Notes on the new camera. . . . . . . . . .

You may recall my very quick note regarding a new camera on the day I was 

leaving for Europe in December. Here I'll explain what happened and why I 

found myself at the camera shop at the last minute. Definitely not planned but

it was the only way I could see myself gathering photo memories of the trip

with a good camera.

On Thanksgiving Day, somehow the new Canon Power Shot SX530HS camera

 I'd purchased in September was splashed with the turkey gravy as it was passed

 around the table. Can you believe that, and me being vegetarian and not even

 eating turkey let alone drowning my veggies with gravy, haha!

I was able to wipe the camera off and it worked OK that day and on the beach trip

 which we took the weekend after the holiday. I didn't use the camera again until I took

 a few packing pix as I readied to cross the pond. That's when I realized the zoom

wasn't working and I could see a sticky substance down in the zoom lever. 

Hells bells. . . . . . a mad dash to the local camera shop, although

 I didn't buy the Canon there (purchased it from B&H in NYC).  The shop advised

 it would have to be sent away for repairs, so that day I bought another camera, 

this time a Sony, a first for me, as they didn't have the same Canon. I liked the 

Canon except it didn't have a viewfinder which I truly missed as I find it hard to

see well on the LCD screen. 

I decided to bring the broken camera home and send it off through the local

 camera shop when I returned from Europe. Later however, on checking my

 paperwork from B&H I found I had 2 years of insurance coverage, which

 included drops and spills, from SquareTrade as part of the camera purchase. 

Sent it off, described what happened, within a week or so it was returned,

 no charge, and working perfectly again. 

Amazing, and I highly recommend SquareTrade for their easy and excellent

 service - everything was done via a smoothly run online process and it didn't

 cost anything - they even paid the shipping both ways.

These test photos were all taken around the cottage this week with the new

 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX400V which I'm really liking. 

It was highly recommended by my local camera store staff

 whom I trust, and although more expensive than the Canon it does have more

 features including a Zeiss 50X optical zoom lens, 20.4 mega pixels, a full 3" tilting

 LCD screen, and a great electronic viewfinder - when you put it to your eye it

 automatically opens rather than having to view your composed shot on the screen.

 There are a lot of features I've yet to learn so I need to spend time with the camera

 in the coming weeks. I did enjoy using it on the trip, it's a wee bit heavier than the

 Canon but very comfortable to hold.

Quite honestly, for me, and maybe for you, these new bridge digital cameras are

 amazing. I see them perhaps eventually taking the place of the huge, heavy

 DSLR's which require lugging those bulky interchangeable lenses, adding so

 much more weight and taking up a lot of space in luggage when traveling. 

I think professionals will always require those monster cameras, but for the likes

 of us, these smaller, lighter versions can do what we need at a much lower price,

 can be charged through a lap top, often have great pre-set scene options, and

 are definitely much easier to handle for we amateur photographers.

 I realize we all want to take great photos and that a DSLR with the option of

 changing lenses and settings will always give the best - once you learn how to use

 it and hold it steady. That was not easy for me with my huge DSLR, the Canon 7D,

 but my granddaughter loves using it and is taking great photos with it. 

Young people have good eyesight and nimble fingers. 

Just watch them with a smart phone!

 I'm quite happy with the photos I get with this camera and, in all honesty, with

 today's editing options - I use iPhoto and PicMonkey - we can all tweak our shots

 and make them even better, just as the professionals often do.

Cropping, sharpening and a little cleanup can work miracles.

Some may call that cheating, I call it being creative!

Wishing you happy days with your camera - and looking forward to seeing your

photos on your blog. The sun is shining here, a bit chilly but I think I'm heading out 

for a walk in the woods later - and of course I'll take the camera.