THE GREAT STAYCATION (AND BIRTHDAY) GIFT

Kathy with Nikon Coolpix P600

It is so beautiful! A picture wherever you look! And all I’ve got is a little Kodak with only one view finder up and down, but I’m taking snaps and if good will send you some. Ina Dobson, February 1936

We live in a world that looks the same from day to day. OR – we live in a world where the play of light and shadow is fabulous, constantly changing the appearance of the landscape. It’s just a matter of how we look at it.

Looking westward from north field

Over the last couple of years, I’ve talked up the benefits of owning a better camera – one that would take great distance pictures, capture those “magnificent effects,” and produce images clear enough to enlarge for our walls. Having twice dropped a previous camera, a Nikon Coolpix P60, I curtailed the discussion for a year or two until that factor disappeared into memory oblivion. The P60 replacement – the Nikon AW100 which tolerates some rough treatment – has been a great camera to carry in a pocket but just isn’t adequate for distant views, wildlife, sunsets, the moon, etc.

Kathy checking chokecherries

What would I like for my birthday, Mike asked. And I was ready with all the above reasons for purchasing a more sophisticated camera. And we agreed it would also just be nice to have another camera so that he could take one when he travels.

The barn at evening's light

So, Mike and I began to research cameras a week ago or so and though we were initially open to any manufacturer, we once again focused on Nikons. It remained just to have the opportunity to actually handle the model(s) under consideration. We found the Nikon Coolpix P600 at Costco, played with the display model for ten minutes, and then bought it.

Okay – I admit it. Whatever the new device is, I don’t like to read the manual, so I don’t fully learn all I should know. I’m not good at experimentation, and I’m quickly frustrated when I can’t find my way through the issues. Add to that the fact that some things don’t make an instant impression on my memory, and I just take my mentality and disappear into the routine instead of learning new things.

Sunset (auto setting)

By contrast, Mike loves gadgets. He has already devoured the start-up manual, twisted and turned all the dials and gizmos, and in the process learned that many of the P600 features are the same as the AW100, though of course the P600 is more powerful.

Clouds over the Clearwater River

I believe we no longer have the luxury of letting the world pass us by. We have to keep up – keep trying, keep learning. So, it’s still on my “to do” list to read those manuals. But – I’ll tell you a secret you might already know – put it on “automatic” and go. With few exceptions, it works just fine. KW

[All photos here, except the one of me using the P600, were taken with the P600. I didn't crop them. And yes, the date stamp is on.]