The following post comes from Karen of Modern Organic Living. Karen and her husband are currently expecting their first child, and I must say that she is sporting one of the cutest belly bumps I’ve seen in quite some time!
Here, she ponders a dilemma that plagues geeks and gadget-lovers on a constant basis: what if something better comes out soon? Take a look at her camera choices below, feel free to give your input, and be sure to check out her blog for some major eye candy!
Hi Lovelies, I am so excited to be guest blogging today for Geek in Heels. I’ve been following Jenny since her days on Weddingbee, and now I find myself following in her foot steps — I am expecting my first little girl in December!!
Babies need a lot of stuff — but we all kinda know that. What I didn’t expect is that my Husband — the self proclaimed Major-Geek in our family — would be so freakin excited about all the baby gadgets. He’s been researching baby gear since day one- which from my prospective, as a Minor-Geek, is pretty awesome that he’s dived right into the baby gear realm.
Yet so far — we haven’t even bought any of the ‘super cool baby geek gear.’ Why?
In case something better comes along.
As a minor-geek, this mantra has me a bit frazzled. For instance, we’ve decided to upgrade our point and shot camera and enter the High Tech Camera World!! Whoooo. Scary.
Not a surprise, my Husband has been researching cameras to death. Originally, I wanted a Nikon dSLR (because that’s what my mom has).
But major-geek Husband has persuaded me that a Micro 4/3s camera would actually be best for me/us- aka it is easier to use and smaller.
Yet, each time I ask him which camera — he changes his mind. Until last week, he was kinda sort of set on the either the Olympus PEN E-PL2 or E-P2 or 3:
Or the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3:
Yet, recently he read that Nikon would be releasing a similar camera, the J1 on October 22nd:
I understand that this is a major purchase and something we will have for years. But at some point, this Baby Girl is going to come into this world, and I’d love to take her picture.
So here’s my question to you — do you wait until the next new thing is released before you make your purchases?
Or do you go with the highly reviewed items that have been out for a few months?
This is a HUGE debate in our house.
About the Author:
I am a faux designer and diy-er Living in the City by the Bay with my husband, our two animals — Huck and Ferris — and a baby on the way. I am addicted to all things design, reading, sugar and spice. You might have seen me on Weddingbee as Mrs. Peep Toe. Now I just blog for kicks and giggles over at Modern Organic Living.
I like books, gadgets, spicy food, and art. I dislike shopping, hot weather, and the laws of entropy. Although I am a self-proclaimed computer nerd, I still have a love for handbags and makeup... and I am always teetering on high heels. To learn more about me, visit the 
Depends. If I know a release is coming in the near future, like 2-3 months away, I’ll wait. And if I buy something and a new model gets released shortly after, I don’t feel so bad, unless the upgrades are really significant (I’ll be really disappointed if the Britax B-Ready comes out with a new model with better wheels, like rubber wheels, in the next 3 months). You can also sell the older version and put the money towards a new one – did this with the iPhone 4 to get the 4S.
I’ve heard great things about the lumix, and have been considering getting one myself. I have a Nikon D60 SLR, but I’m so sick of how big and bulky it is. Seems like the Panasonic is a good compromise. Plus, I’m definitely one to wait for reviews to come out before taking the leap. J1 is getting okay reviews, but it still might be too soon to tell! Good luck on your search!
Ms Peep Toe, yay!!!
Ahem, anyhow, I have this debate all the time as well. I tend to go with established well reviewed items but those new fancy features are soooo tempting!!
With kids I’d want good low light exposure (don’t blind the baby!), and quick response time (the kid will start zooming eventually), and a spare battery or two to stash in the diaper bag.
Not to throw a wrench into your plans, but what does your husband think of the Sony NEX? I’m looking at getting the 5N sometime soon.
I’m honestly not very on top of what is coming out next, and I’m much more likely to play with things like that in a store and decide what I want then, than do research first. It is also very hard to change my mind, unless the reviews are atrocious (see Sony NEW 5N. I’m hoping they’ve fixed the funny noise in video recording mode by now!).
Hey Recrafty, We did look at the Sony but my Husband just couldn’t get over the complaints about the funny noise in the video either. Supposedly, they are working on fixing it, but who knows?? It was enough of a deal breaker that we stopped considering the Sony.
Unfortunately the minute I buy a new gadget, the upgrade will undoubtably be announced within a week, lol Every time!!!
I call this “commitment phobia” and all Geeks share it! You find what you think is the PERFECT item, but you are scared that something better will come along and you will be stuck! For some reason, most geeks don’t have this horrible fear in relationships, but with their gadgets! Just like in relationships, you just have to take a step of faith and know that other “gadgets” will always be presented to you, but you are still happy with the one that you have! ((Plus, unlike relationships, you are expected to upgrade your gadgets from time to time.. Lol)
Although it isn’t one of your choices, my husband and I recently bought the Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ100 and love it! It is the perfect bridge between point-and-shoot and the DSLR world. It has given me the opportunity to learn how to manipulate aperture, shutter speed, and ISO settings while still providing the safety net of shooting in iA. I’ve learned a lot about photography in the few months we’ve had the camera.
We were also considering the Panasonic Lumix G3, but ultimately decided to go with the FZ100. I should point out my husband is a major geek when it comes to technology and researched for 3 weeks before making a short list of cameras to consider. For us solid reviews trumped any new cameras that were coming out.
Here is a link to the camera:
http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-DMC-FZ100-Digital-Stabilized-3-0-Inch/dp/B003WJR68U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320774465&sr=8-1
My husband bought me the Panasonic Lumix GF2 the day it was released. I originally wanted a DSLR but it would be a hassle to travel with. The camera takes wonderful pictures when there is lots of sunlight. I don’t think it does very well indoors. Maybe I don’t know how to use it correctly.
I’m usually pretty good about ignoring newer technology — see, e.g., my first-generation iPod that I still use happily. BUT, as much as we looooooooove our EP-1 micro 4/3, we saw more recent versions in the store recently and were blown away by how many advances have been made in 2 short years! Because the micro 4/3 technology is still new-ish, they seem to be in the stage where there are actual technological advances from model to model as opposed to mere cosmetic changes. Don’t know what that means for your dilemma; just rambling. But we definitely DO love our micro 4/3 and I rave about them to anyone who will listen!
Great post Karen. The hubs and I are currently trying to decide on a nice camera as well… and we also have differing opinions 🙂 Thanks for shedding some more light on the situation