Drool-Inducing Gadgetry

I was at Villman Computers in Park Square 1 yesterday with Lalai, looking for a 1GB Secure Digital card. Amazingly, one can purchase a no-name "Muse" 1GB SD card for 2,700 pesos (about $53) while a Kingston branded card of the same capacity is almost $100.

But 1GB SD cards do not qualify as "drool-inducing gadgetry."

What does qualify is Villman's current BPI "installment madness" promotion. They are selling an Olympus E-300 digital SLR kit, with the 14-45mm standard zoom, for around 40,000 pesos with an option for 1-year installment payments of 3,332 pesos per month.



This same product costs $650 from B&H in New York, or about 33,500 pesos. A 6,500-peso premium for a local warranty and stretching payments over a year doesn't seem so bad..

By comparison, the Canon EOS 350D kit costs $780 at B&H (also with the standard zoom, an 18-55mm EF-S lens) or about 41,000 pesos. Villman is selling the exact same model for about 4,200 pesos a month or a tad over 50,000 pesos (a 10,000-peso premium over B&H price).

The EOS 350D is technically a superior camera: larger sensor, faster, the Canon cachet, mature technology.

Olympus E-300:

• 2.1 seconds turn-on time
• 0.37 seconds full AF lag
• 2.0X 4/3rds system sensor
• 1.0X viewfinder magnification with a 50mm lens (e.g. 0.5X magnification, 35mm equivalent)

Canon EOS 350D:

• 0.2 seconds turn-on time (much faster than the EOS 300D)
  
• 0.24 seconds full AF lag
• 1.6X APS-C sensor
• 0.8X viewfinder magnification with a 50mm lens (e.g. 0.5X magnification, 35mm equivalent)

But the price difference is not inconsiderable. Assuming a 1-year payment period, that 900 pesos per month difference is like the cost of my Smart broadband service. One might argue that said amount is not that large, and they'd be right. I would also get to re-use my existing (minimal) investment in Canon gear.

Well.. hopefully after the wedding I can avail myself of either of these things.