Sony Cybershot vs Google Glass photos

I have to start out by saying that this comparison really isn’t a true comparison  since I conclude that  the two devices are for different situations. As a camera, the Sony Cybershot  G is a winner in every possible way. it has more options, heck, having options at all makes it a winner. The photos are sharp and it does HD video for far longer than I would do given the ten-minute limit on YouTube and the attention span limit for any video not your own. It is also very small and an easy addition to my purse for everyday. Even so, I looked forward to the convenience of Google Glass for photos and ten-second video (longer video also possible, but not automatic).

Google Glass has two main advantages for photos and video. First, it is always there and always ready. I don’t miss the shot getting the camera out of my purse or even positioning it. A tap or a quick glance to the right and Glass is ready, whether by wink, tap-menu select, or voice. For me voice is the easy, fast choice. Wink seems to work best for accidental shots, but in its defense, I could go back in and recalibrate it. The tap-menu is good for when voice command isn’t appropriate. All three methods are faster than traditional point and shoot, and that makes it easier to catch that spontaneous shot. The photos auto-upload to Google+ everyday and I can either do minimal editing there or download and use Photoshop or iPhoto. At least once a week I plug Glass in to my iMac and download all photos and video using iPhoto. Google+ is convenient, but I like having files on my own computer too. The folder there is also backed up to cloud storage.

So, convenience and speed count as the first advantage for Glass, but the second and unique advantage for photos and video is Glass’s viewpoint. Glass’e eye-level camera is the ultimate first-person point-of-view. People smile at you, and the camera and you are indistinguishable. That means a more natural photo, even from people who normally freeze-up when photographed. Animals are easier too.

Here is a visual comparison. The shots were taken within seconds of each other, the first with Glass, the second with the Sony.

I can’t say that either shot achieved what I wanted to achieve, but the Sony Cybershot G gives me much more to work with in editing. Glass has a flash, but it just doesn’t cut it for night photography, and the Sony is the best camera I’ve ever had for night and low-light shooting. Glass’s lower resolution probably doesn’t help either. Once again though, Glass is not a camera on a stick. It takes photos and video, but that is not what it is primarily for. As I continue to use it, I find more and more advantages for using it as an always-there personal assistant. That, I think, is its strength.

So, buying the Sony a few months before getting Glass was not one of those early-adopter ironies after all. I still use it, and it is still the best choice for most of my photography. Glass simply fills in for those times when the shot would otherwise disappear or become too posed while waiting for the camera to come out of the purse.