest of the way to the D90.
Nikon D90 top
Nikon D90 ($900 without lens).
The Nikon D90 costs double what a D40 does; about $900 as of November 2008. The reason to get one is that it has a bigger LCD screen (3" versus 2.5") and has far more options for adjusting colors and contrasts, which few people understand.
If money is no object, I'd get a D90 over a D40, but the D90 still weighs more. Lighter cameras are always more fun, and more likely to be with you to make photos than a heavier camera left behind.
Nikon D300 top
Nikon D300: No longer recommended.
I wouldn't buy a D300 today. The newer D90 does the same things, but better, for less money and with less weight. I'd get a D40 or D90 and be happy, and/or save my money for the D700 instead. The technical image quality of the D90 is indistinguishable from the D300 for color, sharpness, and noise.
The Nikon D300 was Nikon's most popular camera with serious amateur photographers in 2008, however the D90 just came out in Fall 2008 and works better for less money and less weight.
The D300 is over a year older than the D90, and in digital camera years, that's equivalent to being 25 years older.
The D300 offers is faster frame rates for sports and more weight to carry around, but if you're a serious sports shooter, you should have a D3 instead.
Nikon D700 top
The Nikon D700 is Nikon's best camera for portraits, landscapes and weddings. It's the first camera I've shown on this page that's full-frame (FX), which lets it excel for use in the dark and for ultra-wide angles.
The D700 also has the biggest, brightest finder of anything I've mentioned so far.
The D700 is newer and therefore smarter and faster handling than the older D3. The D3 fires more frames-per-second for sports, however the D700 has superior firmware which lets us adjust, use and set it up faster than the D3.
Nikon D3 top
Nikon D3 ($4,350).
The Nikon D3 is Nikon's pro camera. It's big, heavy and expensive. Like the D700, it's also full-frame (FX).
The only reason to buy the D3 over the D700 is if you're shooting sports, action or news for a living. If you are, it's the best camera on Earth. For portraits, landscapes, studio use and weddings, the D700 handles better, weighs less, and cost less.
All Nikon lenses work on the D3. For the man who wants a D3, he'll want the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VR I mentioned above, as well as the $1,700 24-70mm normal lens and the $1,800 14-24mm wide lens. Every less expensive Nikon lens works great on the D3, too.
Nikon D3X top
Nikon D3X ($8,000).
The Nikon D3X is a fantastic camera, but it's being boycotted because Nikon's initial asking price is out of line.
The D3X is only worth $5,350, but since its new, Nikon threw a crazy $8,000 price out there to take the suckers.
If price or decency doesn't matter, the D3X is the best digital SLR on the planet. I'd own one, except that I'm not going to bite at $8,000 and will wait until the price gets reasonable.
The only thing the D3X does differently than the D3 or D700 is allow slightly sharper prints, but it's only visible if you're printing more than a few feet (meters) wide and are using state-of the art lenses and shooting technique.
Nikon F6 top
Nikon F6 ($2,400).
Nikon's F6 shoots the RealRaw format and also captures live images in additional to digital files.
Shot in RealRaw, it gives digital images of equal 24MP resolution to the D3X, with better color and dynamic range.
It also weighs and costs much less.
Other favorite Nikon RealRaw cameras available used are the Nikon FE and Nikon FA, and if you don't mind the extra weight, the indomitable Nikon F4. The Nikon N75 is a fly-weight, high performance AF camera.
Nikon Lenses top
I have pages and pages devoted to Nikon lens reviews and suggestions.
For the D40, D90 and D300, I love either the cheap 18-55mm kit lens, or the does-everything-well 18-200mm VR.
For FX and film, Nikon has made fantastic lenses ever since the 1950s, many of which are available for almost free, used. See Nikon Cheapskate Lenses for suggestions.
Canon 5D Mark II top
Canon 5D Mark II ($2,700).
I usually use Nikons because they handle and feel much better than Canon SLRs.
For landscape and nature photography, the $2,700 Canon 5D Mark II gives images as good as the $8,000 Nikon D3X, and superior to everything else from Nikon.
You only need as much resolution as the 5D Mark II (or D3X) if you need to make the sharpest mural-sized prints possible of things that hold still. Few people do. If you do, then the Canon 5D Mark II costs and weighs only a fraction of the Nikon D3X. The Canon 5D Mark II is much slower and more painful to use than anything from Nikon, and it begs the use of raw while the Nikons look great in JPG, but for the price, the Canon 5D Mark II is a very, very popular camera.
Canon's 5D Mark II replaces the old 5D, which was introduced in 2005. The old 5D was also the King of landscape and nature photography, and to be honest, if you can find a deal on an old 5D, it's an even bigger pain to use, but also gives spectacular results.
Canon Lenses top
My favorite wides for Canon are either the 17-40mm L (for light weight and bargain price) or 16-35mm L II (wider and faster) and the 14mm L II for crazy-wide shots. The Canon 15mm fisheye is superior to any fisheye ever made by Nikon, and using DxO software, easy to correct in to straight-line ultra-ultra-ultra wide shots.
My favorite Canon tele is the Canon 70-200mm f/4 L IS. It's the sharpest zoom I've ever used of any brand, and it's small and light.
I prefer the inexpensive and light 28-135mm IS over the popular and expensive 24-105mm L. I find the 24-105mm difficult to zoom precisely at the wide end.
Gift Ideas top
$27: Great Galen Rowell Photo Book
I'm still reading Galen Rowell's "Inner Game of Outdoor Photography."
It's an eye-openingly clear book that explains many of the reasons most people don't get the photos they want, and what to do about it.
Galen says more in a few pages than most photo books say, period.
Everyone should read this, and if you need a gift idea, here you go.
$30: World's Best Pocket-sized Battery Tester
The ZTS-Mini MBT
The ZTS Mini-MBT is the same thing as the big professional ZTS MBT-1 tester I use at my desk. The only difference is that this small one fits in your camera bag (or pocket), and still tests all the batteries used by digital photographers.
I keep one of these mini testers in my bag any time I'm in the field to test AAs and the lithium batteries used by most of my film cameras.
It tests NiMH, lithium and alkaline batteries. In alkaline, it tests, 9V, N, AAA, AA, C, and D cells. It tests 3V lithium cells, like the CR123, CR2 and CRV3, and all single-cell Ni-MH. This small tester won't test odder and smaller size batteries used by older film cameras; for that you need the bigger tester.
Unlike most testers, it scientifically reads the amount of electricity or charge left in the cell, and reads it out directly in percent, not merely "OK" or "bad."
$225: World's Best Portable Computer
Apple's iPod Touch is the world's best portable computer. If you had one, you could be reading all this in the palm of your hand, for free, forever.
It's thinner than a watch, and for about $225, does 90% of what a big laptop does, and does it faster and easier. It doesn't replace a laptop for creating photos, but I prefer carrying it on trips when my interest is communications and access to information.
Unlike screwing with old-fashioned Blackberrys and mobile phones, which have spotty, slow access to retarded ("mobile") versions of just some websites, the iPod Touch has unlimited, fast, free access to complete, real websites. The iPod Touch has a big screen, not the pathetic little postage-stamp screens of mobile phones. The only thing I've seen the iPod not be able to do on the Internet, compared to a computer, is that it won't play Flash, which means that you don't have to see those annoying animated ads. I find this more of a benefit than a limitation.
Even better, the iPod touch doesn't try to make you feel like an idiot. The iPod Touch is designed intelligently, so everything is easy to find and use. Compare this to mobile phones, which are so poorly designed that no one can figure out how to use them for much of anything. The iPod Touch is so well designed that my 1-1/2 year old baby knows how to use it, while no one at the Verizon store could figure out how to get Internet on the demo phone sitting out on a display complete with instructions! You don't need instructions for the iPod Touch; it just knows what you want to do and does it.
I used my wife's iPod touch instead of a laptop for over a week while traveling in New Mexico the other week. I preferred the iPod Touch to lugging my tiny 12" laptop. The iPod Touch was in my pocket all day, every day. I left my laptop computer at home, and never missed it.
I still owe you all a serious write-up of it, but just know that the iPod Touch makes everything else look like it came from the 1970s.
Once you buy an iPod touch, you never have to subscribe to, or buy, anything again. An iPod touch is an iPhone, minus the phone and camera, and minus any dealings with a phone company. There are no subscription or other monthly fees. So long as you're in range of a free WiFi connection (available at every motel and just about everywhere else), you have full access to the Internet, eMail, and just about everything, for free, and far faster than the slow phone company networks.
An iPod can't be used to run Photoshop or Dreamweaver, but I've been able to use it for getting and sending eMail, buying things from Amazon and even biding competitively (and winning) on eBay. You can't copy photos into it directly from a camera or card; you do that through iTunes. The iPod is for consumers of information; you can't produce content on it. But wait — even though you can't edit photos on it, you can compose emails and text notes, and I have used it to write sections of articles I've later posted elsewhere on my site. I don't want to be editing photos when I'm in the field anyway; I want to be shooting.
My wife has a Verizon phone, which looks like a tiny laptop, but stinks for the Internet. The Verizon phone is slower than the 1970s (think slower than dial-up modems; remember, it's just a cell phone), and when I tried to get the Internet, all I got were bastardized versions of websites, minus all their images, and with Verizon ads put in place illegally. For instance, Verizon tried to charge my wife $12 for me playing on the internet for a minute on her phone. All I got was three text links from my home page, no graphics, and a whole lot of Verizon ads, dropped connections and headaches instead. They claimed I used 3MB of data at $4 a meg; in fact I only got 1kB (0.001 MB) of real data (the few text links from a fraction of my home page) and 2.999MB of Verizon ads. (To Verizon's credit, they credited us the $12 when we asked.)
Pick up an iPod Touch, and if you're in range of a WiFi signal (drive into the parking lot of any apartment house and you'll find a few) and you're in touch with the world.
Sure, the iPod plays music, but you really want it as a pocket computer for full free unlimited Internet and email access, weather and stock reports, the ability to take and email notes to yourself about anything as it happens (last night I turned on the iPod and emailed myself a reminder, and the whole thing took me less than 30 seconds with just one hand), a fantastic scientific calculator, 3-D satellite maps and live traffic reports, and a whole lot more.
If you're out of range of a WiFi signal (you won't get them while driving, but you shouldn't be on the computer while driving either), the iPod caches your eMail and sends it when you get in range, automatically. If you don't have access to a WiFi signal, the iPod Touch has no access to the Internet, but I've not found this to be a problem in my travels. WiFi signals are in more places than you think, and the iPod Touch automatically finds them and logs on for you.
Compared to my wife's Verizon phone, which no one, not even the Verizon salesgirl, could figure out, the iPod works just like a real Apple computer, with a bigger screen and better keyboard than any of the copies.
All this, for under $220, with no contracts or fees, ever. All you need to do is connect it to a PC or Mac once to initialize it with iTunes (and load you music if you care), and you're done forever. (Just be sure to get some other way to charge it if you don't bring your laptop.)
If you need to be on the computer while driving, sure, pay extra for an iPhone, which when I borrowed one in New Mexico, worked great to look up museum operating hours while another drove, but if you want a toy which will become an indispensable tool for all your Internet and email needs while away, get an iPod Touch.
My wife has the least expensive 8GB version, which is all you need unless you want to store ridiculous amounts of music. Our 8GB version has four days (100 hours) of continuous music on it.
The iPod Touch is also the best way I have to show my photos to people. It's trivial, with a computer back home, to load them in.
PLUG
I support my growing family through this website.
If you find this as helpful as a book you might have had to buy or a workshop you may have had to take, feel free to help me continue helping everyone.
If you've gotten your gear through one of my links or helped otherwise, you're family. It's great people like you who allow me to keep adding to this site full-time. Thanks!
If you haven't helped yet, please do, and consider helping me with a gift of $5.00.
The biggest help is to use these links to Adorama, Amazon, B&H, Calumet, Ritz and J&R when you get your goodies. It costs you nothing and is a huge help. These places have the best prices and service, which is why I've used them since before this website existed. I recommend them all personally.
Thanks for reading!
Ken
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