Rock or Bust

[skyring]

Rock or Bust,
originally uploaded by skyring.

This whole prize-winning deal is becoming a bit of a saga.

The camera, which was part of the prize so i can take pictures and video, arrived yesterday. Lovely compact little unit, ideal for travelling because I can slip it into a pocket and not worry about camera cases.

Mind you, it comes with another set of cables and dongles to tangle themselves up in my bag. Non-standard connections and batteries, too. I really appreciate straight USB connections and AA or AAA rechargables which fit everything, which is a tick in the favour of Canon.

Opened it up, slipped the battery in, turned it on. The screen fired up, but it was blank, apart from the usual icons and menus.

Took a picture or two, and a video. All black, both during shooting and playback (and when I uploaded to my computer, black there as well). The video had an audio track, and the various lights and indicators were working fine, so I'm guessing that there's something loose in between the lens and the rest of the camera. Worked through the troubleshooting section in the manual and looked on the net, but no joy.

Qantas and Nikon responded quickly, and this morning, bright and early, a replacement was delivered. As you can see, this one works well, though it turned out to be a challenge in the light available in the bathroom, where I had a mirror big enough for the shot I wanted.

I later went outside and got some really sharp shots. Given enough light, this camera performs very well. I'm still going to take my Canons and set them up on tripods for telephoto shots of Ayers Rock in changing light, but I think the Nikon will work fine for daylight shots and hand-held video.

I've packed up the faulty camera for return. Hopefully the guys at Nikon can get the delicate electronic bits back into proper alignment by thumping it hard. Or something.

I'll play with it some more in the day or so before I leave.

Comments

[wyldanthem.livejournal.com]

I always love playing with new cameras -- testing out different features and settings. But you're right -- best to do the getting-to-know-you routine BEFORE the trip. Can't wait to see more pics! :D