Wow Factor

I was playing with my new Panasonic ZS40 yesterday as we walked down to the seawall walkway at the end of our driveway to try out the zoom. The weather was a little hazy and overcast so this is not the best the camera can do but it is still pretty impressive!

Wide angle looking at Quadra Island. See the lighthouse in the middle of the photo? You probably can't, it is just a dot. Try clicking on the photo to enlarge it.

Here it is at the maximum optical zoom of 30X. Hand held, no tripod or cropping!

And at less than the maximum software zoom. I am not sure of the magnification number, probably around 40X. Again hand held, no cropping.

Here is an example of the macro setting. This is my dad's Omega watch that I inherited.

And a close crop of the above photo just to show the detail captured.

Here is just a quick shot of a Northern Flicker Woodpecker at one of our feeding stations. It is taken hand held at just under 30X zoom.

Needless to say, I am impressed with this little camera! I have to re-iterate that I took the telephoto shots without a tripod or any support other than the fact that I was sitting on a park bench. All photos except the macro received minimal adjustment in Picasa to diminish the haze in the air. The macro was fine as is.

New Camera

I have been getting tired of lugging my Nikon D-200 DSLR around with me and as a consequence, I have been leaving it at home or in the RV and missing many photo opportunities in our travels. I have been watching for a higher quality "Point & Shoot" type camera for a while now. My Blogger friend Contessa recently purchased a new Canon that she was happy with. I researched it extensively and read all the reviews on it.

The reviews were good but pointed out the camera lacked one thing I wanted and that was a High Dynamic Range setting that helps when there are competing tonal ares in a photo, such as shade and sunlit areas. The HDR takes three photos at different settings and combines the results to make one photo with more acceptable highlights and shadows. It sounds complicated and it is but when all you have to do is push a button, it is easy. The Lumix also has an EVF or Electronic Viewfinder so you do not hsave to rely on the LCD screen to shoot, something I find very unnatural.

The other complaints were poor battery life and a WIFI system that did not actually do very much. The Canon was $379 locally. One of the reviews said it was a great camera but if you were really looking for something a little better to try the Panasonic Lumix ZS40. I switched my studying to this camera and discovered it was made by Panasonic but under license from Leica, the famous German camera company. The lenses were designed by and manufactured under the supervision of Leica and that pretty much sold me. I have had "Leica Envy" ever since I first got interested in serious photography in grade 9.

London Drugs here in Campbell River had the camera but at $478, the full suggested retail price. London Drugs has a price matching policy so I found the camera on sale for $449 at Kerrisdale Cameras in Vancouver, printed the page and took it down to London Drugs. They sold it to me at the lower price. Of course I had to buy a memory card for it. I also ordered a spare battery and a small belt loop case from eBay. I am set to go.

I have been busy reading the instructions and experimenting with it for the last two days. It takes great photos and has a very nice macro setting. The flash is tiny and thankfully, is not a pop-up and can be turned completely off in software. The flash has a range of six meters. On the other hand, the camera has a 30X optical zoom lens but even with the Leica based optical stabilization will require a tripod at the extreme end!

It has one feature I will use. It links directly with my Android Tablet and allows me to use the tablet as a remote control. On the tablet I can see what the camera sees, make many adjustments to the camera, operate the zoom and trip the shutter. This will be great to use beside the bird feeder!

Here is a demo of the remote shutter. I set the camera on the stair railing and used the tablet to take the photo. I did not use High Dynamic Range or it would have balanced the shadows in the room with the outside sunshine.

I have to learn to navigate the complicated menu. Right now, by the time I set up for the shot I want, the sun will be down.

Yard Guest

Yes, I am hanging out at the birdhouse. Got a problem with that? Photo by Juan.

Guys With Guns

A little help please. Can some enlightened person out there tell me if these are "Good Guys With Guns", "Bad Guys With Guns", "Sane Guys With Guns" or "Crazy Guys With Guns"? 

If I see these idiots in a store where I am shopping I am going to assume they are "Crazy, Bad Guys With Guns" and I am dropping my cart in the isle, leaving the store immediately and calling 911 from the parking lot. Someone else can put my groceries back on the shelves as I will be in another, safer store.

Target Stores, where these photos were taken, has just reacted today after an intense campaign by telling customers to keep their guns out of their stores. They join a growing list of family friendly companies including Starbucks, Chili's, Sonic, Wendy's, Applebees and Jack In The Box in making an effort to keep Americans and their visitors safe..

A gun in a pharmacy? Really? I wonder if the pharmacist is armed?

Another World Cup Day

I am working on getting over my disappointment over Mexico's loss to the Nederlands with what I and many others consider to have been a questionable penalty in the last few minutes and have decided to watch the USA vs Belgium game today. I am cheering for our good neighbors who are said to be over-matched by the powerhouse Belgian team but have kept the game 0-0 into the half time.

Mexico vs Nederlands!

This will be the first World Cup game I have watched this year. I am supporting Mexico of course because of the close ties I feel with that country. Mexico has done quite well so far and has the best defense of the two teams. Holland, on the other hand has the best offence and will be vocally supported by our Dutch friends Claudia and PJ. It would be great to be with them, Claudia's enthusiasm is contagious!

I think it will be a close game.

Well, too bad. Nederlands was my second choice.

The Graduate!

Our oldest granddaughter, Jayde graduated from Grade 12 today! Congratulations, Jayde, we are so very proud of you! You can do anything you set your mind to and no matter what you choose, you will always have our love and support!

Jayde

Brooks and Jayde

Colleen (Jayde's mom) and Jayde

LindaLee, Brooks, Jayde and Sierrah

Fifty Years Ago Today, June 21, 1964

FREEDOM SUMMER

The Right To Vote cannot be taken for granted. Even today there are attacks being made on the most basic of rights. Do not forget the sacrifice these and other people made to help preserve this right. Register and vote!

Mississippi, 1964: Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman, and James Chaney had only just begun working on the Freedom Summer campaign to register black Mississippians to vote when they suddenly disappeared. Schwerner and Goodman were two Jewish men from New York—they had been there less than a week—and Chaney was a local black activist. They had just finished investigating the bombing of a nearby church when they were taken into custody under false pretenses, and never again seen by their fellow volunteers. The disappearance of these three men sparked national outrage, and the FBI converged on Mississippi to investigate. They discovered that on June 21, 1964, immediately upon being released from custody, the young activists had been brutally beaten and murdered by a Ku Klux Klan lynch mob. The FBI's investigation led to the first successful federal prosecution of a civil rights case in Mississippi.

Wired and a Talk With My Money Guy

Yesterday was the day to go down and get wired for my 24 hour heart monitor. They attached five sticky pads and electrodes to my chest and plugged them into a small pager size device that hangs on my belt. I was instructed to carry on as usual and return the device at 3:00 today (Friday).

Well, how do you "carry on as usual" with a bunch of wires hanging off your chest. Sleep was very difficult as every time I turned I had to deal with the wires and device. After about four hours sleep I was awake and reading news sites on the computer. I napped a bit more before finally getting up and making breakfast at 8:30. Now I am "acting normal", whatever that is.

Wednesday I went down for my semi annual chat with my money manager. He proudly showed me he was averaging 5.8% for me on my investments which is actually pretty good in today's financial climate. He also pointed out that I would be turning 71 in 2016 which is the year I will have to start taking minimum payments out of my tax deferred savings (called RRSP's in Canada). These payments will of course become taxable income in the year they are taken out. This money is what I have been calling my "Rainy Day Fund" and we have dipped into it a few times. $30K to buy the first motorhome, $40K when Norma had her dental implants and much smaller amounts several other times to cover unexpected or unusual expenses. The balance of this fund has not come down too much over the years because the fund has done fairly well as an investment. The problem with these deferred tax plans is that you can't defer them forever and eventually you have to pay tax on the principal as well as the amount they have gained within the fund. The hope is that your tax rate will be lower when you sell them than it was when you bought them and in theory this works but tax still has to be paid and that is always a pain. If I had to do it all over again I might seek out a better way, if there is one. Adding these payments to my pensions means I am bringing in more now than I ever did when I worked so in my individual case the theory does not work as well. Who knew? The only thing that saves me a little is "Income Splitting" between spouses in cases where one spouse earns more than the other. This little gift from the Canadian Government could be taken away at any time but if they did, they would have millions of old people waving pitchforks, canes and walkers at their gates.

I can take the money out monthly or annually, my choice. I guess I will take out the full annual amount in March and use about 30% of it to pay the increased income taxes in April. I don't know what I will do with the balance. Spend it foolishly, I guess.

Sunset Rose

This is beside our front door. It very seldom survives the deer attacks but this year it looks like it may make it. It is a beautiful colour and comes from a bush that Norma's dad gave her many years ago.

Here is a more welcome garden visitor bellying up to the suet bar: