On October 25, 2011, I took two more P&S Goodwill survivors on a test shoot up in Craig and Botetourt counties, a Ricoh Shotmaster 130 Super QD, and a Samsung Maxima Zoom 145. This wasn't a strict comparison like the last two, as first I shot the Ricoh, and when that was done, switched to the Samsung. It was more of "I'm just checking these out.", and I could figure out later if one was better than the other. Turns out they are both pretty good, with some nice operational and design features. This time I loaded them with expired (v 2004, refrigerated) Fuji Superia X-TRA 400/36, so there were plenty of frames to select appropriate subjects for. I started out in Craig County, in the county seat of New Castle (one of only two towns in Craig County), population 175 (2010). I shot mostly on Main Street, which is actually one block off the main drive of Market Street. But the court house, and some really old and historically significant structures reside on Main, so that's where I roamed. I finished the roll a few miles outside of town along Craig Creek.
Overall, the camera was great to use, as all the controls are well laid out, and the camera fits the hand nicely. It's also quiet, and has a decent zoom range of 38-130mm. Most of the exposures needed no post-processing, and the ones that did could have been helped if I had chosen the metering spot before the exposure. But I hadn't gotten the manual yet, and you never know if one camera is going to work like another one, specially when they are different brands. But I was happy with the output of both.
Up first is the Ricoh, with the full review on Flickr at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7699588@N07/sets/72157628030144933/Below are some selections from the set. There were some smudge spots from the drugstore developing I had to get rid of in a couple of shots, but left them in another so you could see what they were. Luckily it was a clear blue sky that day, and that's the easiest to clone over bad spots.
Craig County Court House Front by
br1078phot, on Flickr
Built in 1852.
Above It All by
br1078phot, on Flickr
Darn those telephone lines.
The Old Brick Hotel by
br1078phot, on Flickr
Built in 1840, and rebuilt starting in 1982, it now houses the Craig county Historical Society Museum.
Downtown New Castle, VA by
br1078phot, on Flickr
Across the street from the Court House.
Abandoned by
br1078phot, on Flickr
Old and dilapidated building at the end of the street that could use some TLC.
Tractor Detail by
br1078phot, on Flickr
From a large garden tractor that was for sale.
Craig Creek Reflections by
br1078phot, on Flickr
A few miles outside of town.
Not This Year by
br1078phot, on Flickr
Last year, this tree was a beautiful red color. Drought and heat does that to even the ones next to the creek.
The Samsung photos will follow later.
PF
11-22-11 Updated Flickr page with photos of the camera
