*bounces*

I love to have my Canon EOS 10D camera with me everywhere I go, but it's big, the lenses are bigger, and I have to make sure it's always protected from knocks'n'bumps as well as the elements. So, most of the time, in everyday life, it's just not possible, or feasible to bring it. Of course, these are usually the times when I most regret not having it with me. Typical eh?

For example...last Monday was a bank holiday, so Matt and I went for a drive up the coast. When we left my house it was pissing down with rain so I decided not to bring the camera as it was unlikely I'd even step out of the car.

Thing is, the night before it had snowed. It hadn't lay on the ground around Belfast or any of the other coastal towns we passed through because of the rain...but as we took a detour inland over the Antrim Hills, the rain disappeared and low and behold we had the most beautiful snowy mountains.

Me? Regret not bringing my camera? Why yes...yes I did. I took some with my phone camera, which turned out ok...but at 3.2mpx, it's just not the same.





Anyways...to my point...

...The Elite Ice Hockey League Play-Off Finals are nearing, and every year I carry my camera round Nottingham...to the arena, to lunch, to the shops, and most importantly, for the best in "drunkin fan photography", to the bar. But it's getting to be a hassle. Not taking the photos...that I love...just the taking the big camera out of the bag to shoot, then putting it away again so's it doesn't get covered in Ketchup or beer.

I even bought a small Crumpler bag for it at last years Play-Offs before the first game - so's I didn't have to carry the big Tamrac backpack with me everywhere. Admittedly, this made life much easier...and will once again be the plan for the games. BUT...for everywhere else a new and shinier plan was needed!

And I have just that very plan. A lovely shiny new compact camera that takes fantastic pics, but can be kept in my handbag without the worry of it being getting damaged, or being too frickin expensive to keep out in a bar!

Just this afternoon, my new baby arrived. It's a Canon Powershot A640 and I luff it! =D

It's full spec can be found here, but briefly it's 10mpx with a 4x Optical Zoom (35 - 140mm), Carl Zeiss F/2.8-4.1 Lens, ISO 100 - 800, 9-point AiAf, 2.5in Vari-angle LCD display, and a 30fps Movie Mode. It's also TV, AV, and completely Manual modes as well as a load of pre-sets.

I haven't had a chance to give it a proper test drive yet, but from the short play I had, it seems great. A good buy for my handbag, and any camera that can capture Tyson in motion is all right by me! lol


(click pic to enlarge)