Much of my adult life has been spent staring at pixels, the fine details. If you're in the market for a high-quality sub-$300 camera, the Polaroid X530 featuring the Foveon X3 image sensor is the one to get. That is, if you can find one. Most modern digital imaging technology is based on fundamental assumptions developed for NTSC analog television - the idea that the eye is less sensitive to color (or in the case of still image cameras, less sensititive to red/blue). Not so with the Foveon imaging sensor. [
UPDATE: I finally was able find one. As expected, it takes amazing photos in RAW format.

Since corporate white collar thieves have systematically gutted Polaroid corporation since the death of the founder, you'll be lucky if you can buy any Polaroid based photography products in 3 years, let alone a groundbreaking camera based on an innovative technology like the Foveon X3.

While you're at it, pick up a Polaroid OneStep 600, and you'll be reminded how much fun taking pictures can be - that is, when you leave behind the SD cards, USB cables, ink-jet printers, ink-jet printer cartridges, and computers just to print out a photo to give to your friends. Having trouble printing from your digital camera? Why, didn't they tell you to enable the DHCP on your WIFI printer?

Labels: foveon, polaroid