(I can't be the only lucky boy, surely?)

I was a lucky chap! My new Canon SX710 HS is full of features, and replaces my Canon Powershot X210, and includes remote operation from my Samsung 10" tablet.

It allowed me to put the camera on a little tripod on the kitchen window-sill and focus it on a bird feeder some 6ft away to take pictures without any risk of frightening the birds. So for my first try-out this blue-tit was happy to pose.





I am still learning, but hope to take some water-vole pictures later in the year as they repeatedly use the same little piece of local river bank. I shall also try to put the camera actually on the bird table to get some real close-up shots.

Hope you enjoy this picture, has anyone else had a new camera for Christmas?

Doug

Brilliant picture Chubber. Looks like it's a winner to me.

Excellent, Doug.

I got one of those too, a Canon sureshot and Chris Nevard, pro photographer for railway magazines, set it up for me where "C 1 setting " is the best for close up work and the "Auto setting" is absolutely amazing for inside photography where you don't have to use the flash as it sorts it all out for you.

Here's a sample of an indoor night time shot with just the house lights on with the camera set on "Auto"

Cheers

Allan.

Lovely shot Doug.  When you think of all the equipment a photographer used to carry ,and you have produced a wonderful picture with one camera.   Thanks for sharing.

Thanks, gents. Alan, modern cameras are very clever!

In the same vein, how many of us have DVD players that go slow, fast, freeze frame etc and just press 'Play' like me? One disadvantage of DVD players that I find is that unlike a good old-fashioned video tape recorder where you can take a video out half way through a film and return it to start exactly where you left off, with a DVD player you have all the start up faff with 'Don't be a pirate', then 'Scene Selection' and adverts for every movie the distributors have ever made to view a selection of 2" square frames to choose from something you haven't looked at for a week etc etc…

Anyhow, herewith two pictures from this morning's 'Empty the Dog' walk. I've tried to get the sun glinting through the raindrops on the long grass, but without much success. Does anyone know what I should be setting?







Keep safe,

Doug

The only thing these new cameras can't do is to compensate for lousy eyesight. Admittedly mine does Auto Focus, but I have to use the viewfinder and not the screen, unless I change glasses, so I've set the camera up for my Distant Glasses.

Yup, the old mince pies can be problem, but since I switched to Vari-Focals instead of two or three pairs of differing spectacles I haven't looked back.

They re much better than the first pair I tried, they made me feel sea-sick as I walked about and I was forever tripping up kerbs. Have you considered them?

Doug

Many times, and could never get on with them. The bit I wanted to see through was never in the right place at the right time, so I soldier on with three pairs, changing them to suit whatever job I am doing. That's why I don't drive anymore. Still, I suppose it's the penalty for growing old. What hasn't fallen off refuses to work properly.

[user=1235]60019Bittern[/user] wrote:

What hasn't fallen off refuses to work properly.