It's just not cricket....

[Grouser]

....or is it?

Photographed on the hills in the Axarquia.
Jumping Jimney
He just posed cool as a cucumber
Though I have to confess to tweaking the image a trifle.

[Campo Kenny]

Haven't treated myself for a while...........I want a camera like that.....NOW!!......me little Ixus is good but that blows it away !

Great pic.

Kenny

[Bongtrees]

Fantastic photo Grouser, looks like an alien

What camera did you use?

[Grouser]

Nikon D70s with the standard 18-70mm lens.
It's cropped a bit.

[hillybilly]

Looks like a locust to me...reminds me of school biology lessons.

[dido72]

Eeew pic is horrible and fantastic, we are looking for a new camera too so you recommend the Nikon then?

[mirandamac]

What an amazing picture. Thanks.

[gavilan]

yes locust and always around here ...
and you would not be quite so keen to take photos if you found locusts eating your plants grouser!

[Grouser]

As our Spanish house has no garden, not too much of a problem.
but I sympathise.
They could be quite good barbecued
Plenty of protein I suspect.

[Grouser]

Dido, I don't think the brand name is important. You need to identify what you want from the camera, then look at the various models that fit your criteria. If you are spending a lot of money it is probably worth looking at reviews on the internet. If an SLR is your choice look at the reviews of the lens as well as the camera.
Digital cameras have come forward in leaps and bounds while the price has shrunk. One retrograde 'development' though is that most, if not all compact cameras now have no viewfinder. A visiting friend had a wonderful little camera, all singing and dancing, large screen on the back to compose the picture. Only problem being that you could only vaguely make out the image in strong Spanish sunlight. It also seems a recipe for camera shake waving the thing round at arms length. With the camera up to your eye, your arms and head make a natural tripod.

[dido72]

Hi Grouser thanks for that, I know less than nothing about cameras but my hubby has taken a fancy to the Nikon s520 but it has no view finder.

Can you recommend anything similar that has a viewfinder as most of the photo's we will be taking will be in bright sunshine?

[David Jones]

Some of the better cameras have a button which switches the image between screen and viewfinder, which is very useful

[Grouser]

Sorry Dido don't have up to date knowledge of compact cameras. I would suspect you need to go for something with an electronic viewfinder, which will be at the top end of the compact range. An electronic viewfinder has the advantage of showing you pretty much what you get when you take the picture, though not as clearly as an SLR. Try googling compact cameras with viewfinders and see what you get. If you find something that looks promising then try and find some reviews of it.

[Campo Kenny]

Dido, I hate reccomending things but will break my rule on this one.
I bought a new digi just over a year back and on Beachys word went for a Canon Ixus.............fantastic sturdy (all steel) trick little camera with optical viewfinder.........takes stunning pics for its size but not to the standard of Grousers SLR, although to be fair I only use it on Auto. Video is extraordinary too and its wide angle capabilities for group shots is awsome.

I have posted the link for it simply because I paid £300 for it .......it is now superceeded but this sale price is awsome. Really is a brilliant thing and has proved effortless to a photographic numpty like myself.

Kenny

http://www.simplyelectronics.net/mainpr ... GgodVnKuDQ

[Grouser]

Looks good to me Kenny.

[El Cercardo]

Or is it an Egyptian grasshopper?

[Grouser]

The one here certainly looks similar, though the colour is very different.
http://www.treknature.com/gallery/Europ ... o74993.htm
So what's the difference between this and a locust?

[El Cercardo]

The one here certainly looks similar, though the colour is very different.
http://www.treknature.com/gallery/Europ ... o74993.htm
So what's the difference between this and a locust?

We had one in our garden a while back...must admit I thought it was a locust but then one of the locals told me it was an Egyptian grasshopper...I wasn't going to argue! What the difference is, I don't know. Here's the one that was in my garden:

[img][img]http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k162/ ... CT9051.jpg[/img][/img]

[freecatsrus]

Took this one last summer

[Grouser]

Ah but that's a completely different kettle of fish, or rather, a praying mantis.