Think Small

Rather than talk about all the big things going on: trying to manage a behemoth of a grant project, conferences that are looming, the usual end-of-the-semester stress-fest, I'd rather focus on something smaller, and something that is linked to one of my favorite stress relieving activities: photography.

Recently, I got "The Pick" Digicam made by Fuuvi, for $65.00 from the amazing Four Corners Store:

http://www.fourcornerstore.com/

"The Pick" is a 2.0 megapixel digicam with both still and video capability, it has a USB integrated in the camera, takes 1280x1023 pixel images, has an f2.8 lens, 100 asa, and a Micro slot built in.

And as you can see, it's adorable:

You can't beat it for portability and ease of use. It's small, about the size of a USB drive. From the photos I saw of it before I bought it, I thought it had a rubberized surface, like the Superheadz Ultra Wide and Slim, but it doesn't. It's all plastic goodness, which makes it a bit slick. I dropped it about 2 minutes after getting it out of its package, but it proved to be a tough little camera and it works fine, despite it's tumble. Insert a Micro memory card in the slot on the side opposite the USB; slide the on/off button to on; and you're ready to shoot. Since there's no view finder, it'll take a bit of practice to learn how to shoot with "The Pick." I have noticed, that like with a Holga, you'll want to be a bit further back than you think you need to be to get the shot you want. The take a step back rule works well with this camera.

Uploading photos from "The Pick" to your computer is as easy as removing the end-cap and inserting the camera into a USB port, like a jump drive.

I haven't had a lot of time to take photos with it yet, but here are a few shots:

I like the lo-fi look of the photos, and it does nicely with bold colors. It has a glass lens, but I almost wish it had a plastic lens to get even more extreme lomo'ish photos. For lo-fi digis "The Pick" pales in comparison to the Zumi Triple+++ which offers tons of options, and creates random effects that more closely approximate the lomo experience. However, "The Pick" is much less expensive than the Zumi, and is also much smaller and easier to use. In the time it takes to pry the Micro card out of a Zumi, you can upload all your pix from "The Pick."

All in all, "The Pick" scores high for cuteness, mobility, ease of use and affordability. It has great spy cam potential, and I like the photos it takes, though I hope that through more use I can discover how to get more out of the camera. Also, it comes in many colors, which makes me want to collect them all.