I was ready to tie the knot before I left the house. Today was the day I was going to look at Nikon's new Coolpix P80. Before I left the house, I knew I wanted that camera in my life. Huge megapixels. Unbelievable optic zoom.Have you ever gone on a blind internet date? I have. And I did again today. I took a quick glance over the long counter of cameras. No potential candidates walkied in beauty like the night. I thought, with hope in my heart: maybe she's not here. Then I looked closer and found it.
What a disappointment! I expected the camera body to be a bit bulkier than my current S4. But it was like comparing Kate Moss to Rosie O'Donnell. There would be no way to fit the P80 into my pocket. And when the zoom lens was in full 18X position, it looked like -- well, it looked like Pinocchio had been telling political tales. Svelte, it is not.
But my greatest disappointment came when I picked up the camera. It was light. It was light because it was cheap plastic.
That is when two strands of my day ran together. The first was the camera's price: $400. Now, $400 is not a lot of money -- about a day's salary. However, $400 for a bulky, plastic camera -- no matter how seductive its megapixels and optical zoom may be -- is simply unconscionable.
The second strand is really a matter of timing. My small group Bible study is currently reading Richard Foster's classic: Celebration of Discipline. Our discipline for Monday night is simplicity -- a discipline I have been struggling with as I attempt to make the move to Mexico. I am finding that I am tied to some of my possessions far more than I had supposed. I certainly do not need to build up a relationship with a camera that does not give money for value when I can continue to use the camera I already have.
I left my potential romance sitting alone at the café. Don't worry about her. I think I saw Eliot Spitzer sitting at the next table.
