Heading into the Disney world Marathon, I ran into a quandary. One of the major attractions to the marathon are the characters on the course. And of course, if you are going to stop for a picture with the characters, it’s helpful to have a camera with you.

So, I had several options.

• My Canon 5D Mark 2
• Canon Powershot A640
• iPhone 4S
• Other

Lets look at this for a moment:

1. 5D Mark 2 – Awesome photos. Awesome low light capability. Big. Heavy. Bulky.
2. Powershot A640 – Decent Photos. Not HUGE. Not small. Limited use, don’t care if it dies.
3. iPhone 4S – Good Photos. Light. Decent low light. It’s going to be on me anyways. What happens if I drop it?
4. Other – Should I buy a running camera?

I didn’t want to take the A640 – I don’t use it often, and that’s for a reason. It does OK, but simply put, the 5D Mk II blows away just about any competition. And if I’m not taking the 5D, I’m probably using the iPhone 4S, which frankly, seems to take very similar pictures most of the time, AND it’s already on me.

But, for a run, I was pretty scared of accidentally dropping the phone during a handoff, or while running… And with a glass back and front, that would probably make me VERY unhappy. The 5D also isn’t exactly the best option for trying to run with, even stripped down, it’s a hefty, bulky piece of kit.

Enter my favorite store : Costco!

They have the Fuji FinePix XP20 on sale! Waterproof, shockproof, dustproof. And it’s relatively lightweight! Plus 14 Megapixels!

PERFECT!

Yeah, not so much.

I tried it out on a few runs leading to the marathon. Holding it in my hand as I ran was OK, but I’m not used to it, and frankly, after 6 miles, I was swapping back and forth. Pictures were decent, but I was taking them in the noon day sun.

I was able to put it in my SPIbelt along with the iPhone, so it seemed like it might be a good solution.

Enter the first day at Disney World.

We went to 1900 Park Fare for dinner. I took the Fuji to take pictures. This is typical of the pictures I took, even as I tried to find the correct settings in the camera.

White balance is way off, but can be corrected. The blur from having too slow a shutter speed can’t. And I couldn’t ever get it faster. Plus, it has really bad shutter lag (the time between the press of the button and the actual picture being taken.)

So, I have VERY few pictures worthwhile from our Dining experience at 1900 Park Fare, and those that I do have are from my iPhone. Disappointing, but I am very glad I found out about it before the marathon. It’s going back to Costco.

I switched my strategy.

• 5K – I ran with the 5d and a 50mm lens attached.
• Marathon – iPhone 4S, combined with the professional’s on the course.

It’s VERY apparent to me now that I’m spoiled by my 5d and the iPhone. I don’t like shutter lag. I LIKE low light performance. I like to be able to increase the shutter speed up, open up the aperture, and push the ISO.

The Fuji didn’t allow that. Shutter lag was HORRIBLE. White balance was routinely off. The pictures are not bad when the conditions are good, but they fall apart very quickly once you get into a less than ideal area. I looked at the other models in the line, and frankly, didn’t see much about them that would improve on the problems I had. All appeared to be the same sensor (and ISO – surprisingly 3200. Sure didn’t perform like it.) The higher models added GPS tagging to the package (not an issue for me.. Minimum of 2 GPS devices per run ANYWAYS) and some bells and whistles. But nothing indicating better aperture opening, or increased processor speed (for it’s autofocus/lag).

Perhaps I didn’t give it enough time, but honestly, I expect a stand alone device to do at LEAST as well as a combined. This is a camera that is out performed, easily (in image quality as well as easy of use) by the iPhone. Given that I have the iPhone, why do I need this?