Anyway, I ordered Ultimatum and Ultimatum: Requiem from Amazon last week and have been reading Ultimatum. I get the feeling the story could have scanned more than the 4 comic issues they allowed for it as things seem to be moving very quickly. It also puts the graphic in graphic novel, with some pretty gory scenes of death – take Blob feasting on Wasp (Tastes like chicken), only to be followed by Hank Pym biting Blob’s head off!

Ultimatum - the end of the Ultimate Universe!

I haven’t finished it yet, but I am over half way through and the number of ‘Ultimates’ left to battle, well, I won’t tell you who the Ultimate Adversary is in case you want to read this yourself. The new Ultimate Universe is already in existance under the Ultimate Comics banner, and I’ll be keen to see how that turns out and how different it is to the old Ultimate Universe. If anyone has read any of the new Ultimate Comics titles then let me know what you think, colour me intrigued!

Ladybird

The only problem with this photo, in my humble opinion, is that it’s more orange than I think the ladybird actually was but the sun was shining so brightly that some of the red was lost. No doubt I could make it more red in Photoshop, but time hasn’t been on my side. This next example was taken in the shade outside of Hitchin library and is much more like the natural red of a ladybird:

Ladybird #2

Great detail in both photos, as my Panasonic TZ7 continues to impress. The next two were taken in the back garden and are macro-tastic, look at the detail on that thorn!

Thorn

Spider - those eyes!

On the Sunday we visited some friends, in fact he writes a rather fabulous food blog: grubblog. After the rain had gone and the sun came out it was perfect weather for taking photos. I became almost obsessed with taking photos of a bug I found in one of the trees in the back garden. while there are lots more shots on my Flickr photostream, here are a few shots – amazing detail and what a prehistoric looking specimen! My wife christened them leaf eaters, if anyone knows their real name then please leave a comment and educate me.

Tree Bug

Tree Bug

Tree Bug, not in a tree!

Tree Bug side on

Aside from the stray blade of grass on the right of the bee, I think this one came out rather nicely:

Bumble Bee

Later on at lunchtime I ventured out into the car park at work and found this armoured fellow:

Beetle

He was tiny so it’s a credit to the macro powers of my TZ7 that he came out so well. As an aside I have no idea if it’s a he, or if Beetles even have male and female counterparts! It wasn’t until I looked closely at the next photo that I realised that the antennae of the beetle were swishing back and forth while I was taking a few shots.

Beetle with swishing antennae

My next subject was a midge, which I falsely identified as a mosquito at first – hey, what do I know? If anything these photography exploits are enhancing my knowledge of the natural world and it’s many inhabitants. Let’s look at the first photo:

Midge

I took the next shot with the flash activated – I had to choose the ‘Forced Flash On’ stetting as the camera believed there to be enough natural light. As you can see the photo is clearer with the flash on, though possibly over-exposed. That’s something I’ll have to think about in future when I’m taking macro photos in indirect sunlight.

Midge with Flash

This last photo, again of a midge, shows what incredible detail this camera captures, and reinforces my decision to buy it. Not sure of the 3 green blobs of liquid were secreted by the midge, and if so whether they are natural excesses or the result of some kind of injury.

Midge up close

Remember, you can always click these photos for bigger versions or see those very same bigger versions on my Flickr photostream.

I’ve had the camera a full week now and I’m absolutely delighted with the results I’ve obtained so far, especially as they are impulsive photography expeditions and not the results of lots of preparation. Imagine how great the photos could be if a took my time and dug out my tripod!

As always, advice, criticism and possibly praise is appreciated – whatever you think, leave a comment and tell me how I’m doing or if there’s anything you’d like me to photograph with the TZ7 and publish example shots of.

Dandelion

Fauna out the way, here’s where I lucked out in managing to spot a hoverfly that was sat on a leaf, and stayed sat there for a few minutes, allowing me to take a few shots. This showed off the Panasonic TZ7′s macro ability beautifully and I’m really pleased with just how great these photos turned out.

Hoverfly on a leaf

Hoverfly close up

The first thing I did was head out into the garden to test the macro mode, something I had been looking forward to doing ever since I’d ordered the camera. Luckily my Class 6 Integral 8GB SDHC memory card arrived on Saturday morning so I knew I’d be able to snap away without any worries of running out of room. These are the first two photos which I thought were good enough to publish on this blog:

Yellow Tulip

Daisy

I’m really happy with these photos – both have been cropped down in Photoshop and the Daisy has had the ‘Auto Levels’ function applied to it, the Tulip as as it came out the camera – the Auto levels left it unchanged, must have been such a good photo!

Next was a scenery shot, taken in Hitchin opposite the Millstream Pub:

Field in Hitchin

Again, very happy with the results. On the Sunday we went for a walk around Hitchin and then to St.Albans where I took a variety of photos, the ones I am happiest with can be seen on my Flickr Photostream, but here a few I liked for a variety of reasons.

Spider

Ladybird

Canada Goose Teeth

Canada Goose

All in all I’m very happy with the camera and think I have made the right choice. I am keen to get out and take more photos, and to use more of the different features and shooting modes that the Panasonic TZ7 has to offer. I will of course report back here with findings and photos. As always, comments and advice are welcomed.

I bought a Panasonic TZ7 last August, but then I thought I wanted to get more into photography and sold it in favour of a Sony A200 DSLR. I hardly used the A200 so sold that and was on the verge of buying a TZ7 again but instead went for the much cheaper Fujifilm F72EXR. I once again had yearnings to get into the world of DSLR photography so sold the F72EXR and bought another Sony A200. I was happy with the A200 for a few days but then thought of our upcoming trip to North Devon and a visit to the zoo. With a 2 year old boy in tow was I really going to have time time to use a DSLR, and without extra lenses was I going to get as close as I wanted to? The answe was no, and so the A200, the second one, was sold. It was then a decision between the Sony DSCHX5VB and the Panasonic TZ7 – the TZ7 won on better zoom and reported better image quality, plus the HX5 has no dedicated macro mode. The £100 cheaper price tag also helped. So there you have it – the story of how I have ended up with my second TZ7, some 8 months after having my first one. The Panasonic TZ10 maybe the upgrade to the TZ7 but I’m not bothered about GPS wizardry  - I don’t go anywhere places varied and exotic enough to warrant a £100+ price augmentation.

At this very moment the battery is charging, which is for the best as I’m at work and have more than enough to get on with. Hopefully I can get out this weekend and give it a good road test, something I never did with the first TZ7, such was my eagerness to sell it and buy a Sony A200. Being Spring there are plenty of flowers in the garden which will be handy to test the macro mode, and I’m hoping for some visitors from the insect world to pose as subjects for my fickle minded photography hobby.

I’ll leave you with a fascinating photo of the newly arrived box and the camera from inside – both taken on my long time superseded Panasonic TZ1. I’d love to hear from other Panasonic TZ7 owners – point in the direction of some photos you’ve taken and lavish me with expert tips.

Panasonic TZ7 In The Box

Panasonic TZ7 Out Of The Box

One of our solar lights, capped with a nice thick layer of fluffy snow.

Snowy Light

Some snow coated twigs in the garden.

Snowy Twig

I gave this the black and white effect – works well I think.

Snow Covered Trees

I’m pretty pleased with the results – for such a small and reasonably priced camera I think the photos have come out pretty well. More to come in the future as and when I get the chance, and the results are good enough!

Fast forward to Christmas Day and I have said comic book, wrapped and in my hands. Thinking she may also have mentioned my like of Preacher I was half expecting the first Sandman trade paperback – a title I’ve often been tempted by but never enough to actually buy volume 1. What I actually got when I opened the present was a hardcover edition of a title I’d never heard of; Soulfire.

I recognised one of the writers, Jeph Loeb, as one of the guys behind some of the greatest Batman stories ever such as Batman: Long Halloween and Batman: Haunted Knight. I flicked through and was straight away drawn to the artwork, which is absolutely stunning – rich in detail and beautifully coloured. The story is one of fantasy, featuring dragons and magic. I really enjoyed it and am now looking forward to April when the issues 6-10 are collected in volume 2. It’s only a 10 issue story arc, but there may be more to come in the future if I’m reading correctly.

Soulfire (Picture courtsey of aspencomics.com)

So my wife took a leap of faith that paid off, the comic book shop owner was spot on, and I’ve discovered a great new comic book series that otherwise I probably never would have.

The comic book shop is Limited Edition Comix, in Stevenage, Hertfordshire – visit it if you’re ever in the area – I hear the guy who runs it knows his stuff.

So, it started in August when I had decided that my Panasonic TZ1 was no longer good enough. While the 10x optical zoom us great, having that coupled with a measley 5MP sensor is not going to give the best results. The obvious upgrade was to the much talked about Panasonic Lumix TZ7
– 12x optical zoom and 10MP. I had this for about a week before I sold it – at the time I’d decided I wanted to get into photography properly, and that for that I’d need a Sony DSLR-A200K
.

There’s no denying the Sony DSLR-A200K gave great results, but it’s too big a camera to carry around on a day to day basis. It also needs a lot of time to progress and learn how to use the camera to it’s best ability. Add in the extra investment of lenses and I soon came to realise that the world of DSLR photography was not for me – maybe in the future when I don’t travel 3 hours a day to and from work and when our little boy is less demanding of our time.

So now we are in December and I’m back looking at the Panasonic TZ7 again, although now I’ve been Reading about people having issues with cracked LCD screens and Panasonic not doing anything about the problem. There us also the limited low light performance of the Panasonic TZ7 and add in the almost £250 price tag and I’m looking elsewhere.

After turning away the Canon PowerShot SX200
due to the flash popping up with every photo, whether it’s needed or not, and no optical zoom in video mode, I was seriously considering the Fujifilm Finepix F70EXR. It seemed to tick all the boxes – 10x optical zoom, 10MP, wide angle 27mm lens and these clever EXR settings giving enhanced performance in low light, to name but one benefit. Thanks to Hot UK Deals I became aware of the Fujifilm Finepix F72EXR, which is the Jessops exclusive version of the Fujifilm Finepix F70EXR, for a great price thanks to a £30 cashback offer from Fuji.

I’ve had this latest new camera for just 2 days and am yet to upload any photos to my laptop. Results on the camera’s LCD screen look good, and all have been low light photos so far. I’m looking forward to seeing the actual photos and to giving the camera a good road test outside at some point. The price of the Fujifilm Finepix F72EXR came to £125 with the cashback, a fantastic deal in comparison to the expensive and flawed Panasonic Lumix TZ7.

The Circle

I got very excited yesterday when I got an email from Amazon telling me that it had been dispatched. Even though Royal Mail were on strike, I could still get the album before the Monday release date thanks to Amazon ditching Royal Mail when the strikes were announced. Alas, my excitement was quashed when I read the email in a bit more detail and saw it was being sent out by Indigostarfish, Amazon’s preferred merchant and still with Royal Mail – denied.

On a big Bon Jovi forum many people have already heard the album thanks to it being leaked and available on download websites. I have resisted temptation and will wait until I have the CD in my hands before I play it. On the plus side the reports coming back from those that have heard is universally great. People are saying it’s the best album since These Days, which Bon Jovi fans the world over see as the zenith of Bon Jovi music.

With the Royal Mail strike in mind I’ll probably buy a vanilla version from a supermarket on the way to work on Monday, such is my impatience!

Now, onto matters of outrage – the prices of the tickets for the shows at the O2 in London, which started off as 5 shows but has since risen to 8. For more information on the fan response and prices I suggest you go here: BonJovi-Live.com where fan comments have been and continue to be documented.

When I went to see Bon Jovi at the very first show at The O2 in 2007 I paid £60+ for each ticket, this past Saturday I paid £45 for each ticket and the seats are far better so from my personal perspective I’m doing ok. If people are moaning that they don’t want to pay high prices to be at the front then don’t, buy a cheaper ticket and sit further back – that’s life. Oh yeah, I’m going to see Bon Jovi, for the 5th time, on June 13th 2010 – good times!