So the company bought a digital camera on my advice. It’s a really nice camera—a Nikon Coolpix 4500, and it has all the features you’d want in a camera if you were interested in doing more than snapping shots of your dog. The problem is, it has so many features, you have to be a computer scientist to figure out the menu system. (it took me a while to figure out how to get out of the idiot mode into the program mode, and only then could I edit the menus to change the ISO and other settings, which left me taking pictures that looked like blurry snow.) Ordinarily, I’m pretty adept at figuring out interfaces (okay, not quite that adept) but this one is just cryptic, man. So I go into the box and find the manual, and it starts talking about “Conozca la Coolpix 4500”, and continues from there. To their credit, I got a Nikon lady on the phone and within minutes she ordered an English manual for me, but based on some of the C|Net reviews, I’m now seriously considering a Canon G3 instead.

Nate just bought himself a Canon S230, and in a few minutes I understood the interface and enjoyed the pictures it took, so Canon has won points for usability. Plus, it’s about the size of a carton of cigarettes. I’m going to wait for the user’s manual to show up for the Nikon, and go lay hands on a G3 and then report back as to what my thoughts are.

Okay, i don’t have $400 just laying around, and the security is a joke, but this offering from Martian Technology is strangely appealing.