Seriodrama d'Obsession

When last we looked, our intrepid blogger was obsessing over which digital camera to purchase. So many choices had a quality that made them worth considering over the other choices -- for months he had considered the options, and eventually he gained the gumption to tell the world of his dilemma. We now rejoin the story.

The obsession continued day and night, night and day. (cue dreamlike aura, where everything is a bit fuzzy) He dreamed of a gargantuan camera store, with every camera in the world neatly laid out before him. He picked one up and admired its heft, its controls, its features, its quality. This camera, he thought, and took it to the store checkout. Before he reached it, however, he remembered one feature he wanted that the camera didn't have. Back he went, grabbed another camera, loved everything about it, and headed to the cash register. Again, before he actually bought the camera, he discovered a flaw and had to return it to the table of cameras. He engaged in this Sisyphesian activity for what seemed like an eternity, until finally he found The Camera. It was an absolutely perfect camera. No matter how many features he desired, The Camera had it. No matter how many possible flaws there were, The Camera had none. He was ecstatic, and this time, he successfully navigated his way to the cashier, paid for The Camera, and walked out the door. When next he looked down to gaze upon The Camera, he discovered that it was the pinhole camera he made when he was in the Cub Scouts. He whirled around to go back to the gargantuan camera store, but it had vanished, and he was stuck with The Camera. (end dreamlike aura) He screamed himself awake.

Finally, on April 14, five long days after he revealed his obsession to the world, he reached a monumental decision -- it was healthier to select one of the cameras (heck, any camera) than to continue his obsession, day after day. And so, after spending one day fruitlessly searching for the perfect combination of price, reliability and availability, he ordered the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ5 (FZ5) (Option 2 as described in our last installment), a fairly small camera, which had garnered excellent reviews for its picture quality and was replete with many of the features he desired. Unfortunately, the place he ordered from said it wouldn't be in stock until the following week, and the following week its estimated shipping date slipped to the first week of May. It was almost as if Chance were taunting him, telling him that although he had made his choice, things weren't settled, not by a longshot. Patiently he waited, ever so patiently, checking the delivery status every single day, sometimes more than once per day. Then, on April 22, seven days after he ordered the camera, an earthshattering event struck, challenging our fearless blogger's resolve. For on that day, a new camera was announced, the Canon PowerShot S2 IS (S2).

(cue flashback) In the early days of his quest for the perfect camera, our blogger chanced upon the Canon PowerShot S1 IS. He thought that the S1 had so many good qualities, and for a time it seemed like the perfect combination of features. But upon closer inspection, he discovered subtle flaws that rendered the S1 unacceptable to his high standards.

(end flashback) All of these features appeared to be fixed in the older camera's successor. But the thing was, the S2 wasn't due to be available until June. And with such an expensive purchase, our blogger wanted to read reviews, because no matter how good it looked on paper, he didn't want to order it until he was sure that it was as good as it looked. Could our blogger wait? Would the wait be much longer than the wait under his then-present course of action? Would the back-ordered FZ5 ship the first week of May, or would it be delayed even longer? He thought about it, carefully, over a long period of time. Finally, four mind-bending days after the announcement of the S2, he made up his mind, and cancelled his order for the FZ5. But (play music of Surprise), he didn't hold off for the S2 -- he instead placed an order for the FZ5 from a different store, one that had it in stock, and was offering it for ~$25 less.

And so, even now, as this tale of woe is unfolding before you, the FZ5 is speeding its way (probably in the back of an ox cart) from Cerritos, California, en route to Washington, DC, where our blogger awaits the epic meeting of man and camera. Will Fate intervene, perhaps via a mysterious cyclone that takes the mail truck holding the camera to places hitherto unknown? Will Chance again strike, choosing this package to be misplaced by the post office? Will Irony appear, causing the FZ5 to slip through our blogger's fingers the very first time he holds it, shattering on impact with the floor? Or will Mercury successfully deliver the goods, enabling our blogger to finally meet his picky pics pick?

Tune in Next Time to find out.