My new little pink friend

landscape - unedited but shot in the vivid option under Picture Control

I discovered that I am, in fact, a bit of a control freak when it comes to my camera.

I love my Canon more than is healthy.

Much more than my iphone, in case you couldn't guess.

One of my favourite bloggers, Chookooloonks, got herself a little camera and that started me thinking maybe I could get a little one too.

Remember the camera I mentioned in yesterday's post?

While I was buying it, I totally forgot that I wanted that ability to connect to the internet too.

Moving on.

close-ups

 The Nikon arrived and I hated it for a few days.

Then I read the entire manual (I give myself a gold star!), accepted the camera for what it was and I started enjoying it a bit more.

(there's a life lesson in there)

this is the first photo I took with the new camera on day 2 of owning it that I actually love

My very initial thoughts (I've had it only 3 weeks now)...

Pros:

1. small and extremely cute
2. pink
3. some easy settings
4. I love the vivid colour option - I add a colour contrast to most of mine in Picasa anyway. It's my one main "action". Now I don't have to. Also if you open the photo in Picasa, that option is automatically greyed out.
5. I love the monochrome option. OH BOY I love it. This year I wanted to play more with black and white and I have been, but in Picasa. Now I take the pics in black and white with the Nikon so how I imagine it is how it looks. Extremely satisfying.
6. Love the self-timer option - much easier to use than the Canon.

using the self-timer

Cons:

1. I can't adjust the f-stop unless I put the entire thing in manual. Maybe someone has figured out how to do it... but this is how Biogirl explained and it was the only time I could actually see the f-stop moving so it seems to be the correct explanation.
2. The focus point is not as easy to move as the Canon.
3. The smallness makes me sometimes feel like I'm going to drop it - I don't feel like I can "manhandle" it like the big camera.
4. I don't feel like I can rely on it yet to take to an event. E.g. we went to Gillooly's Farm the other day, I took a few pics (only 111) because I only took this camera, so I had no back-up, and I missed a ton of "good pics" that I would have got easily with my Canon.

So it could be familiarity, my change aversion or something else, but that's where I'm at for now. I'm taking the Nikon to work most days so I can play a bit.

But impossible to compare with the Canon properly because they're different little engines.

this is a "bad" black and white but I love the feeling in this pic

Meanwhile because I LOVE the black and white photos I'm getting with the Nikon, I thought I'd start yet another little series for my own enjoyment (I do like a project!) called Monochrome Mondays - feel free to play along.

What do you think?
Which camera brand do you use?

PS this is my first experience with a Nikon. I've had a Kodak, a Sony (the Cybershot the kids use, and that I used til 1 Dec 2011), still have my lovely Canon, and now this one.
PPS I must tell you, every time I take out the Canon, I do whisper to it, "ooh yes, Baby!" when I first start shooting which may make me strange but I'm totally okay with that!