East Beach - Santa Barbara

A New Camera and a Southern California Getaway

My new Lumix DC-ZS70 arrived just in time for my trip to Santa Barbara to visit family and friends. The weather was lovely. It almost always is. So is the town and the food.

The camera is a larger point-and-shoot digital with a super long lens, 4K video, a viewfinder, a flip-up screen, and about a billion features. I bought it from K&M through Amazon. K&M offers a bundle of accessories, including a 32GB SD card and a small tripod that proved pretty useful. I paid $397 but it has gone up considerably since then.

Most of these shots involved experimenting with the 30x Leica DC Vario-Elmar zoom lens, covering a 24-720mm equivalent focal length range. It was a hazy day and the longer shots were stabilized by at least a monopod. The following photo of a kite surfer shows a lot of distortion in the vertical elements that I think is from the haze and the angle of the sun.

I was surprised by a large hawk, which landed in a tree and peeked out past the trunk. The image below features almost no haze, allowing the telephoto capabilities of the Lumix to shine.

Overall, I'm pleased with the camera and will learn more about what it can do over time. I tend to need two or three readings of a camera manual to master the device. My main objection with this Lumix is the placement of buttons just where I want to put my thumb. I used to stick to Nikon but have drifted and each brand has its own ways. The Lumix line offers a range of models from $200 point-and-shoots to $1,000-plus SLRs. The Panasonic electronics and Leica glass is an attractive combination and you'll never run out of features. Take a look at these cameras the next time you are in the market for something new.