Back at Hudson's Hickory House again, a beloved local BBQ restaurant. Please enjoy this photo documentation of our very first Christmas Lunch!
This is the first event to be fully recorded on my new(ish) camera, a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ300. Although not the latest technology (which is what made it affordable), being initially released on July 16, 2015, it is still quite impressive, and apparently they are still making them. They are available everywhere for around $450 (mine was $447.99, plus tax from B&H).
It does not have interchangeable lenses, but it doesn't need them. The built-in lens zooms from 25 mm to 600 mm - actually better than the assorted lenses I had for the old Sony, and when I first got my hands on it, I spent some time exploring it's capabilities. Here's one example, both shots taken from a seat at my kitchen table, just zooming from minimum to maximum. If you look really closely at the first image, you can make out that lettering in the second image as the second word on the plaque on the wall.
Here's another, both shots taken from the love seat in my living room, just zooming from minimum to maximum. If you look really closely at the first image, you can make out the photograph of my wife (the second image) hanging on the wall in the distance.
It came with a 64gb memory card and I (needlessly) ordered two additional cards. Why needlessly? Because, since I usually shoot at 3264 X 2176 resolution, just one of the cards will hold some 17,500 images. I'll never run out of space, or even swap out cards (unless I just want to). Transferring images to my computer is quick and simple, too. It came with a USB cable with a somewhat odd connector on one end (for the camera) and if I connect the camera to my PC with it, the camera asks me what I am trying to connect to, and one choice is PC. Selecting that makes it pop up on the PC just like any USB memory stick and I can do all the same things.