Justification

I was trying to decide whether I should pick up an Olympus SP-570UZ. I had been of two minds regarding the purchase. It may have been the increased potential of taking more shots like the one in yesterday's entry which tipped the scales.

CONS

Just eight months ago I got a 12-mega pixel, 5X optical zoom Kodak Z1275. It's a good little camera that takes surprisingly sharp photos considering the bargain price.

If a camera is too bulky, I'd be less likely to carry it around with me. The Olympus can't be put in one's pocket as it's substantially larger and heavier.

This Olympus uses expensive xD cards. I'd rather be able to swap between my own equipment which uses ubiquitous, cheap SDHC.

It's a bit pricey. Even on sale, the Olympus is over $430 without the high-speed xD card.

PROS

I was very familiar with the Olympus brand's operation having owned a D-40 and SP-350. The SP-570UZ takes the familiar and adds new features, such as face detection.

Although physically much larger, it's self-contained without the need for carrying around extra dSLR lenses. The Olympus has an internal 20X optical zoom.

I like the freedom of cameras which use standard, re-chargeable AA batteries. This Olympus uses four.

I held the SP-570UZ at London Drugs. It felt very nice in my hands.

We're going to Italy next month and it'd be embarrassing go to the cradle of western civilization with a tiny little, grandmother-type camera. The Olympus looks as well as functions a few steps higher.

I can afford it and, of course, anything I justify, I can buy. The Olympus is equal to just two months of cigarettes if I were still a smoker.

Oh look at that! The total was just four against but six for. With such overwhelming stats, I simply had no choice but to run and buy one yesterday. The new camera is in my hands now. This way I'll have a month to learn its quirks before actually going on vacation.