Saturday, July 18, 2009

Must I paint you a picture?

Okay, nothing really pool related today, but I'd like to buy a camera before Vegas and I'm looking for recommendations. I'm not sure what I want to do, get a ultra-compact point and shoot, that will be cheaper and convenient, but more limited in what I can shoot. Or spend more to get something like a low-end superzoom camera, so I can go a little crazy.

As you might imagine, I might take a few pictures in the pool scene....so I'm looking for something that's good in low light and has good image stabilization. I've posted on a few camera forums, and I've heard something to the effect of, if you're taking pictures at pool tournaments, NOTHING less than an SLR will do, you might be able to get by with something for about $800. Sigh. Even if I could afford an $800 camera, I'm not sure I'd want to be carrying it around.

Then, for a compact, if I MUST, they recommend a discontinued Fuji camera which is now available on ebay. (Maybe it is the best low-light compact camera ever built, but its still kind of pricey for a compact that comes with no warranty).

So, I'm throwing this out to the blogosphere...

Any pool player out there with a camera that they love?

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Good stuff

I'm not in the mood to talk much about myself right now. I'm playing pretty well, and my inclination is to just let it be and not over analyze it...or even relive it here in my blog. I'm just going to enjoy it one moment at a time...and *maybe* you'll hear about it later.

Instead, I thought I'd point out a couple of great posts from AZBilliards that I recently came across. I love AZB, but mostly for its entertainment/social value. It can be light on serious pool content, but Jude Rosenstock's posts are usually full of real pool stuff. These two posts, on great shots to know for B & C players, I thought were especially good:

Want to Get Better? This is How. Pt 1
Want to Get Better? This is How. Pt 2

What's great about these shots, is not only are they ones you will use, but as Jude describes, they are one's that teach you a lot about english, speed control and other fundamental concepts. Simply, they are shots that can change your game.

At one time, I had hoped that I would catalog these kind of shots in my blog. Last year when someone showed me the second shot from Part 1, I thought it was a little too challenging for me. But once I got it, I felt like my understanding of the game went from two to three dimensions. I saw so many more options for getting from here to there, the layouts never looked quite the same again. Learning that one shot was a "life" changing moment.

If I discover anymore of these shots, I'll try to include them here. But for now, Jude has done a good start on creating a great list of shots that can change your life. Thanks, Jude. Still waiting parts 3-5.