Guess What Santa Brought on December 1st

So, we made a list of items we felt we wanted/needed for our upcoming Alaska Trip in 2015.  Can YOU guess what Santa brought?

Nope, not another car…we are happy with our HHR, and although we had a check engine light come on last week, it went away the next day.  I think it had something to do with the rain, going through a puddle….anyway, if it comes back, then I will have it looked at.

Nope, not another computer.  Although we both have and use laptops, we don’t have a spare.  I might fix the one that broke down this past summer, or I might get one like it …but chances are, we will head out of here with the two laptops that we have.

Nope, not a new HDTV and definitely not a 3D TV, although when I saw my first 3D TV at Sams I was like in WOW shock.  When I saw my first HDTV I was like, yep, that does look better…but did not have the WOW factor the 3D TV had.  Figure in 10-20 years all new TVs will probably be 3D TVs, “IF” the big networks provide a 3D picture.

Nope, not a new scooter, nor a new motorcycle, bicycle, or anything like that.  

So what did Santa pull out of his bag??????

Why, another camera of course!

In April 2013 we bought the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ60K 16.1 MP Digital Camera with 24x Optical Zoom for $290.  A few months ago Marcia and I talked about getting the updated version, the DMC-FZ70.  Tuesday of last week I went on Amazon and I was just curious to see how much the Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FZ70 16.1 MP Digital Camera with 60x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom was going for….and I nearly fell out of my chair! 

Yes, you read that right….only $240!  $50 LESS than what we paid for the older version 19 months earlier.  Told Marcia, and today we got our new FZ70 camera delivered.  Glad we jumped on this when we did because at last check it is now going for $300+!  Also purchased a 32gig card for this camera like we have for the older one for $16 more, and we are now set.  I hated the thought of going to Alaska, having the camera break down and having to rely on our cell phone cameras to record our great adventure.  

So here is the BIG QUESTION……just HOW DID I get the picture of the two cameras above?

  

Now you get the picture!   Just gotta love Photoshop.

Still learning what the new camera can do that the old camera could not do.  Here are two features which I am really going to love.

   

Picture on the left is full zoom on a picture of Bubba that hangs on our wall near the kitchen.  Picture on the right is the same picture, taken from same location, with our new camera’s full zoom.  

The other feature is something that I will need to get outside to fully appreciate what it can do…it is a “Panoramic” feature which the advance manual provides this description:  “You can easily record a panorama picture by panning the camera towards the direction you want to record, and automatically combining the burst of pictures taken during that time.”  And includes the following diagram on how easy it is to do.

I experimented in our living room, but the lighting was not strong enough to get the focus to work well, but otherwise the picture was easy to produce and looked real good. 
One of the big reasons we stayed with the same type of camera is because the learning curve is going to be very short.  Also, the batteries are interchangeable, which means we shouldn’t have to worry about having a low battery, as we have done a few times when I forgot to charge it up the night before we went on a day trip.  Now we can have one being charged using an inverter in the car while the other battery is being used in one of the cameras.  Also, in times of inclement weather, we won’t fear using the older camera knowing the newer, better camera is safe and dry.

My first victim……well, actually my second victim, the first victim threatened that if I didn’t delete the first picture I took that I would be sleeping in a cold motorhome in a storage lot.