After long deliberations lasting weeks at a time about what to buy and what would be best I finally decided that my first choice would be the one to get.
I had thought about the Canon SX60, I think its called, and the Nikon P610 ... or is it P620 now? I also spotted a couple of new ones in a whole new series 'B' with I think the B700 and B500 but I think these were just the 'P' series but able to shoot in the raw format.
Thee RAW format is nice to have but I never got around to playing around with the format when I did have a raw Canon DSLR. I do not see it as a must and neither do others. I guess there might be types or styles of photography whereby it is a must but not come across it.
Yes so I purchased the Nikon Coolpix P900.
What a beast!
What a bloody day!
Jumped on a bus and it wasn't until I had got on the tube heading south at Turnpike Lane that I realised I did not have the address to the shop I was aiming for. Was out pretty early too and was before 10am when I left.
Was planning on a James Bond, shoot in and out.
I knew roughly where the Camera World shop was, well after a while, but not sure if it would be a nightmare to find. No matter I will just go to Jessops as I know exactly where it is and have been in their before. Bought a Tamron zoom lens last time I was in there.
Now I am on the tube heading south, what do I do? I have a seat, luckily, but do I stay on and get off at Russell Square, which I know but cannot remember where I wwill be when I exit the station. Or do I change at King's Cross from the Piccadilly Line to the Victoria Line, the latter being my tube line of old.
I decide to stay on until Russell Square.
I get off and walk to the exit and its one of the elevator tube stations and several people waiting and more coming. Bugger it I will take the stairs, I think to myself. Big mistake.
I am up a dozen stairs and I think to myself 'yeah these were long, but not that long I will be fine', completely forgetting I am not used to stairs and have not been taking my blood pressure pills. I get a little tired, thighs hurting a little and decide to stop and pace myself. Yeah stop for a few seconds, catch my breath and I should get up there OK?
I get higher for few minutes and stop again, hurting more than I did the last time and a little more out of breath. Cannot be for much longer now?
After a few more minutes of this I am starting to feel funny, I am breathing really bloody heavy and my lungs and thighs are burning like hell. I am feeling nauseous too! SHITE! I could not even see the top yet and now I am stressing out a little more as I am being faced with a scenario I have been trying to avoid for years now! There is no phone and not even any cameras here on these stairs! I pass out here no one will see or hear me and the stairs are so steep it will be totally unavoidable to fall all the way back down to the bottom. Fall to the bottom without breaking your neck or another limb? Not bloody likely and any one that has been up these spiral staircases will know exactly what I mean!
I am now using my stick as my groin is also hurting on the right. So I use the stick on my left side but let my right leg splay out as I climb each step one at a time. At least I am on my own and cannot be embarrassed by anyone seeing me struggling. Would look a bit odd, someone who is fairly fit and with some muscle wheezing like an old age pensioner? Get a few more steps, hey what's that noise? Oh great, I spoke too soon as someone is actually coming up the steps behind me!!
Effing marvellous!
Ooh! I am at the top! RESULT!
I come out into the sunlight, pop my Diesel Sunglasses back on and head towards a square to my left trying to get my bearings. I am still out of it, wheezing, lungs continued to hurt for around 30 minutes more but right in front of me a see a map. Oh? According to this I want to be going right? But I thought I was heading in the right direction, using the lesser known west end back streets to get where I am going. Walk, walk, walk, wheeze, wheeze, wheeze oh fuck it's Euston Station! The map sent me the wrong way! Crap!
Bus? Yes ... oh its turned left where I just emerged from. Another bus behind that? Fuck me, yes! Oh .. that has turned left too!
I give up and walk the short distance to Gower Street where I spent a lot of time as both a teenager and a young man. Hmm ... that old camera shop is still there near Warren Street Station! Oh dear, new owners. Tottenham Court Road seems to be missing two thirds of its electrical stores?
Bugger it, just get to Jessops, buy the camera and get on a bus or train outta here! Oh? Jessops ain't there! DOH! 'Hey mate, where is the Jessops camera shop?' and this construction worker answers "Tottenham Court Road". Errrr NO! I go back to the lights, Tottenham Court Road Tube Station and there is some building work. Different, very different. I miss coming down here and am enjoying it and forgetting about being stressed out.
I walk past some scaffolding complete with dust shielding and on the other side immediateley on my right ... PC World! Oh crap!
'Well lets just have a look see if they have one on disply, as I haven't seen one yet!" and when I get to near the end of a row of camera I see this massive thing right on the end. Oh, that is it without a doubt, biggest bridge camera I have ever seen.
I had dodged the active young guys who want to mob you as you enter to get their cut/promotion or whatever.
I give the display model the once over and I see a tall Indian looking man, somewhat older than the others and he really looks like he hates his job? Probably keeps getting pipped at the post by the younger guys in there. I think I will make it his day. "Excuse me, you do not look very busy?" I ask and he comes to life and smiles. I walk him to the end of the camera section and say "Do you have one of these in stock?" and he points and says "them?" as if he did not believe me? Good job I wasn not buying my next camera, touch wood, the Nikon D810a!
Has asks if I need anything else and he tries in vain to find me a 67mm circular polarising filter.
I pay, he is grinning like the proverbial Cheshire Cat that has its cream, perhaps going to stick two fingers up at the younger guys for beating them that day?
I immediately walk down a side street heading north. I enjoy the side streets and the kinds of people that mill around these areas. Apart from the ones that are blind to walking sticks and walk across me or knock me flying. Lol.
I get to Goodge Street and I have had enough of being on my feet. To Warren Street, to Finsbury Park, to Turnpike Lane then on the bus and I am home ... except within a quarter of a mile a friend phones me up and I am off the bus early.
Here is a video of me unboxing the new Nikon Coolpix P900 I bought and that friend I met is sitting to the right when I am filming and is the one I point to and state that his eyebrows just raised when I remove said camera from its bubble wrapping.
To give you an idea, his wife bought a Nikon D5100 a few years back and he thought this Nikon P900 is huge, lol.
So I have my new tool, it has 83x zooom and the Sony will now stay permanently attached to a tripod so that filming things indoors I really should is not put off by finding the tripod, camera, checking if memory card is not in the PC or hunting around for the mount piece to the tripod!
Now that's a plan!
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