several months ago there was an incident where a man took my camera
an odd urban encounter
it was one of those happy accidents
well, kinda sorta
the removal of that camera forced me to start using a far superior camera I had purchased a few months prior
but had on the shelf as it was still in the too nice to use stage
well...
the new camera proved to be far superior
the old camera had its value
it was small
beyond small... it was james bond compact
but it had a serious digital delay
the lens stuck half open at times
guess it had been dropped a few too many times
so, I started to use the righteous Panasonic Luminex FZ30 with great pleasure
while my wife was hesitent
it is large and somewhat awkward
not to mention nice and expensive
she found herself in a situation where she was not taking photos very often as she was not comfortable using that camera
upon our landing in florida we went to get our bags
with a slap to my forehead I exclaimed to lisa that I had forgotten the camera
neither of us were pleased
as proud parents we appreciate the pleasures of documentation
we agreed that we would need to get a small point and shoot while on this trip
a few days into the trip we took an evening drive to the nearest walmart
it was not an easy affair
12 dollar swim trunks
a wide variety of sock choices
and all sorts of purchasing options that we just don't have in the city distracted me
once finally in the electronics department I was overwelmed
the choices were vast
so I centered in on a price point.... sub two hundred
after a gig SD card that was roughly 150
there were multiple options in that range
after much comparision and some discussions with some strangers I did some Ennie Meenie Minnie Mo
walked away with a 4 Mega Pixel Vivitar
the next day we started to use the new camera
frustrating to fall back on the digital delay
but response time comes at a price
in the end we were happy to have a camera
especially a camera that we felt comfortable bringing to the beach and doing all the things we would do on vacations such as this
two days into the ownership of the camera I was moderately comfortable with the basic functions
when going to take an indoor shot the flash did not go off
I tried to go the settings
even got out the manual
everything worked except the ability to access the flash options
the camera was stuck with the flash set to off
so it was another drive to walmart
first a long wait in the service department line
there were more distractions
there were inflatable rafts, sand toys, more socks, some boxer shorts
snacks and drinks
then finally back to the electronics department
there were thoughts of just a straight exchange
then I thought of what a fool I would be to walk away with this same camera only to have it break in two days again
so I tried to find another camera in the same price point
eventually I took a drop in in Mega Pixels and a jump in price
went from Vivitar to Nikon
went from a manufacturer that dominated the 110 market to a company that fights for the attention of actual photographers
in the end I am pleased with the upgrade
have not compared the photograph results
but I feel that the move to the Nikon was a good choice
time to take a look a photoshop and see what the camera caught over the last few days
there have been great photo opportunities
but I can not stop the car for every passing bike
so I snap when I can and cuss when I can't
life is good until the credit card bill comes