teccy.com

I noticed this the first time a few years ago but this time I have to get the story out:

I’ve been looking for a new digital camera for about a year now; I was hoping to get the Canon PowerShot S90, working on the theory that the S70 does most of what I want but it’s a bit slow and the resolution isn’t high enough, I’m after 8 Mega pixel, it’s successor, the S80 does most of what I want but it doesn’t support Raw (see a pattern here?). So how does the S90 match up to my requirements? Well, it falls at the first hurdle; it doesn’t exist. For some reason Canon haven’t updated that particular part of the range this year. I’ve noticed that Canons compact cameras seem to be settling at about 5 Mega pixel while the low to mid-range D-SLRs are hovering around 8 Mega pixel or so. So what’s this about tin-foil hats? I’m coming to that…

So, this week, having discussed it with my two go-to guys for photography, Owen and Henry, I’ve settled on the Canon 350D with a Sigma lens rather than the standard kit lens because it gives a bigger bang for my buck. This camera is 8 Mega pixel, supports Raw, it exists (always a bonus, and one-up on the S90), and will let me try out all the stuff I’ve been wanting to try like long exposures (so to speak) and short depth of field, not to mention being cool.

You’re still wondering where the metal headwear features in this, right? Okay. I’ve been a subscriber to PC Plus magazine for a number of years now, and while it’s a great magazine it has one particular trait that I don’t see in any others, which is that they seem for some reason to have articles on what I’m doing at the time I’m doing them; putting in a wireless network, there’s the article. Having anti-virus trouble, there’s the group test. Setting-up a Linux box, here’s the new beginners guide. You get the idea. Now, understand that these articles don’t appear within a couple of months of me doing that stuff; they’re there in that month’s issue. And no, I don’t read the magazine and then decided to do it; the idea comes first, then the magazine.

So, here I am, deciding the time has come for a new camera and opting for the 350D but with a different lens. Wondering whether their track record will hold up I decided that I’d wait for the next issue of PC Plus before parting with any cash just to see what happens… I got home today and sure enough there’s PC Plus with an article on D-SLRs and a review of the 350D that says it’s a great camera but the kit lens isn’t up to much. 4.5/5 Stars.

As if that doesn’t have me reaching for the bug detector, this week I also replaced the fans in my Mum’s PC with quiet ones from QuietPC.com just like the ones I put in my PC a while ago, and PC Plus are also running an article on making your PC quieter!

What are the chances of digital SLR cameras and making PCs quieter being in the same issue at the exact time I’m doing that stuff?!

Okay, I know they’re not really bugging me and watching my every move and that they try to give their readership topical information but wow, that’s some sort of sustained coincidence. I’m not complaining; getting the information I need exactly when I need it is great!