New Tool of the Trade

(My Nikon CoolPix P530 camera, accessories, and of course, the multi-lingual owner's manual)

Other than my Valentine's Day and President's Day greetings, it's been almost a month since I posted anything of substance.

The reason for this literary lull is that I'm finally getting around to figuring out the new camera I bought early last month.  And yes, this includes reading the owner's manual.

For nearly eight years now, I've been taking pictures for my blog, YouTube videos, and webcomics with my trusty Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01 camera.

I love the Lumix's handiness and ease of use, although I certainly haven't mastered it.

My biggest problem has been adjusting the light setting (natural daylight, overcast, or indoor lighting) for the environment I'm shooting in.  Once I've taken a batch of pictures I'd use the Windows Paint Program in my laptop, and/or the Paint.Net program I downloaded to adjust the color and brightness of each picture.

I certainly haven't mastered this technique either.

I hardly use the built-in flash because it seems like the subject, usually one or more miniature figures, would be in an over-bright "spot light,"  while the areas outside the "blast zone" would be darker than normal.

Despite my questionable skills with a camera, for the past year I've been wondering if it was time to "up my game."

When I finally decided to take the plunge, the choice was fairly easy:  The Nikon CoolPix P530 was one of the least expensive cameras available at the Base Exchange (BX) I usually shop at.

Getting a camera with a built-in lens is the proverbial double-edge sword.  On the one hand, it's convenient to have a permanently attached lens, but the flip side means that I'm limited to what this lens can do.

Right now, I don't see myself needing a myriad of separate lenses.  For the work do, I think one lens will suffice.

Besides, the learning curve on this camera is long, and steep enough as it is.

(Image from:  English Language & Usage--The Meaning of a Steep Learning Curve)