Walk On The White Side

Yesterday we had about 3" of snow down my way, and since I was able to take some time out, I went on a six mile trek with the camera. Here are three of the best images I got from the expedition:

[A Transient Visitor - snowman and the cricket pavillion]

[Heavy Droplets - melting snow on a teasel]

[Grey Horizons - my favourite shot of the day]

You can see some more on my website in the Colour Gallery #10 and Mono Selection #5.

A New Purchase
One thing I have been thinking about buying for a while is a decent digital compact. I started my digital career with a Minolta S304, but it was terribly slow and I got very frustrated with it. When I got the EOS 300D, the Minolta soon went out the window. But of late, I've come back full circle and feel I'd like a better spec compact to take to do's like PubStandards and BarCamp, rather than having to lug the SLR everywhere.

Trouble is, I've been wanting a compact that has quite a high tech spec - and I've only just recently found one I like. Its the Canon Ixus 850 IS:

The things that most attracted me to it were:

• 7Mb sensor
• 3.8x optical zoom (I don't go near digital zoom with a barge pole)
• 28-105mm equivalent zoom range (since I'll be using it most for indoors snaps, the 28mm wins over the usual 35mm at the wide end)
• 2.5" LCD and optical viewfinder (essential if you're using it in bright sunlight)
• ISO speeds up to 1600, and built-in Image Stabilisation - means better shooting in low light conditions without the need to use flash.

It should arrive tomorrow, so I'll be giving it a road test over the coming week. Watch this space!