Excited.
It is a rarity for me to get genuinely excited. The only time I can remember was when I was 8 or 9 years old. That day I was so excited I couldn't contain my naïve, low mirage 9-year-old brain. I still get excited thinking of the bucket of Lego bricks I got that day. Yes, Legos got me excited.
I was so excited that from the moment they were placed in my hands that exciting afternoon, I couldn't stop playing with them until my parents intervened to enforce the eight o'clock bedtime. Reluctantly, I stopped. Unable to contain my excitement, I gazed at the dark ceiling until a slither of daylight penetrated the darkness. I jumped out of bed and was back playing with my Legos.
What excited me were the endless possibilities. The toys I had could only do one thing; a transport truck could only be a car, or a toy gun (yes, I am from that generation) could only shoot. But Legos were different. They could be anything my mind conjured up. I could build a house, a car, or a whole city…the limit was my imagination.
I am not here to reminisce, neither are you here; I guess, to hear about my childhood. But, there is a point to the story. I got excited again, not in that childish nothing matters way, but in a grown-up utilitarian way. The reason, though, was the same possibilities.
What oddly got me excited was a mobile phone. Let me vent for a second. Not degrading mobile phones, they are a nuisance to me. I have grown weary of the constant beeping, vibrating, and the whole idea that anyone can get hold of you at any moment. Yes, I do miss the days of phones bolted to the wall, the freedom of disconnecting and enjoying the moment without a cellphone lighting up. Uuuh.
Despite my distaste, I'm dependent on one. It still rings and beeps at perfectly imperfect moments, but life demands I cater to its needs. I have gone through many of them, and they all excelled at annoying me. I thought, as a photographer, the built-in camera would bring some solace. Not at all. The built-in cameras were nothing but an insult. They were mediocre, elementary, and produced sub-standard images, but that is until I tried my new phone. I got excited.
I heard about this mobile phone's built-in camera capabilities, but from experience, I was very skeptical. Nevertheless, I ordered the phone. Due to the pandemic's effects, it took a while for the phone to come to my door. I had to contain my anxiety that I was a victim of clever marketing; fight the urge to cancel my order altogether. Finally, it arrived at my door.
After going through the required setup procedure, it was time to try the much-touted camera. I was surprised. The camera produces good images and has lenses of varying focal lengths with a more than ideal megapixel count.
I was surprisingly pleased, thrilled, and happy. Finally, the nine-year-old boy with a bucket of Legos was back. Though I did not spend the whole night, nor did I wake up early to play with the phone, I have been using it constantly, and sometimes I prefer it over my beloved Sony DSLR.
Like the Legos, what made this camera phone exciting were the possibilities. I could do a lot more with this camera phone than before. Though there are some limitations, the possibilities, while not endless, are adequate. I can take decent landscapes and portraits with the bonus of shooting in raw.
Kudos to Samsung for the galaxy s22 ultra-mobile phone. I had my Lego moment.
I have written a more in-depth article on the galaxy s22, which you can read here.