I have an Epson PhotoPC 800 digital camera. I bought it in 1999. Back then, of course, it was state of the art. (And I paid a pretty penny for it, too.) And while the camera has been key in capturing some of life’s most important events over the last eight years, I’m considering selling it on eBay. My new cell phone (a Sony-Ericsson w810i) has a surprisingly good two megapixel camera, and at least in terms of pixels, it rivals the PhotoPC’s 2.1 megapixels. The PhotoPC outperforms the w810i only when photos need serious adjusting. Specifically, low-light photos taken with the camphone tend to look pixelated, even with the camera’s “night mode” turned on. And while the PhotoPC is no champ at taking low-light pictures, at least the pictures it does take can be improved through image editing software with decent results. Overall, the PhotoPC’s biggest drawback is that it works off AA batteries (it prefers rechargeables), and it tends to drain them rather quickly. And the w810i’s biggest problem is simply that it’s not a camera. That means that it takes a few moments to get the camphone into picture mode, which can spoil the opportunity to take spontaneous shots.
And when it comes down to it, the PhotoPC isn’t going to fetch a ton of money. I suppose it won’t hurt to just keep it around for now. But, I don’t know. I hate to have excess things. I’ve got the PhotoPC boxed up and all ready to be listed. Maybe I should hang onto it for just a little longer. At least long enough to see if the w810i can handle all of my photography needs.
If it were me, I’d keep the Epson. I had a Kodak EasyShare CX7300 a couple of years ago and I sold it to a friend for $50 (I only paid a $100 for it new). I kind of wish I had kept the camera now. Sentimental value, I suppose. For me I love having old cameras. I’ve got a Kodak Brownie in the closet. I’m nostalgic with old technology. I’ll occasionally get one of my old cell phones out of the closet and think back to how cool I thought it was to have a cell phone, now I don’t have one and think it’s kinda pointless for me to have one.
Oh and I forgot to add. In photography, it usually doesn’t matter what tool you use. More expensive tools just make the job easier. However, I still hate shitty cell phone photos.
Thanks for your thoughts, Andy. I doubt the Epson would even fetch $50.00 on eBay. And I suppose I do have a sentimental attachment. But, I usually get over that kinda stuff fairly quickly.
Speaking of photography “tools,” I’d love to take really cool photos (like some of yours on Flickr) but I don’t think I have the eye(s) (literally) for it. So, maybe the camphone will be enough in the long run. Guess only time will tell.
And yeah, I hate crappy camphone pictures, too. That shit’s all over MySpace.
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