New Camera - Nikon L11

I got a new camera this weekend -- a Nikon Coolpix L11 which is described as a "budget" Coolpix digital camera.

In short, it's the kind of camera that others with more expertise, desire and photography skill will simply shake their head at. "He should have gotten a .... "

Yeah, I know. But, you have to understand, I have no photography skills at all, and I HATE most electronic stuff. My VCR is treated as if it were a blinking clock with a dust-collecting slot in the front. It only exists in the house at all because it was free.

Which is another thing: I am cheap. Or frugal, if you prefer. My people are not ashamed of it; we brag on it. I wear $12 blue jeans, and they are as good-looking as yours and just as tough too. "You get what you pay for" is a nonsense line about 85 percent of the time.

Which is a windup to let you know that this new camera was low cost -- $118 at Best Buy. And no, I did not shop around -- time is money and I am cheap about time too. We pass this way but once, so let's get it on.

Having given you the preamble, let me say that this new camera is a huge step up from what I have been using. The old camera had no zoom at all (dirt gets in zoom lenses, and when you dig on the dogs there is always a lot of dirt). The new camera has a 3x zoom lens, and that zoom is protected by a service plan that covers a dirt-wrecked zoom lens. And yes, I checked.

The new camera also has a 4X "digital" zoom which might actually mean something since this camera shoots at 6 megapixels, while the old camera had only 3.

The new camera is smaller than the old one (just 3.5" x 2.4" x 1.1") with a much larger memory (2 GB instead of 56 MB) which, I am told, will hold well over 500 pictures.

Another feature of the new camera is that it takes "bursts" of pictures, which might mean that I actually get a picture or two of a fox bolting from a den. That would nice, and something I have never managed before with the old camera. No, I am not willing to kill a fox for a photo.

This new camera is powered by regular AA batteries, which means that if I am out of power I am not out of luck (as is so often the case with proprietary battery packs).

The memory chip on this camera is an SD chip which means it will fit in a lot of other cameras out there.

Finally, the Nikon L11 seems to be a pretty standard trail camera. I may see if I can rig mine so it can take pictures of raccoon, fox, deer and birds coming to feeders in the yard. My fear is that rigging any camera for trail work will require a serious hack at the innadards, and if that is the case it may be better to simply buy a dedicated trail camera like a Moultrie D-40 (4 megapixels) that comes with box, etc. and can be had for about $90).

A perfect camera? No such thing; but a good enough implement for my very modest uses.

The first picture with the new camera is below -- Pearl at the door to my study. You may have a better camera than mine (not hard), but I will always have a prettier dog. So there.