as with the machine, this Post is about neighboring Japan where up to the burst of the Bubble Boom, businessmen called “Salary-Man” AND factory workers who dedicated much to the rise of Techno-Japan after WWII “belonged” faithfully to their companies, many for their entire lives . that is career-loyalty . and I am wondering or rather longing for Brand-loyalty in consumers .. how wonderful it would be if we could stick to one Brand because they fully understand YOU and your needs .

but shamely so, I have been sort-of a bounty hunter in my own right – moving from Brand to Brand as they came up with /better/ wonders to tickle your fancy . as I travelled more for conventions than for living a few years, and as I gave up art more for business, I have shunned the bulksome cache of camera systems for a high-end compact digital camera AND ultra-portable camcorder .

but I stuck the early Millennium to Panasonic Lumix for the wonders of manual-in-compacts especially LX series . but have switched-back only last year to Sony for their new technology in brighter light-weight digital cameras .

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only a camera affionado really /into/ photography can remember the time you looked through an expensive “bright” lens . it is as if you found the answer in Life where all was cloudy with many, many roads to choose from . oh still how I wish Life was this clear in front of us .

come the story of “brighter” cameras . in low-light situations like home OR at a night party you have only a few options to grap a snapshot unfortunately with a large compromise .

  1. use the weak (in compact cameras) flash where only the close subjects would be lit (probably too much) and the background growing darker by distance .
  2. use higher iso settings manually, which result in grainier photos with tiny black dots to decorate your moment in Life in mess .
  3. use a /heavy/ tripod to counter the “lightness” of the camera and hold still, even your breath .

 

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but Sony came up with an ultra-light compact DSC-WX1 in making brighter scenes WITHOUT doing any of the above . AND followed soon with a sturdier DSC-HX5V adding longer zoom AND manual setting .

first, the size difference with the tight metal black WX1 too compact to hold,
the the silverish-gold HX5 somewhat hollowed plastic in feel :

   

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while I’ll show you the actual zoom comparison of the same scene of the entrance to THE most fashionable street in all of Koreas : MyungDong, now invaded by Japanese female shoppers out to grab cosmetics promoted by Korean male idols of HanRyu drama fame – and when the Yen drops now-and-then exchanged by Chinese tourists .

DSC-WX1 approximately W370,0000 and DSC-HX5V almost W500,000 at On-Line discount stores as of early June 2010 .

widest zoom first WX1 then HX5
  

longest zoom first WX1 then HX5
   

then zooming in other areas of HX5 above
  

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inner workings of WX1 and HX5
  

as manufacturers come up with new technology such as Panasonic’s 3/4 concept to side-step conventional SLR systems, in this case Sony has enhanced the light sensitivity so that we can take acceptable pictures in somber surroundings . WX1 which started this line was a certain wonder and HX5 ups the ante with picture taking in even darker surroundings .. or we all thought . it escapes the laymen at WX1 but now in HX5 it is obvious built-in computer is changing the photo itself, trying to make it lighter, brighter . if all goes well, no problem . but we probably are NOT there yet, as HX5 evidently shows over enhancement of color hue AND saturation especially in darker surroundings, making prime colors stand out more than it should, resulting in an overtly artificial subject, duh -_-

also still, the two share the same mishap to date : storing photos into memory immediately after shot AND accessing to view stored photos take roughly 3~4 times longer than competing Panasonice models, which is frustrating for a point-and-shoot mobility .

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– Korea Tech BLog, June 2010 –