Mounting Olympus

On Today's Menu: Outing the Old, Bringing In the New

Over the weekend I purchased a beautiful new digital camera: an Olympus FE-340 with 8.0 megapixel and 5x optical zoom. My old camera, though it is digital, is old as Methuselah when compared with the newer models. The old one is a Canon, which is a good brand, but this particular model has only 2.0 megapixel and 2x optical zoom. So, needless to say I thought an upgrade might be beneficial to me as I am planning on taking quite a few pictures while in Spain. I found my selected camera at Sears, who also offers more advanced models, including 10.0 or 12.0 megapixel, video, etc. but I decided that I really don’t need all the bells and whistles. I just want one that produces excellent picture quality and is small enough to fit in my pocket.

According to my info packet from API, theft is rampant in Spain, especially in the larger, highly populated cities. My honest opinion is that it would be difficult to make a distinction between such behavior in Madrid or Barcelona and such behavior in New York City or Los Angeles…but that’s just me making unfounded assumptions. Anyway, my API student mentor informed me that during his semester abroad, a number of his classmates became victims of theft when they visited the larger cities. Barcelona, Madrid, Toledo, Seville…these are all places I will go, so I want play it smart and prepare as best I can. All that is to say, this is the very reason why I selected a smaller, pocket-sized camera. I don’t want to carry a bag if I don’t have to. I don’t like carrying purses even when I am at home, so why change things up and do it there?