Tuesday, December 30, 2008

RAM SCHMAM


I asked Santa for a digital camera and he came through with some money so I could shop for one. I wanted a camera a few steps above my little Kodak digital, but not one of the expensive SLRs. I took note of the models recommended by "Consumer Reports," which included two cameras by Canon. I came across the Canon PowerShot SX10 IS, a new model with favorable reviews from users.

So...I ventured to the closest Best Buy, played with the cameras, kept coming back to the above model, and finally bit. I decided I'd probably be disappointed if I got a different model, so I went for it. What sold me was the zoom, since I want to play at horse shows and the audience is always at a safe distance from the action. Plus it uses AA batteries. I went for the two-year warranty against damage (the knowledgeable sales clerk had experience with repairs to a camera covered under the warranty), a memory card, and camera case.

This was a big purchase for me, and lots of bells and whistles to learn. So I was both excited and apprehensive about the purchase. But once I got home the camera was easy to set up and put in working order. Learning how to use all the features will come with practice.

THE PROBLEM: I can't load the Canon software onto my Mac. My operating system is too old. :-(

I have Mac OS X 10.3.9. Old, old, old (apparently). I need at least OS X 10.4. And the newest Leopard operating software is 10.5+.

*SIGH*

It appears that I can purchase Leopard for around $130 (cheaper than a new computer), but I need "512 MB of physical RAM." What the h___ does that mean?!

I'm not a computer person. I want to turn on my Mac and start working on my novel, or poke around online, or download/upload photos, or create a PowerPoint slide show of a story outline, etc.

So I poke around on the computer and search on Google. I think I discovered that I have more than adequate space on my computer to upgrade to Leopard. What I don't have is the $130.

So do I take an "advance" on my income tax refund to buy the software sooner rather than later? Will my computer melt if I try to do an upgrade? Will my head explode if I attempt to load Leopard?

ARGH!

All I wanted was a digital camera to play with!

2 comments:

Shared Glory said...

Ohhhh mannnnnnn I have so much to say because I am very excited for your new camera! I LOOOOVE my older version of that one and there is a TON you can do with it (and I go back to using that one when I don't want to lug my huge new camera around). You can buy lens extention things for it so you can get wide angle and even more zoom that you screw on to the end of the lens.
There is a pretty easy way to solve the problem you have for about 110 bucks less. Go into Best Buy, or Target, or Fred Meyer or whatever and look or ask for something called a "memory card reader". The memory card in your camera is probably an SD (secure digital) card. A memory card reader allows you to take the card out of your camera, plug it into the reader and plug that into your usb input. So you will be able to open all your images as if they were on a "flash usb drive" (or in older terms, a floppy). You can then copy/cut the files onto your computer. Give me a call if you need help!

Oregon Equestrian said...

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I'm so glad you like my camera! I was going to ask you your thoughts on this model, but Santa's gift was burning a hole in my pocket. :-)

I have an external floppy drive that I use for saving my iong documents. Much easier to overwrite the existing version of the novel than erasing and saving again on a CD-RW.

I will looking into the memory card reader as well as upgrading my software.

You're a gem!