I've been digitized

My first love is still my SLR, but I have to say I am thoroughly impressed with the MVC-FD90's performance and the leaps in resolution and quality the Mavica series has taken over the past couple of years.

Unlike a lot of the digital cameras that require you to download the images from a memory card onto your computer, the Mavica takes 3.5" floppy disks. Accordingly, you can snap your shots, pop out the disk and slip it right into the disk drive, copy it, or even mail it. Moreover, you can adjust the resolution (5 settings) depending on how big you plan to enlarge your pictures, which saves on disk space. At the lowest resolution (which is good enough for a 3X5 if you don't use the zoom), you can fit about 30 shots on a disk. At the highest, you get about 5.

The Mavica also allows you to shoot in Sepia and regular B/W, as well as a few funky other effects..... and here's a cool added bonus: you can take video with it! I shot a 15 second MPEG movie and sent it out 2 minutes later. The zoom works pretty well, too (16X); it's been great at events where I want to be inconspicuous.

Just so you don't think I've got stock in the company, here are the downsides. First, because it holds a 3.5 floppy, it's necessarily a little big. Some of the newer digital cams that use the memory cards are more compact and can be easier to carry. I tried the new Nikon and the shots were terrific, but every 15 shots, I had to find a computer to download them onto, so I could reuse the $200.00 memory card.

In addition to the size, if you tend to crop and zoom your pictures after you take them, the resolution goes down, so you have to shoot at the highest level to get any good shots. That means a lot of disks in your pocket. The battery that comes with it only lasts for 2 hours. In truth, I just shot a 7 hour wedding without problems, because I turned it off when I wasn't actually taking pictures, but if you don't have that luxury, you have to pony up an additional 50 clams for the 5 hour battery.

One final goody: If you like to take high res pictures all the time, opt for the "memory stick" attachment. You can fit 16 hi-res pictures on it instead of 5.

I have been having a great time with the camera. On my upcoming trip to Viet Nam, I won't be dragging it along, because I want to play in the darkroom when I come home. Neither would I take it on the slopes or backpacking -- it's just too much weight. But for all those local weddings, barbecues, and other impromptu events that happen regularly, this baby is a dream. I imagine it would also be good for all those new parents and grandparents out there who could refinance their home on the amount of film they buy. Disks are cheap.

Check out the clarity at a wedding I just shot
http://www.zing.com/album/?id=4293883817 (in particular, blow up the shot of the flowers as big as you can make it.....great resolution). For my money (and it was my money), I think I got a quality product.