Monday, 13 June 2016

On cameras, new and old


June 13



Social media; I wonder how much time I have spent farting about on it over the years. I know that once I’ve got this done and posted to both Twitter and Facebook and then looked at both pages, it’s usually far too late to get on with any writing. And that my friends has become a real pain the bum for me just lately. In an attempt to correct it I decided that I wouldn’t spend much time at all on there. So yesterday closed me lappy as soon as the blog was posted. Then Jan arrived home from church and wanted a movie. Ah well … … …



Later in the evening I was reading AP and a readers’ letter caught my eye. This guy was writing about used camera dealers and an article that appeared in the mag in April. His complaint was that no such dealers were listed in the London area. I don’t remember that article at all, so this morning I did a search for them and got loads of hits, except that the few were within my search terms were mixed up with loads of car dealers. Those camera dealers I did look at were so out of date they were useless. Not that I’m in the market for any used kit anyway, I’m not, but the letter did pique me interest somewhat.



My camera gear is pretty basic really. As well as my Nikon D5200 and it’s 18-55mm kit lens, I also have a Sigma 70-300mm and a Tamron 18-270 lens as well. The Sigma hasn’t been used at all, but that Tamron is a cracking lens and rarely comes off my D5200. It’s light and easy carry and that my friends is the main point of having it. Apart from spare batteries and SD cards, I don’t really need to take any other optic when I go out. The added bonus of using just that one lens is that there is little if any chance for the sensor to get dirty, a problem that all snappers are concerned about.



Another article is a test of the new bridge camera from Sony, the Cyber-shot DSC0RX10 III. The bridge cameras were despised by many snappers when the first came out, and in reality, they were not all that good, with shutter delay being a major issue with them. However, things have improved a lot since then. Olympus and Sony have lead the way with them and we have both been impressed with them.



As with everything in life, there the usual clutch of swing and roundabouts with bridge cameras. They usually are not up to the standard of a DSLR; but there again, their greater focal length lens in a compact and light weight body, means that they are much more convenient to carry around all day, without the need of a camera bag and loads of extra lenses. Well, this new offering from Sony has impressed the tester at the AP office so much they have given it a 5* rating.



Another attractive point of a bridge camera is the actual price of them. And this is where this one falls flat in its face. It costs £1,249, and that is way over my budget. It’s also more than I have ever spent on any one piece of camera kit. So, as good as it looks on paper, I won’t be rushing out to buy it!



What a racket! The council contractors have just mown the grass out the front, even though it’s still soaking wet and we are due more later today. It’s not just the noise though, they make such mess and if you are not careful you end up dragging some of it in on your shoes. It didn’t help that we have our front windows partly open on the front because it’s so muggy in here. The heating is now turned off, but the outside temperature is so high it hardly matters. If it wasn’t for the rain we could be off out on a photo shoot couldn’t we. Ha well …



And so to today’s photo …

Mayflower blossom.               



Today’s funny …



Why did everyone find the bakers jokes funny?
Because he had a rye sense of humour.

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