My birthday present from Kate late last year was a new camera - a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50. I spent ages browsing the various camera review sites, Amazon’s customer reviews, and Google Products for the best prices. In the end, I purchased from UK Digital Cameras which had the camera I wanted (and all the extras like batteries, memory cards and bags) at by far the best price.

The main reason for choosing this camera was taking control - it offers a lot of manual control without the expense of a DSLR, which I simply couldn’t afford. I wanted to get better at taking photos of people, something my Canon A95 was no good for because it was too slow. The Lumix has a much faster response when you press the shutter button. Not as instant as a DSLR, but still a massive improvement.

I’m aware that I still have a long way to go as I learn how to use this camera properly; but I’m pleased with some of these recent portraits, and looking forward to taking more. If you see me pointing a camera in your face, that’ll be why.

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