I started my modern image making exploits with a Kodak DC265 ($680) in October of 1999. It served me well for about 6 months when the Kodak DC290 came out. It's higher resolution and uncompressed TIFF writing format sucked me in almost immediately. I was able to sell the DC265 on eBay for what I had paid for it, and then put about $300 with it and made the upgrade to the DC290 ($960).

I shot over 11,000 images with those two Kodak's. I still have the DC290 and it is in 100% working condition. Huge shutter lag, slow shutter speeds, and a 20 second wait to flush the buffer after 3 quick pictures make this a slow old camera. Balancing out hose negatives are its very vivid saturated colors, a very powerful flash. and incredible low light long exposure performance. Even out to it's 16 second maximum exposure, it had relatively low noise for it's day. This made it a great camera to play with outside at night and some of it's amazing results sparked an interest in low light and available light photography that still drives me to this day...

I had the opportunity to use a lot of different cameras over the nearly 10 full years I spent with the Kodak DC290. I shot side by side with a good friend using his 5 megapixel Sony at the Formula One race at Indianapolis in 2002. When we reviewed the images afterward, everything from the brilliantly painted race cars, to the grass and sky - the colors just didn't have the same 'pop' coming out of that Sony. When comparing the shots later that night on a laptop in the comfort of our RV, the owner of the Sony camera was the first to say it out loud, "jeez my yellows and purples look a little washed out compared to your pictures."

In 2006 I started digging in and doing some research thinking that 7 years later, surely there must be an easy choice - a point and shoot camera must exist that could make hands down better images. If it was out there I couldn't find it, even using the imaging-resource.com to compare the same exact shots between different camera models. I was in love with the very saturated "Kodak Digital Science" colors it produced.