Testing out my new toy

As I mentioned, I bought a new camera. A Lumix DMC-FX40 from Panasonic. I checked out the models on Saturday, "shortlisted" a few (three, actually) and came home to research them a bit more :P I didn't want to buy them on the spot in case I changed my mind an hour later...

So Monday I went to buy the one I had finally chosen, just in time for the fête de la musique (music festival) which is on the 21st of June every year. I doubt that I would have brought a camera out if I hadn't bought a new one...but since I had bought it, it was just the occasion to test it out.

Right after getting home, I started charging the battery. Some of the Malaysian/Singaporean exchange students came over for dinner before going out to the fête, and the battery finished charging some time after they arrived...so I started snapping away (must use the daylight while we can lol)

Sheryl and Jiamin
(actually both of them are called Jiamin; someone had told me that (probably Jiamin herself, I'm not sure) but I had forgotten until I saw Sheryl's student card when we went to the cinema to watch The A-Team on Sunday. Okay I'll stop bla-bla-ing now)

Jun Ghai crying because he was being forced to cook by the three girls :P

Okay, actually he wasn't ready. Here he's smiling. See? He's happy to cook for us. lol

After dinner everyone went home to get their stuff and/or fetch people, and we said we'd meet up at the La Doua tram stop.

Jiamin and me, while waiting for Jun Ghai and Sheryl at La Doua

In the end there was a slight change of plans and Sheryl didn't come with us (she met up with us later instead), and Josie (don't know whether I spelled that right, she's Brazilian, is that how they spell it?) came with Jun Ghai. (this point is only to explain later photos)

We went to la Place des Terreaux, where we bought ice-creams. It was kinda cold that night (very unlike summer!) but not that cold to stop us eating ice-creams :P Actually Jiamin was thinking of buying a Haagen-Dazs, then we suddenly saw that there was Ben & Jerry's beside it. I had never tried Ben & Jerry's before, so I took the flavour Jiamin recommended, New York something. I probably would have ended up choosing that anyway...because it had chocolate chunks (including white chocolate!) and a few kinds of nuts. And I'm crazy about choc and nuts :P

My first Ben & Jerry's! lol

And Jun Ghai and Josie couldn't resist the temptation either :P


Then we came across people dancing to music from loudspeakers. Usually people play music during la fête de la musique...but we noticed that there was a dance school nearby (right beside kulte that you see in the photo, actually) So I guess it's publicity...

This old man dances really well...like really smoothly. Probably a dance instructor...

Then we moved on to Place St Nizier.

Just thought this looked nice...

Some people playing in front of the church. From some lyrics I caught, I kinda think those were religious songs...heard something about seigneur (the lord).

the church (église St Nizier)

Then there's something I saw in a shop window:

I actually focused on the first rug, then moved the camera. Doesn't seem to have much effect, though...
Check out the mug on the shelf on the right! :P

another photo of us, in a nicely lighted restaurant street actually, but we blocked out the street :P

some band playing in front of a pub

during a break in the music, two of the guys saw us taking photos and posed for us

another band, called the "earth army" (I didn't like this though)

crossing the bridge (the Saône)

Fourvière and the "Eiffel Tower" (you see that? Yay, I can zoom! lol)

the painted wall "Cour des Loges" that I posted a daytime view of before

For the moment, what I like about this camera is that it has optical zoom! lol Okay, that's because my old one didn't have it. Actually that day I sometimes forgot that I could zoom :P Besides the zoom (which is awfully banal for most people by now), I like its burst-shooting function (taking several continuous shots while the button is pressed) and its panoramic view function (I can't exactly test it now, I will have to find an open space first)

But what I don't like is that there are some image sizes that can't be chosen in certain modes...which is gonna give me several different image sizes if I change the mode (which I will most probably do, unless if I don't want to use any special functions) during a same shooting "session". Another thing is that it has a little too many functions...but I guess that is inevitable if they want to cater to everyone's taste. You know what? You can even choose to use a slimming/fattening effect. What??!! I kinda think it will look really weird if you see it on someone you know (someone you're used to seeing, I mean) I haven't tried it yet, I might test it for comparison purposes...

So I shall continue my tests this weekend!