Taking Cool Pics with the Nikon CoolPix

TGIF!   Goodness that was a long week!   But the weekend is finally upon us and I can finally relax for the next three days.  Ah, what shall I do with my new found time....

Well,  first of all.  The  temps are promising to be "surface of the sun" hot.   Cheryl is planning  the last of her"long runs" on Sunday in the earliest hours possible.   So that should be fun.  Tomorrow we are planning a small 7 mile run in Iowa City.   It will be our first opportunity in a while to actually sleep in.   I hope we can enjoy it.

As for scoring....It is nice to finally be at a point where the scoring is coming along easy.   I remember when this project first kicked off two years ago.   The papers and scores were like discovering a new continent with strange animals.   Now,  on the third summer field test,  the animals seem more familiar now.   In other words,   finding the score is easier.    That being said,  an 8.5 hour day is still a long one.  And with the Iowa Summer Heat kicking off,   things could continue to heat up...Pun intended.

And finally for the good stuff ( meaning: the stuff I originally wanted to blog about.)   We got the new camera for the Marathon.   ( coming up NEXT WEEK!)   We decided to take a chance with a different camera! We did a little research and shopping and found something that we thought we would give a try.   Also,  ( or especially,)  it was about half price for a replacement of the Nikon ONE.

  Meet the Nikon Coolpix!


Another NIKON?   You ask?   Well,   who makes cameras better than the Japanese?  Also,  we are familiar with the layout of the camera and....most importantly,   it was affordable.

Couple of things to note.  I will no longer have my rapid-fire sports snap shot with this one.  Instead I have a zoom and wide angle that I have never experienced yet.   I was able to take pictures of the cat from across the yard...through a fence...AND have them in focus!   I'm kind of excited.

Of coarse, this will require a whole new set of tactics and strategy when trying to capture running pictures of Cheryl.   I may take the camera out on the next 12 mile run to test out the possibilities and limitations.  becoming familiar with any new item or toy is key to success, right?

Another thing that is different is the battery system.   It takes 4 AA batteries and I have no idea how long they last or how long before the camera shuts down to save said battery life.  This is a mixed bag because we have been burned with the Nikon ONE rechargeable battery failing on us in the middle of a run.   AND just before an event.  At the very least AA batteries are found everywhere and are inexpensive.   If they die on us, we can always replace them in a pinch.   However...if they die after 10 minutes,  that could become an issue.   We will have to see how things go.

In the mean time,  I plan on enjoying the rest of the day as the sun sets and the earth cools.   Perhaps we will pop some Jiffy pop and eat it on the lawn with the cat.  I'm very excited to begin the weekend after 4 days of a job.