Snap Shots

There are pictures, photographs and snap shots. There are cameras, digi cameras, DSLR cameras, compact cameras and mobile phone cameras. I have most of them it seems. No one camera will do all I want it to. I have a lovely Fuji Finepix E550 which has enough features and the chance to use it in manual control to keep me happy. But this year I found it wanting one way or another.

We had a few friends celebrating their milestone birthdays and an anniversary. Birthdays: two at 70 years, one at 60 years, one at 50 years and one couple their 40th wedding anniversary. I found the Fuji Finepix just a wee bit too cumbersome to fit neatly into my handbag which is very small with just enough room for a very large purse, a mobile phone and a comb. I like to travel light. Especially if I'm trying to enjoy a drink and a few nibbles at a party.

The autumnal colours in Devon have been so spectacular this year. But I found the lens on the Fuji was just not wide enough to take the stunning landscapes that I wanted to record. So I have been looking around for a compact camera. I fell in love with a cheap n cheerful girly pink Fuji Finepix Z20 which will be perfect for snaps of friends at party events. At less than £100 I bought one. It will slip easily into a coat pocket and can go anywhere with me. Very convenient.

Now I need to decide on a compact camera for wide angle travel/landscape shots. I'm wondering about a Panasonic Lumix. Any suggestions, advice, comments or views gratefully accepted.