With the end of July quickly approaching I have started nailing down travel plans and preparing for my trip.

I received my airline tickets from Chicago to Tokyo (with a layover in L.A.) and Tokyo to Beijing. That will be one very long day, the trip from L.A. to Tokyo is over 11 hours. I think the longest flight I have ever taken was to Istanbul with a layover in Belgium. I also once flew from Chicago to London and slept in Gatwick Airport for 8 hours until my connecting flight to Copenhagen. Neither of those flights can compare with my 4 hour flight to L.A., 4 hour layover and over 11 hour flight to Tokyo.

I am looking for a camera that takes good pictures at 5 megapixels, has manual controls and is relatively compact. The smallest cameras out there right now are almost too small. I have seen increased camera shake and poorer quality results as cameras get smaller. I do want a small camera, but most digitals are smaller than my usual travel companion, a Nikon N60 35mm SLR. After hiking in Peru with it I decided I needed something smaller, lighter and more discrete. However, I like controlling my camera and have high standards when it comes to photography so not just any digital camera will do.

After over a month of reading reviews and testing cameras I’ve narrowed the search down to the Canon s60 and Sony DSC-V1. Unfortunately I have not found any stores that have both cameras in stock at the same time. The Sony is an older camera, but Sonys are not as widely carried in camera stores as other brands. The Canon was only released in June so there’s is not a lot of stock on shelves yet.

I tested the Canon first, but was very disappointed with the size and weight of it. Compared to the cute digital Elphs it sat next to it looked like a giant. The store was very busy so I was not able to spend much time with it. Later that week I found the Sony and was much happier with it. The design and size really appealed to me. I also liked the way the buttons and menus worked. At this point I was leaning toward the Sony but was upset over the additional cost. Although I could buy both cameras for similar prices, I would need to invest in more than one additional battery, an external battery charger and memory sticks for the Sony. I found a store with the Canon s60 in stock so I tested it again yesterday. It didn’t seem nearly as large and it originally seemed. The Sony is a less wide, but also taller. They weight about the same. I am now leaning toward the Canon because I will need to buy less additional accessories for it. There are some features that I’m not interested that seem to be important to other people, namely large LCDs and subcompact size.

Canon s60 Pros
Wide angle lens (28 - 100mm)
Programable Manual Mode
Canon has good reputation
Uses cheaper Compact Flash memory
Good battery life
External travel charger included

Canon s60 Cons
Stubborn on/off door operation
Unattractive design

Sony DSC-V1 Pros
Longer zoom lens (34 - 136mm)
Night shot modes
Unlimited video length
Compact size
Add on lenses and flash available
Nice design

Sony DSC-V1 Cons
Very poor battery life
Expensive accessories
Uses more expensive Memory Stick memory
Sony is not a camera company

*Camera images taken from canon.com and sony.com

I finally got the courage to call a few travel agencies for prices for

Chicago> Tokyo> Beijing

Chicago> Tokyo … Osaka> Beijing.

So far, the lowest price I’ve been quoted is $850 ( for the first route) but I would have to get a train back to Tokyo (from Kyoto) which would add to the cost. I’m waiting to hear back from one more agency. A third gave me a quote for $1,000 for the second route (from Osaka). Also, they’re all direct flights. I was sure that I’d have to stop in LA. And the $850 fare is on United so I would get miles.

I can get a Japan railpass for 7 days ($260) or 14 days ($413). Considering a one-way train ticket from Tokyo to Kyoto is $122, that may be the way to go. The bus is only $55 but it takes about 5 hours longer than the train.

I love researching and planning. It’s like my Virgo ways clash with my creativeness and desire to be footloose and fancy free. Although the latter could cost a pretty penny in Japan.

I have been trying out cameras lately. I decided that the smallest one I was looking at (Canon s500) is too small and has stupid buttons. If my tiny hands can’t navigate them then who’s can? I hadn’t seen the Sony DSC-V1 yet and I really like it. I can’t find a store that has both the Sony and Canon s60, and the place that had the Canon last weekend is sold out. I need to see the Canon again to see how the menus work compared to the Sony. I want the Canon because I have to buy a lot of extra stuff for the Sony (battery charger, memory card, batteries) which will add up to more than what I need to get for the Canon. But the Sony’s much cuter and smaller, and I can be easily swayed by industrial design. We’ll see.