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Sunday, 17 February 2008
Half-term week of novelty...
I've done three things over the past few days that I'd never done before. The first - a bit of a treat for me (especially on top of the new bike!) - was that we've finally invested in a proper camera. The Canon EOS 400D was ordered frorm Amazon, along with the well-reviewed 50mm lens (an emphatic thank you to everyone who offered advice and encouragement!), and arrived on Friday. The difference in quality between a Digital SLR and a compact camera (OK, so it's an old one, but it's still one of the best I've used) is remarkable, not least because of the size of the photosensor.
I thought I'd take a pair of photos of our most willing model to demonstrate.. the first with our beloved Kodak DC265; the second with the EOS 400D. Click to see larger versions...
There are - as you might imagine - a lot more photos to come!
The second 'first' was that we made bottle rockets. It's been years since I've wanted to make one; the weather conditions and a handy cork, bike pump and inflation needle happened to turn up at the same time, so we made the most of the sunny morning yesterday and had a bit of a play with water. Beth made her photographic debut with the new camera; here are a few pictures that capture the fun! (Click to see the full-size pictures in the gallery)
Obviously this was a really primitive first attempt - the rockets didn't have fins, so, once the water had been expended, they span in the air, and came back down without much finesse (excuse the pun). Next time, perhaps... (and if I can get hold of a water dispenser bottle.. well..!)
Finally in my "first time" experiences this week, I held a guinea pig for the first time. Beth had wanted cavies (as they're commonly known) for years, and since she's no longer intending to have any more babies, she wanted some more helpless little things to take care of!
So there are now six mammals and two fish living in our house! I shall close with a couple of pics of the newest arrivals:
 Pogo |  Hula |
Bit of a picture extravaganza, this blog entry! Can you tell I've got a new camera..?
Posted by james at February 17, 2008 6:30 PM
Comments
Congrats on the new camera-the pics look great!
Pogo and Hula are adorable. I like the squeak squeak squeak of guinea pigs. I also like the way they smell, but I've been told I'm weird about that. I hope they're proving a nice addition to the family!
Posted by: Heather at February 17, 2008 11:01 PM
What lovely animals! I had two once in Poland, they bred...then I had four!
Great to see some pics...fantastic quality! xx
Posted by: cath at February 18, 2008 6:55 AM
The DoF on the 50mm is truly ridiculous. It's really great for portraits, though, and I like it a LOT in low light.
I think the AF on mine is slightly out - I get much better results focusing manually. So much fun learning with it though!!
Posted by: Elin at February 18, 2008 9:47 AM
