Right from the get-go let me state for the record that Mellow Wanderer is no camera wizard. More like a photo moron. MW can’t tell the difference between an f-stop and a stop sign.
Point and shoot. That’s what I do. Fully automatic all the way. Occasionally, I’ll add some style and flair with foreground/background framing, a macro snapshot here and there, a few video sequences, probably a timelapse or two when traveling with a GoPro Hero 3, or some landscape panoramas with MW’s iPhone 5. For convenience, I’ll carry a 5 year old Canon Elph in a shirt or cargo pants pocket.
Then as I started preparing for an overseas trip through three countries on a European river cruise, I decided something more robust was in order to capture incredible moments. Something light weight, portable, but with some zoom punch to shoot distant castles, church spires, wildlife, or some other far off sight.
The portability factor knocked out DSLR (so did the price). So I turned to what’s called the “superzoom” class of digital cameras. Choosing one, or any camera for that manner, is like picking berries in a ripe field: you can fill a bucket to the brim. A who’s who of electronics manufacturers churn out cameras throughout the year, and the superzooms seem to be the new darlings for travelers.
Being the cost conscious shopper that I am, my first stop is usually the bulk stores where I’m a member- Sam’s Club and Costco. The latter is especially appealing since Costco has a generous return policy (90 day full refund) and a free one year extended warranty beyond the manufacturer’s warranty.
Just so happened three cameras caught my eye at Costco: Panasonic DMC-ZS35 ($249.99), Nikon S9700 ($319.99), and Nikon S6800 ($169.99). All are in my budget range.
Then I did my research.
Turns out the Nikon S9700 kept turning heads on reputable websites such as C/Net, PCMag, and Consumer Reports. All gave the S9700 top grades, from “Editor’s Choice” award from PCMag to the #1 rated superzoom camera by Consumer Reports.
The only hitch was the pop-up flash. C/Net pointed out the user’s finger can cover the flash, which pops-up from the top left hand side of the camera. True. It happened to me when I demoed the store’s display camera. Rather odd placement for a flash but not enough of an oddity to keep me from buying it. I can easily hold the camera in shooting position while mindful not to rest my left index finger over the flash.
No editing, filters, or retouching were applied to the photos above. The camera was set to Auto (in true photo moron fashion). The S9700 is chockfull of doodads that just make me giddy with joy. There’s an assortment of easy to use in-camera filters, a variety of aspect rations to choose from, and built in WIFI to wirelessly transfer photos to my iPhone and iPad.
