Another big change has been the addition of a new family member. Just a few weeks ago my oldest son and his wife welcomed a baby boy. To say that I am a proud grandma would be an understatement, but I am sure that every grandma (and grandpa!) knows the feeling. And I am sure that all think, like my husband and I do, that their grandchild is the most beautiful, perfect little person ever. In addition to having a new grandchild to love, I have a whole list of new things to be on the look out for at yard sales and thrift stores!
I thought that I would ease back into things by sharing a favourite recent find. Photography is my main hobby and I have managed to acquire...second hand, of course...some wonderful equipment. I currently have three DSLR cameras, a Canon 30D, a Canon 5D and a Canon 7D as well as a variety of lenses. The last thing I needed was another camera.
But when my husband and I were at a garage sale a couple of weeks ago, he came across a Canon PowerShot digital point and shoot camera that he thought a friend of his might be interested in. While I put together a few other items for purchase, he tried to get hold of the friend. He was unsuccessful, so we headed back to the van.
Once there, I got to thinking that it might be handy to have a smaller, cheaper digital camera for those times when I didn't want to bring my bigger DSLR. Times like the afternoon canoe trip we took last summer where the risk of being dumped in the river made me leave my camera behind.
So I went back for another look. It was a Canon PowerShot S3 IS, an older point and shoot, but not inexpensive in its day (original retail $400 or more). It had batteries, and all of the functions seemed to work okay. I liked the idea that in addition to other shooting modes, it was capable of full manual use. The seller was asking $25 and accepted my offer of $20.
The camera came with an adapter and tele-converter, bonus add-ons that would have been purchased separately by the original owner. The tele-converter increases the camera's focal range, giving it a much longer reach than any of my current DSLR lenses.
I was eager to test out my 'new' toy and went home to take a few photos in my garden. I was pleased with the initial results.
The following day I took it to the dirt bike track when my husband and I went to watch the races. I had forgotten about the dreaded 'shutter lag' of a point and shoot camera! Compared to my 7D it was soooo painfully slow. It is definitely not going to be my go to camera for action shots! But I did manage to get a few good ones, and having that extra long reach allowed me to get some pictures that I would not have been able to get with my DSLR.
Overall, not too bad for my $20 investment. I definitely see a use for this camera. In addition to situations such as the aforementioned canoe trip, I think it will be a great little camera to take to the zoo, or for any day trip where my DSLR might get heavy after walking for hours, and where there might be a need for more zoom.
Out of curiosity, I checked our kijiji (local on line buy and sell site) pages for this camera, to see what they might be selling for. I found a few ranging from $150-$200, not including the adapter and tele-converter. To be honest, I think those asking prices were overly ambitious and do not believe anyone would pay near that for a used point and shoot of this age. Still, it made me feel as though I'd gotten a steal! Another listing had the adapter and tele-converter, with an asking price of $175. Again, I do not think that is a realistic price, but it made me grin to read it nonetheless.
I hope to update more regularly now, especially since we are at the height of the yard sale season in my area. And I have a lot of previous finds that I want to share as well. Thanks for reading!
Cathy
Nifty Thrifty and Now (Over!) Fifty
