So, why am I writing about an ebook reader? It’s because I like to read. Yep, I enjoy reading. All kinds of stuff.

Even guys like me who do photography like to read. Yes, I read about photography. In fact, I probably read four or five photography articles a day. Sometimes those articles give me a clue about how to improve my stuff. Most of the time they repeat what I read in another article, but once in a while a gem appears that is worth my time.

Reading has gotten to be a major issue with me. Books are expensive, they take up enormous amounts of space in my house, they are dern difficult to carry around when traveling, and after a few years they grow strange stuff inside them. For example, I pulled a book out of a back bedroom bookcase recently and after about five minutes of re-reading a great sci-fi book I started sneezing. Yep, all that dust and stuff had affected me.

Ebooks are different. Not just the aspects of being digital, easy to store on a hard drive, but the fact that one can amass lots of books on all kinds of subjects and then convert them into files that one can read on a ebook reader. And, there is an unlimited number of books available for free on the Internet. In fact, pages on the Internet itself can be saved and read on an ebook reader. There is software available that allows one to convert html, text, and other formats to a format that a reader can display. Although I have yet to find software that will render and resize Adobe PDF files effectively. Text files (.txt) are by far the easiest to download from the Internet and use on an ebook reader.

So, I started looking for an ebook reader. It was a long process. And there are lots of choices.

After lots of research I finally focused on three.

The Amazon Kindle.

The iLiad.

The Sony Portable Reader System.

I sorta liked the features of the Amazon Kindle. Kinda cool that you can download a new book wirelessly from Amazon. But then I got upset about it being proprietary. I hate it when a new product comes out that looks cool, then the dern vendor decides I have to use THEIR system to do stuff. It’s like what Apple did with the iPhone. Dumb ideas. But, I guess the companies which do this make money. Not from me.

I really really really liked the iLiad. Way cool. It had all I wanted in such a device, but it is expensive. Around $700 or so. Too much.

Which left me with the Sony PRS-505.

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Two years ago my son John gave me a Sony GPS for the purpose of recording exactly where I was when I took photographs. His choice for the Sony GPS was a good one because it is simple to use, is powered by a AA battery, and it can store 30 days of GPS tracks. As he showed me, there is freeware available that allows one to merge the GPS tracks with the EXIF data stored on each shot taken with my digital cameras. It is a simple, easy to use, idiot proof little system that has been with me on recent trips I have made in remote parts of the world. All I have to do is to make sure I have a good supply of AA batteries with me. One battery will power the GPS for about eight hours or so. In sum, you put a battery in the device, turn it on and then strap it to your backpack. That’s it. And while you are trekking around, the little device locks on to satellites and methodically records where you are about every 10 seconds. Geocoding, a cool concept.

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Recently I read a forum thread at Naturescapes about lens diffraction. The thread proved to be the stimulus for an investigation of something that has trouble me for years. Simply stated, “Why do some of my photographs appear better than others?”

Same camera, same lens, but one image is distinctly better than another. There are numerous, probably an infinite number of reasons why this is. For years I thought it is because I was using a tripod in one shot and not another. But, when I am using a good solid tripod for both shots, I still see a difference. Exposure, depth of field, using a remote shutter release, etc. etc. etc. – are all factors that can affect the quality of a photograph. The list goes on and on. It is limitless.

The forum thread discussion at Naturescapes prompted another thought and that thought lead to five intensive days of investigation. I won’t bore you with all the reading I did, but I will reference several websites at the end of this post that you may examine if you are interested.

In sum, after all my reading, and after several discussions with my friend Richard Nowak, a retired engineer with an incredible list of experiences and credentials in photography, embedded microprocessor circuit designs and microchip test solutions in the electronics industry, I discovered that there are two significant factors which make one image better than another. The first is resolution, and the second is the aperture setting for high quality lenses, which Richard points out may include stopping a lens down beyond its diffraction limiting point to correct other more objectionable defects in the lens.

BTW, I still don’t exactly understand what Richard did in his career, but his resume says he did stuff like this: “Circuit designer involved with the acquisition, conditioning, and digitization of analog signals from remote sensors for data logging and computer controlled processes.”

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It has lots of names, some call it the Canon Rebel XTi, others call it the EOS 400D, and in some quarters it is known as the EOS Kiss Digital X. By whatever name it is called, most describe the camera as an “entry level” DSLR. I guess it gets that label because of its cost, but in reality what I have found is that it is about as good as any DSLR gets. Yes, it does not have the build of the 1D series cameras, but wow, despite the fact that it has a plastic body, the images it produces are comparable with the best DSLRs made.

I bought the camera primarily because of its weight. As I have said before, I like small light weight cameras. It sure helps out on long walks across muddy bogs, creeks, and those steep slopes I inevitably run across while seeking the perfect landscape. And, frankly, when I bought the camera, I expected that I would be disappointed with the image quality since I own the Canon 1Ds Mark II, a remarkable camera that produces stunning photographs. Well, I was wrong. And another wonderful result is that I no longer have to spend hours and hours cleaning up dust spots from my shots. On the images I have shot with the XTi, there aren’t any dust spots to deal with. For me, that was a major time saver and a real plus when post processing shots.

I like the feel of the little beast. It fits in my hands perfectly. I find myself picking it up more often than I do the larger and heavier 1Ds Mark II. This makes it the perfect “street” camera too. It’s small and discrete, easy to hide. And, frankly, most folks who see me shooting with it think I’m just another tourist taking snap shots. I like that. Else I get bogged down in long discussions lots of times about my 1Ds Mark II — cause some folks really want to discuss high end cameras. Read more »

I have always preferred a small camera to a large one. Yet I still find myself with 20 pounds of equipment on my back during long walks across sometimes wet and muddy paths in remote regions of the world. And just getting to such regions is often a nightmare with all the baggage restrictions one must consider when flying. Having a small camera that produces high quality images, is therefore a quest that I have pursued for some time.

When the Canon Powershot G9 was announced I grew excited about a 12 megapixel camera that weighed only 12 ounces and could fit in a shirt pocket. And I eagerly read several reviews of the camera made by professionals who understand digital camera technology far better than I do. Most of those reviews were mixed with pros and cons. But, being the stubborn person I am, simply reading what others have to say about any product won’t do, I have to use the product myself. It is an obsessive compulsive thing. I want the hands on experience.

So, I bought the Canon Powershot G9. Initially, my reason for the purchase was my forthcoming trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. My interest was primarily in doing underwater photography while snorkeling in the islands. I did not think that the G9 would be useful beyond that purpose. I was totally wrong.

Following the intense experience of shooting with the camera for three weeks, I thought perhaps a few words about the camera might be useful to others who are serious about buying a small camera for use not just as a travel camera, but one for general use at home, at school, or during special occasions. And, I thought it might be useful to provide some example photographs done with the camera so that others might see what the camera can do. If one is interested in technical stuff, the canon website provides detailed specifications for the camera here.

The first question I asked myself was: “Will the camera produce high quality images?” And the answer is yes. Here is one of my first shots taken near my home in Safety Harbor, Florida, just before sunrise.

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