Kodocrome, Part 3: Another Camera

To fully understand this post here are the previous chapters of this blog.

Part 1.  http://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2018/01/kodocrome.html

Part 2.  http://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2018/01/kodocrome-part-2-broken.html

Since I really liked the Canon camera I had I decided to buy something close to it.  I noticed an auction on Ebay for a Canon SX-530-HS camera.  Long story short, I bid and won the auction.  So now I'm the proud owner of another Canon camera.

I took some test shots in the backyard, and I have to say they turned out great.  I only wish I had set the date and time correctly.  Or, I should have just turned it off to begin with.  Anyway, here they are.

The pictures of the staghorn fern and tree stump were taken at a fair distance.  The photos were pretty crisp.

I decided to take some wide shots, and they look great.  

I took a wide shot of a tree with a palmetto at the bottom.

Then I zoomed in on the palmetto.

That's one heck of a zoom.  Again, I have to say I am impressed.  So hopefully this camera lasts longer than the last three.

Kodocrome, Part 2: Broken

Here's Part 1:  http://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2018/01/kodocrome.html

I loved my Canon Camera.  Note, "loved."  It turns out it has a bit of a problem.  No matter how much I charged the battery, it would say the battery needed charged, and would then shut down.  My cousin helped me out a bit with this.  He found out it was an ongoing problem with that model.

I traveled to Batteries Plus and tried out a different battery.  I asked the clerk to check the voltage of both batteries.  They checked out fine, so it had to be the camera.  I then gave Canon a call.  The CSR said that any repair would cost a flat rate $80.  So I had no choice but to return the camera.  The seller has been really cool about the process, and has made everything pretty simple. 

Now I have to look for another camera.  For the time being I have been borrowing family member's cameras when I need to take a picture.  So I'm not really in a hurry to buy another one.  I suppose that's good so I can wait until a good deal comes around.  I guess all I can do is just keep checking until something comes up.

Kodocrome

My camera died a few weeks ago.  I know photographers like to crap on Fuji-Film cameras, but I really liked mine.  It was simple and had all the settings I needed.  But first the flash went.  Then the action button managed to get stuck.  After that, it just died.  So I went on a search for a new camera.

I wanted another Fuji-Film, but my last two cameras were Fuji-Film cameras, and they didn't last as long as I thought they should.  Especially considering the cost.  So I asked my cousin, who is a photographer, what kind of camera should I buy?  He told me for what I needed I should stick with a Canon or Nikon.

I looked at models of both, and the Canon reminded me closest of the Fuji-Film set-up.  So I sent a link of a model I was interested in to my cousin.  He looked over the specs, and said it was perfect.  So I bought it.  The model's official name is the: Canon Powershot SX510 HS 12.1 MP 30x Optical Zoom Digital Camera.

Here's the hi-lights:

• 12.1 megapixel sensor
• 30x optical zoom (24-720mm equivalent focal length)
• HD video recording in 1080p24
• f3.4-5.8 max aperture range
• 3" screen
• Uses SD memory cards

I received the camera today, and took a few test photos out in the backyard.  I have to say, they turned out great.

All of these shots were taken from a pretty good distance.  So I have to say I am impressed with the quality of the shots.  For them to be this clear really surprises me.  But again, I've never had a camera like this.  I know it's not a $2,000 camera, but it's perfect for me.  In fact, it's more camera than I'll ever need.  The only thing left to do is figure out how the movie camera controls work.

Buzzards: Nature's Recyclers

It was a sad day today.  A small deer did not make it across the road.  Well, it kinda did.  It just ended up there dead.  But as this is Florida, and as sure as the sun will shine, meat will not be wasted.  Not with all the buzzards that are hanging around Lutz.

It was a pretty wild scene.  At least 40 or so black buzzards were writhing around like a pit of vipers.  Once I broke my camera out a few of them became camera shy.  But I got a few good pictures of them.

I love that lone buzzard hanging out in the road.  Buzza don't care!

But I was not content to just take pictures.  I took some video clips with my camera.  You can see how excited the buzzards were.  At least that's what I think when I look at them.

I want to report that all buzzards got their fill.  About two hours after I took these photos, there were only two buzzards eating.  All the rest were hanging in the trees and pooping.  To be honest, they took care of that deer pretty quick.  They truly are nature's recycling machines.

Snooty the Armadillo

So hunting season has come and gone, and all the deer are safe again.  A lot of people ask me, "If you don't actually shoot anything, why do you go?"  Well, I do see different animals in the woods.  On my next to last day hunting I saw two armadillos, two possums, a giant red-headed woodpecker, an owl standing in the road, and I saw a doe on U.S. 98.

I carried my camera with me into the woods in case something came along.  Well, I was able to get some film footage of an armadillo.  I named him Snooty the Armadillo.  Watch the footage, and you will understand why.

In this video you can see Snooty looking for worms near a palm tree.  Note:  A strange hum might come across in the video.  You might have to turn the sound down.

I'm glad I got to film something.  The only deer I saw where either on Route 98, or ran past me at 40 MPH.  So if I had to film something, I'm glad I got an armadillo.  They are very noisy and entertaining. 

Ah hunting season.  There's really nothing like it.