Seems I am forever caught in a quandary when I go travelling nowadays. If I want the cheap travel it`s hand luggage only and the big issue of which camera to take rears it`s head. Sure I`ve been to places where I have taken the gear and just a small amount of cloths - went to Prague a while back with 11kg in my hand luggage (Ssh! Don`t tell the airline !) and I worked out 9.4 kg of it was camera gear. I was travelling solo so usual rules on amount of clothing didn`t apply but still had to struggle about with a huge camera big and big coat that was way too hot which I had taken to decant lenses into if I had been busted for the excess baggage weight!
Over time I have got less and less satisfied with my compact - an outdated Panasonic Lumix TZ5 - but it is small and works OK in good light and I don`t want to spend an arm and a leg on a compact that will not rival output on my D700 or even the D7000! Yes I`d love a Fuji X100 but at that price!!!
Anyway sometimes I just have to bite the bullet and take the TZ5 and then moan at the images I get when I get back. I end up over processing them in Lightroom to get something different out of them and just deleting half of what I get for lack of sharpness, lack of depth of colour - lack of pretty much everything. How come everyone else seems happy with what they get out of compacts I wonder?
Anyway just been away to the Lakes for a couple of days with great friends Anne and Art having a lovely time, despite the rain and despite Anne stating "It`s too f****** green for me" - she likes the scorched earth of a faraway shore. That said we walked rain or shone, enjoyed our great value stay at the Borrowdale and much preferred the 2 free bottles of wine we got in lieu of the cancelled wine tasting that was part of the deal. I mean , we didn`t have to spit the wine out that came free with our dinner - no contest!
Might have known what weather we would get when I saw Anne`s reading material for the trip...
First thing we saw from the room was a rainbow
After that it was pretty much sunshine and showers- with some torrential stuff thrown in but we had a great time!
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| A walk on our doorstep on the banks of Derwentwater |
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| We can get around this one! |
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| Come on Anne - over the stepping stones! |
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| Nice to be away with 2 special people! |
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| Puddles |
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| Rain , rain go away! |
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| These boots are made for walking! |
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| The Borrowdale garden |
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| This cafe used the same language as Anne! |
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| The Keswick Giraffe |
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| On top of the Bowder Stone |
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| OTT HDR |
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| Jump Anne! |
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| By the Lodore Falls |
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| Lodore Falls gardens - lovely hotel where we could use the spa and pool. |
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| Took in the Hawes Wensleydale Cheese factory and samples area on the way back! |
