Friday, 8 September 2017

The end of a disappointing summer


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Thursday "walk" with Pete - 7th September

I have been walking with Pete for years now on Thursdays whenever our schedules have allowed. I can hardly remember the very few days when weather has stopped us but today was one of those rare occasions.

So, we had a trip to Marks and Spencer for me to buy some new trousers, and then to the indoor market to buy a new camera case, then back to my house for a bit of nostalgia looking at photos on the computer.

Yes, I did replace the camera. I decided that I just didn't want the bulk and weight of a bridge camera and have gone for  the Panasonic TZ100 which as far as I know is the only compact at the moment that has a one inch sensor. Wilkinson's Cameras gave me £65 allowance on the TZ60 and there is a £50 cash-back from  Panasonic which I will be able to claim in October. Walking past Wilkinson's window this morning my camera was up for £120, but I suppose they've got to make a living and I didn't want all the hassle of trying to sell it privately.

I have taken quite a lot of photos mostly of subjects that I have reasons for not posting on the Internet (no clever comments please), but there are a few examples below, and I am pleased so far with the results. Especially I have noticed a big improvement in rendition of colour. There will be more to come, but maybe not from walking for a while.

The knee is well and truly playing up and making walking a painful and troublesome activity. Today I saw my GP and he has referred me to the knee surgeon and sent me to Kendal hospital for an x-ray, so I am now waiting for an appointment  - the start of a long road to pre-op appointments, surgery, physio, and hopefully, in the fullness of time, gradual incremental walking. Ah well, I have had a bonus for the last two years being fortunate to be able to do a lot of walking on a knee that the surgeon had condemned all that time ago. I'm sure Gayle will be recommending that I take up crocheting.

It is 4:00pm as I type and the end of the summer is apparent as I see the school kids walking back home again after their long break.


Flowers were moving with the wind

Zoom from about thirty yards

9 comments:

  1. The colours are very vibrant. My Sony RX 100 has a 1" sensor but I've always felt that Panasonic's rendition of colour is better though I suppose that's a matter of preference.

    We will all, I'm sure, enjoy your posts whether they involve walking or not Conrad. Good luck with the hospital visits.

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  2. Good luck with the knee and with the new camera Conrad. I nearly bought that one myself a few weeks ago but eventually went for the cheaper one with the smaller sensor but the bigger zoom (which has been handy on our current trip).

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  4. Afoot - As you say the colour rendition is a matter of personal preference. The TZ60 seemed to produce a rather sickly green filter effect on many landscape shots. Now I see a more comprehensive graduation of greens with the TZ100 and more detail in the skies.
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    Phreerunner - Your photos are great. The TZ100 does have 10 x zoom. I tend to use the zoom only partially, more for framing the photo, I.e. cutting out some of the foreground etc.

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  5. My blog pictures are from the Samsung S5 phone. Will have to wait and see how the Lumix pictures turn out, but I suspect they will lack the vibrancy of the phone images.

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  6. There are worse ways to spend one's time than with a bit of crochet, you know ;-)

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  7. Some lovely photos. Hope you enjoy your new camera. I heave my old Canon around, and from time to time consider buying something lighter, but I can't bear to start from scratch again. Every camera is different.

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  8. forgetting the photography for a moment:
    my Australian distributor once said to me that his business 'philosophy' (if it could be described as such) was 'buy for a dollar, sell for two' -
    wilk's seem to be shading that slightly - we of course prefer an average gross margin up in the late 60's or 70's, but then we are top heavy with overpaid directors (or were, until I got my broom out)
    as you know, I've never been overwhelmed by the TZ60 but it seemed a good idea at the time - 30x zoom, gps, wifi etc etc - but in the end, it is image quality that counts and where I'm with you in that it does not quite get there (colour rendering and its idea of the best exposure being its weakest suites): the 100 looks very promising, from these and others you showed me, so I may be tempted down some such path myself.

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  9. Gayle - I could do with a cosy for my small cafetière. That should take up a month or so considering the arthritic state of my fingers. I saw Neil Sedaka on the One Show the other night, not that I’m a particular fan of either that show or Neil. His fingers are like twisted gnarly oak twigs, riddled with arthritis, but he is still able to play the piano with amazing virtuosity so there’s still hope.

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    Ruth - For me accessibility is the important factor. I have my camera on a waist belt in a pouch that is very easy to get at and always at the ready. In extremis, I can hold the compact camera with one hand to take a shot if I need to capture a fleeting moment quickly.

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    gimmer - Wilkinson’s margin is plus 84% but I suppose they have to offer some kind of guarantee and may have the item in stock for a long time. Your products are generally made to order, or if not have a pretty short shelf life I guess.

    I hope to find ways of taking more photos but need to adjust to doing that for its own sake rather than illustrating a walk. Autumn is approaching which will provide good colour opportunities I hope.

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