What Kind of Digital Camera Should I Get?

I'm kind of a camera junkie, and I've gone through five digital cameras in the last year. I also own a few Lomo 35mm cameras for fun, but I still like Digital.

However, the time has come again, and it's time to find a new one. Hopefully one that will stick. The last camera I actually LOVED, I had in 2003 and it was the Olympus Camedia C-4000 which is now (at 4MP) only $64.00 used on Amazon.

Then I used the Nikon D40, Canon Digital Rebel, Canon S3, and finally downgraded to a point-and-shoot Panasonic Lumix with a 10x zoom.

The Nikon and Canon Rebel.. well there's no doubt that a DSL takes the cleanest picture, but I really don't take care of ANYTHING the way expensive things should be taken care of. Also, I need to have a camera with me at all times. And a DSLR is NOT an easy camera to do this with.

I thought I was finding solid ground with the Canon S3, a little smaller of a camera, with a touch of pro features. But as it turns out.. the camera just plain annoyed me. I found that I had a good period of 3 months where I took no pictures because I hated using it. So there went that.

Now, the last camera I had, the Lumix, was the absolute worst camera I have ever owned. I was trying to make up for downgrading from an DSLR to a point-and-shoot, and shit, it had a 10x zoom! But unless you were a foot away from your subject, the images literally MELTED together, the quality was just horrible.

So now I'm back on the market again, and I'm wondering.. DSLR or mid-range point-and-shoot? I'm under the impression that NO point-and-shoot is going to get the depth and focus that I'm used to on a DSLR. But I could be wrong. Plus, I'm not a photographer, and I know the picture depends on the user, not the camera so why do I really need a another DSLR? The newest cameras are being released over the next couple of months, but most not in time for a Cruise I am going on in eary March and a trip to Napa Valley in early April.

What I HAVE determined is that I want another Olympus or maybe even a Nikon. But I think I've decided I don't want another camera with external lenses (to reduce bulk, and because I'm just clumsy) but I wouldnt mind another Canon S3-sized monster as long as it delivers.

These are the cameras I am currently researching and seem to have the best user reviews:

Olympus SP-510 Ultra Zoom 7.1MP Digital Camera

•  4/5 stars on Amazon
• Customer reviews are great
• User pictures on Amazon are decent especially low light & macro

Nikon Coolpix P5100 12.1MP Digital Camera

• 4.5/5 stars on Amazon
• Price is decent at $300
• Tons of add-ons available including flash and extra lenses
• Reviewers say it's the middleground between DSLR and P&S
• Manual controls
• Reviews are mixed on whether it has a slow or fast autofocus
• Reviews are mixed whether it has excellent or bad quality in low-light

Canon PowerShot G9 12.1MP Digital Camera

• Ok I know I said "no Canons", but whatever
• 4.5/5 stars on Amazon
• Customer reviews are great and so are user photos
• The G-series is known to be superb
• Considered a perfect middle ground between DSLR and P&S

Olympus SP-570UZ 10MP Digital Camera

• This unfortunately isn't released until April 15th
• Reviews of previous versions are pretty super

Fujifilm Finepix S700 7.1MP Digital Camera | I might just get this one to hold me over!

• 4.5/5 stars on Amazon
• SUPER user photos on Amazon
• Rated #1 on top 10 P&S Cameras by PCWorld
• Reviews are awesome
• Macro is retardedly good
• People shots have actual depth
• Released pre super-compact processors (aka less grain)
• It's only $175 bucks!

Sony Cybershot DSC-H9 8MP Digital Camera

• 4/5 stars on Amazon
• Decent at $399
• Good reviews and people seem to like Sony a lot
• Great in low-light conditions

And If I do go with an SLR:

Olympus Evolt E510 10MP Digital SLR Camera

• It's got a 4.5/5 star rating on Amazon
• The price has been reduced from an obscene $1200 to just under $600

Ok, so this post took me about 6 hours to research (I mean, what else did I have to do on a Saturday right?). If anyone has any recommendations, feel free to add. I think right now I might go for the Fujifilm Finepix S700 to hold me over and then maybe induldge in either the Canon G9 or Olympus SP-570UZ.

What are some Bally Total Fitness reviews?

Consensus: Bally Total Fitness is a BUST

I was afraid this entry might look like an ad for Bally, but I'm kind of appalled at how far from it, this turned out to be.

So I've been looking around at gyms, but the only ones close to me are Curves and Bally. My mom went to Curves for a few months and lost some weight, but it was after she left Curves and started taking classes as a gym near her house that she dropped like 100lbs.

So I'm thinking Bally, but I feel like I've heard some crap about them, so I decided to do my research.

You can get a free 7-day pass, and a $19 30-day trial to their "weight watchers online"-esque website.

This was one thing I felt I should put upfront because I read it in almost every review:
In order to cancel your membership, you must call the corporate office, you cannot do it on the spot. In addition, you must complete the following tasks BEFORE you can even "apply" to cancel: You must have taken a "complimentary" tour with a trainer, visited at least 12 times over the last 30 days, and pay the first month dues before you can cancel. I'm sorry but this seems a little ridiculous, no?

Here are some keynotes from users:

• (-) This depends on location, but many users felt that the equipment was old and dirty
  
• (-) Many users felt the staff was unfriendly and rude
  
• (-) Most users felt that they were lied to during their sign up
• (-) Most users had extreme difficulty in canceling their membership
• (-) There are a LOT of people who have actually sued Bally
• (-) Many users complain of excessive cancelled classes
• (+) Many users like their classes
• (-) All Bally employees I read in the reviews warn users not to join this gym

But of course, you never know if only angry people surf the web and leave reviews, so I looked up some expert reviews, but couldn't find much. In fact, I found so many negative reviews that I needed to switch from "bally total fitness reviews" to "GOOD bally total fitness reviews" with not much luck.

I'd like to say that I will do the 7-day trial just to check it out, but I read so many angry reviews that Bally denied them from cancelling their membership after the trial saying that the "reason for cancellation" wasn't valid. Oi.

When is the best time to buy a digital camera?

APRIL! Unless you're looking to buy top of the line.. which in that case, would be MARCH!

So every year in January they have the International Consumer Electronics Show (aka CES) where they announce all the latest electronics. At this conference, they announce all of the newest cameras that are coming out.

Most of these cameras are released between late February and early April. (See 2008's newest cameras on Amazon.com)

So.. here are the keys:

• if you want a new top 'o the line camera, wait until after the holidays to pick it out
• if you're looking to save some bucks, wait until early summer to buy because all of the older models will be atleast $100 cheaper on consumer models and up to $500 cheaper on pro/prosumer cameras

This isn't completely foolproof because some camera manufacturers will release a few in the fall, but it's nothing like the releases made early in the year.

Can you buy the Texas Roadhouse Italian Salad Dressing?

NO is the answer. Which is so sad.

But since everyone seems to want it, they've come up with some super recipes to try to mock it, so yay.

A guy named Peter on TexasMonthly.com wrote this:

I asked a waitress at my local Texas Road House, She said the "secret" ingredient for the Italian Dressing is mustard. I found and made this dressing and it is close. A little tweeking anyone, try It I did and like it.

VERY SIMPLY

• 50 ml of Balsamic Vinegar
• 100 ml of Olive Oil
• 1 teaspoon of medium hot mustard
• water, pepper, salt and sugar to taste
• Mix vinegar and mustard together and slowly add olive oil.
• Add salt, pepper and wate to taste
• I also add oregeno

Also, I found that maybe I should taste test some grocery store dressings marked as "sweet italian dressing" such as the Sweet Italian Dressing recipe from Cooks.com. This is because recipes you will find online with similar ingredients to the one below, tend to be marked with those three words.

Also, the house dressing from The Melting Pot is VERY VERY similar. And you can buy it online for $5 bucks.