New camera

I picked up a new camera to replace my old Canon Powershot S2 IS with its 12X zoom lens (after four or five years, the zoom was a little wonky and the focus occasionally acted up). My new camera is a Panasonic Fz35. It has an 18X zoom lens. I agonized for months over whether to go with another Canon Powershot or the Panasonic. The deciding factor was probably the fact that the Panasonic is about 5 oz lighter. For traveling (or even walking around all day with a bunch of stuff in my backpack), that is an important factor. Of course, the new cameras have so many features that I really need to study the manual.

Yesterday, I got home and noticed a cool little praying mantis near my front door, so I grabbed the new camera and tried to get a shot. The fact that no picture is posted is a testament to the fact that I haven't gotten to the part in the manual where I can turn off the "smart" focus. The camera focused on various parts of the floor and the wall and just about everything else except the little insect about a meter away that was dead center in my shot. I will figure this out, but the manual is 300 pages long and probably doesn't explain everything.

I will learn how to use this camera. That is my pledge to myself.