Digital Camera On The Cheap - Part II

My photographic thirst saved by Craigslist.

Ever since our Olympus C4040 digital camera quit working at the beginning of summer, The Clark Family has been recording its memories on a parade of other photographic resources - 35mm SLR cameras, camera phones, disposable cameras, a Holga, and Retro-Didge the $20 digital. Truly this has been a surly lesson in the difference between "want" and "need." It's hard to justify replacing a broken digital with another new one, in an excess of $400, when there are so many other things to fix up or pay down. With the camera list above, there are plenty of ways to get a shot, capture a memory, and save a few bucks. Given that, buying a 450-MagoogaPixel digital wunderkind simply isn't a "need."

But still, the thirst is there...

We've taken a lot of shots this summer, mostly on 35mm film, and it's easy to forget how much money you can spend on developing and prints. Retro-Didge, while convenient and rugged enough to withstand a zombie attack, simply does its job as a camera with a shade more quality than my camera phone. A convenient delivery truck, so to speak. I've been quietly looking for the possible deal that get us at least back to the status quo of 4 megapixels, without having to break out a credit card - or even a debit card for that matter. Craigslist is a good place for that, and it all started with a crib.

I listed a crib on Craigslist on Saturday night for $40. When I finished posting, I decided to once again go looking for that elusive camera deal. Done. A lady in Redmond was selling her 2004 Olympus Stylus 410 4 megapixel camera for $35 - complete with manuals, extra battery, original box. It was like she had just pulled it all off the shelf, save a bit of aesthetic wear on the camera front. Not long after that someone contacted me about buying the crib. So, in short, someone drove from Renton and bought the crib and we drove to Redmond to buy the camera. Crib = Camera in The Clark Family!

The 410 is a slick little number. It uses xD memory, which is cheaper than a meal for two at Red Robin. It's about the size of a pack of cards. It can be mounted to a tripod. It also has a handy "Night Scene" setting, which will duplicate a film camera's ability to keep a shutter open - for up to 4 seconds - and take long-exposure shots much like this one. All in all, a perfect replacement for a crib that has been sitting disassembled for over a month.

The seller told me that the camera is well-traveled: Asia multiple times, the Inca Ruins, and to the top of Mt Rainier. And the picture quality? Judge for yourself below, through the lens of the 410 and the eye of our good friend Mindy!

Photo Courtesy of Mindy Hungerman