Shutter as syringe
Our stalwart A80 is at the Canon repair center now, having the CCD looked at (for free!). It seems that the repair from this past winter did not "take" and so it's back again.
The camera that started my lunch hour photography walks project was that Fuji A205 that I purchased for $35 via Craigslist. I retrieved it from the camera closet (yes, we have a closet for them...don't ask) only to find that it appears to be dead. It powers on fine, but pressing the shutter button results in the camera immediately shutting down. Only batteries straight off the charger will let it take any shots at all and then only a few before the above behavior is exhibited.
So, when I took my walk today, the only camera I had was my much maligned (and rightfully so) cell phone camera. Regardless of the poor quality of the images it produces, I /had/ to shoot. I had to take a picture. I feel like an addict saying it, but it's true. And what should I walk to but a nearly block-long row of sunflowers in bloom.
The sunflowers are planted on the edge of the property of a Catholic church: St. John Cantius. Like the sunflowers from the farmers market last week, they were filled with honeybees gathering as fast as they could. There was a nice breeze today and the sunflowers were waving around in quite an animated fashion.
In the end, the harsh noon-time sun would not have done these photos much justice even if I had the A80. Yeah, there would have been more dynamic range and more detail, but no matter. The camera phone worked as it should, even if it is sub-par relative to other phones of similar features.
Besides, I was able to walk 4 miles today during lunch which is far more important than any image captured.