Test Driving the Optical Zoom...

...and the image stabilization mechanism. The latter is truly cool. If your subjects weave and bob in the little viewing screen as mine do, you'll love IS. Zoomed in on the wind vane (above), which was spinning around and didn't realize that the camera stopped it til I got home and down loaded. Ditto for the mountain scenes below.

Here's a comparison of the standard lens position and the full optical zoom (12x) -- Badger or P-Mountain, as seen from my roof. In the picture above, you can barely make out the "P"; I'll grant it is a better picture, however. The mountain is about 3-1/2 to 4 miles away. Lo and behold there is a road up the side of that mountain I'd never seen before (below) plus a cell phone tower installation.

The Prescott Resort/Casino on the local Yavapai Indian rez about 2-1/2 miles away, as seen from the house; it is on a hilltop the other side of town.

Forsythia in the middle of an oak jungle. Neat the way the long lens compressed the perspective. I'm bearing in mind that my husband's best flower shots were all taken with telephoto lenses.

And finally -- a bird shot that could have been good if only 1) the towhee had lifted his head, 2) that piece of grass that is barely visible as a blur hadn't been there and 3) the camera had been set to record a 6 megapixel image instead of 2. Distance to the bird, about 15-18 feet. But, wow -- I'm lucky to have got this close to any bird at all! The critter is called a rufous-sided towhee; we always called them rummages because the field guide said that they rummaged among the leaves for their food.

Other comments on the camera after two days: the glass is not the equal to a good SLR telephoto -- a color fringe shows up on close inspection when you take extreme telephoto shots up to 8x10 size. But then, this is a light-weight point-and-shoot compromise that I think I'll find very satisfying.

Test Drive 1--Low Light

Hokay. I gave the new camera a test drive this afternoon. A walk down Grove to the CVS pharmacy and then a taxi to Mom's place. My first discovery: I wasn't Seeing as many pictures as I usually do. Too busy attending to the camera, its many buttons and new positions for old, familiar functions.

The pictures here were taken in Mom's little one-room apartment at the assisted living center. Basically a test of a comparatively low lighting situation. The room faces north and no lamp was turned on. I cropped in on the dog sculpt (above); it's a hand-me-down from my great aunt Bird. Obviously, those are bird dogs.

This is an old, fading hand-tinted photo blow-up of my Phoenix grandparents shortly after they were married. In Dakota, on their 40-acre homestead. A second look will reveal that it was shot as a gag. The shack (a structure was a requirement for homesteading) was obviously too small for any kitchen doings; they also had a house in town.

Assorted drawings and greetings from great-grandchillens and a great-niece, adorning the fridge. In the hallway, away from the window light.

But this picture is the real test. The plate and cup were in the window and totally dark in contrast with the bright outside; the closer I focused in on them, the better the color and detail. I don't think I could have done this with my trusty little Sony, certainly not on automatic. The roos, by the way, are from my Aussie bro.

And here's the lady who wants to see me enjoying some of my inheritance while she is still living. Thanks, Mom, for my new toys. BTW, would you believe that Mom's 104?

My New Camera Gear Arrived!!!

The waiting is over; the new camera, a gift from Mom, finally arrived, only a month or so after I ordered it. So here's the gear: 1) box with camera, its associated hardware, and reading matter; 2) extra memory; 3) a battery charger & batteries.

Inside the box -- media, meaning instructions. See the little guy at the left? 169 jam-packed pages with how-to info and data. Plus software, including heavy-duty picture editing to compete with PhotoShop. I don't think I'll be learning this camera in time catch those by-now- adolescent ravens down at the Courthouse.

Here's the star of the show, plus other odds and ends that were also inside the box. The two big features of this Canon PowerShot S3-IS are a 12x optical zoom and image stabilization. (Though I have a sneaking hunch that my best bird shots are going be made here at home where I can get out a good tripod. I don't think I'm in shape to lug one around.)

Were you wondering why I switched background colors for my photos? Look above. The Max cat saw where the center of attention was focused and immediately jumped into the spotlight. And if you by any chance wondered why the red background, this was to honor Ms. k, who posted a scarlet ibis on her blog just for me. She's in Florida, where the ibis are white; I'm in the west, where the ibis who fly through are quite black. She knows that I groove on R.E.D.! Go take a good look at that bird.

Road Trip 1: Cool Lava Flows

There's a temptation to compare digital point and shoot cameras to the old box Brownies. Yes, both were conceived as cameras for Everyman, and, indeed, both serve(d) that purpose well. One points; one shoots; one has a picture.

The resemblance stops there. Among the wonderful features of modern picture-taking technology is the shutter speed. It's high. Stops motion like you wouldn't believe. There's nothing like taking pictures out the windshield or the side window while a friend speeds down the highway!
Our return trip from Yarnell Tuesday gave me a chance to record those magnificent lava flows and mesas at the point halfway to the Sierra Prietas. SR89 swings a series of curves as it goes up and over the mesas. Just a short little segment of the road.

Aren't they beautiful? Again, I wonder where all the lava originated; that's a question I have often asked as I have wandered the area. There is, 10-15 miles to the south, Blowout Mountain. Might be the source; then again, might not. This isn't a section of Yavapai county that excites much study. The big geological money goes into potential copper mining sites or tracing water routes.

Very sere the day we drove through. Today there was an excellent rain, with more promised tomorrow. Perhaps we will see some greening yet before the heat crisps everything out.