Three cameras

I promised some friends I’d post about my new camera and since I’m no good with the technical talk (which can all be found online anyway) I thought I’d offer a few comparisons of my own. 

My old handbag camera is a Sony HX9V

My new handbag camera is a Sony HX60

My big camera is a Canon SX50 HS

Though I like to take photos, my motivation is to capture the moment rather than to create a masterpiece.  I almost always use the automatic setting because I grew up with a point and shoot compact camera and never bothered with stop numbers and so on.  I seem to be able to get pleasing results without the hassle, so I focus on other aspects and keep it simple.  All the photographs here were taken on the auto setting then.

To begin with, the flowers on the windowsill, for colour and detail.  Same order of cameras: old one, new one, big one.  I think the old camera is outdone by the two newer models and prefer the detail and depth of colour captured by the new Sony (middle image).

Poor light levels on the sitting room bookshelf, the big Canon’s extra bright results are evident.  There’s not much to choose between the other two. (Same order: old, new, big)

Teetering on the garden room step to take pictures of the dreary day outside, I found how tricky it is to take identical shots!  Sorry about that.  I think the different levels of brightness are apparent here too.

But here’s the surprise.  I thought I could see some rather lovely lichen on that tree branch.

That one, there – captured at full zoom with my old Sony HX9V.

Seen a little closer with my big Canon SX50HS, 50x optical zoom.

But actually, most surprising of all, seen to best advantage with my new, Sony HX60 30x optical zoom.

How strange is that?  I appear to be able to zoom in more closely (more accurately?) in sharper focus with the 30x optical zoom than the 50x.  Hmmm.

As you’ll imagine, my handbag camera gets thrown into the bag, churns around in my pocket and gets almost daily use.  I don’t “treasure” my electronic bits and pieces as much as perhaps I should – I use them and expect them to withstand reasonable care without the need for protective cases and kid gloves.  Maybe that’s the reason why some bits drop off!  In the case of my old Sony (actually, about three years old) it’s the rubber thumb grip.  Not something which is mission critical, but what’s annoying is that without it, my thumb slips slightly in the direction of that movie button and more than once, I’ve found myself shooting an unintentional show reel.

Not only that, but over the years, the scene selection button on the top has worn a little looser than it was originally, and it has a tendency to slip around.  Occasionally, I’ve questioned the cause of a sub-optimal photograph, only to find later that it was taken on a completely random setting.  Both this and the thumb grip issue are mere minor irritations but are gradually becoming more frequent.

I was pleased then, to see the newer model had a redesigned arrangement of controls which would reduce the likelihood of inadvertent switching of settings.  There’s a new manual override too, which might mean I change the habits of a lifetime?  The on/off button is relocated to that area too, which is something to get used to but otherwise, the settings and general interface remain much the same.

The new camera is slightly bigger all round and slightly heavier too, but nevertheless, it’s likely to be my camera of choice for almost all occasions, the more so since the zoom appears to be as good if not better than the larger, more cumbersome Canon.  I’m delighted with my choice and look forward to giving it a good workout on our adventure next month.

I might even share some of the results

Unexpected diversion

We went to a fun party in London yesterday and having planned what to wear, I picked out a grey clutch bag to take with me. 

I well remember when I bought this particular bag and it’s quite some years ago.  I bought it for a special occasion, needless to say.

Here I am carrying it on the steps of Buckingham Palace, following my father in law’s investiture in 1986.  Yes, it’s a real oldie, but the soft grey leather and plain design doesn’t date and it was just right for yesterday’s do, I thought.

Especially when I looked inside, because there I found a whole bunch of relics from an earlier age.

The first thing I came across was a credit card statement, also from 1986.

Not only had I shopped at Comet, I filled my car up at two different filling stations, each time for less than £16.

I’d obviously used the bag since 1986, because I found the Order of service and a sweet thank you card from Caroline and Tony’s wedding in 1989 too.

Like all parents of young children, I’d gone prepared, because there in the pocket was a small book, a notebook and pencil.  Yes, I left it in there yesterday afternoon, because Edward was going to the party as well…

But best of all, there in the zip pocket was a small bundle of negative strips wrapped in a photo printer’s folder, with a list of enlargements required.  Oh my goodness!

Out came the film scanner this morning and having remembered how to use it (and found all the requisite negative strip holders, USB cables and suchlike) we’ve scanned the photographs.

Sweet! 

No £50 notes tucked in there but treasure of a different kind, some of it now safely included in my Project Life pockets, but others put back into the bag to be rediscovered in time.  I mean, is there ever an occasion when a Richard Scarry Busy World book doesn’t prove an entertaining diversion?

Still in New York

Well, no, not really.  I have to go to work today, but looking through my photos I found I still have a few to share.

Don’t you love the effect of the sunlight on the building opposite our hotel room window, seen through the white cotton blind?  I do!

Then of course, if I’m at 14th St station on the subway, I’ve got to take a photo (or few) of Life Underground

Fortunately, since we had Metrocards, we didn’t have to squeeze under the barrier!

In Williamsburg, there was this handy chair placed thoughtfully on a streetcorner.  Curious, n’est-ce pas?

Of course, the late afternoon/early evening view from there was terrific.

(wait till you see the night time shot)

The Divers

One of the reasons we went to New York on this particular weekend was to go to a concert.  Yes, our all time favourite piece of Raff, the Piano Quintet, was on the programme being performed by the Jupiter Players on Monday afternoon and we wanted to hear it very much indeed.

 

These divers – a photograph of which prompted Mary’s comment the other day – are an installation on the wall of Rosa Mexicana’s restaurant opposite the Lincoln Center, where we enjoyed margaritas after the concert.  Water is running down the tiled wall and the small (5” wide, approx) figures represent the cliff divers of wherever it is in Mexico that the young men dive.  Jordi alerted me to take a closer look at them, for though they appear to be identical on first glance, there are some individuals amongst them.

The light on the running water makes them especially interesting and they are a great talking point.

The margaritas are good, too!

Moving right along

For a while, I’ve known that friends have had problems leaving a comment on my 365 page, over on Blogger.  I have been similarly frustrated by the new interface and the lack of flexibility, not to mention being at the mercy of Google’s every little whim.  Over the last few days I’ve been making a few small changes, quietly moving my four year’s worth of photographs from Blogger to a page here, just next door to this one.

The 365 link above, which used to lead to an archive of photographs displayed in an ipad-unfriendy Flash format, now holds my daily photograph and will be updated daily – or very nearly!

I’ve also tweaked a few links and removed some others, since my Kindle has made LibraryThing a little redundant and Pinterest has come along and needs a link, I think.  You might also spot that I’ve added a “search” feature, which might prove useful, too. 

Hope it’s all working fine and that leaving a comment is no longer the challenge that Blogger seemed to make it.  Let me know if you find something amiss, won’t you?