My AutoFocus Life Continues by myautofocuslife

My AutoFocus Life Continues

The Husband bought me a new camera for Christmas.

*BIG SILLY SMILE*

It's not a DSLR. I didn't want a DSLR and I don't see myself ever wanting a DSLR. I like my camera as small and light as possible. But I'm ready for something that takes better quality snaps than what my Lumix is giving me, so I opted for one of those mirrorless interchangeable lens wonders.

It's the Sony NEX-C3. ( http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/SonyNexC3/page3.asp ) The body itself is incredibly small, flat and sleek. It has even fewer buttons than my Lumix. The 3" LCD screen is adjustable! The camera came with a 18-55mm kit lens but The Husband bought me the 30mm macro lens because he knows I like shooting small things. (That sounds... just a little weird. But only a little. Heh.)

*ANOTHER BIG SILLY SMILE*

First thing I did was set the autofocus mode. I'm not ready to do any manual setting or work. I'm ashamed to say I am a terribly unambitious person who is not at all attracted to the idea of being able to take photographs in a professional way. I just want to point and shoot. Simple minds work in simple ways!

For my project, I will take photos with my Lumix and my Nex-C3. It will always be something shot on autofocus mode. My nick is, after all, myautofocuslife. I'm perfectly content with that. 8D
Looks like an awesome camera, Livia! You did a great job of photographing, too! But great photographers can take great pics with less than professional cameras! So you do what makes you happy! I love your pics and think they're very well done! =)
December 30th, 2011  
Nice pick up!!!
December 30th, 2011  
Looks like a beautiful camera!! How are you liking it?
December 30th, 2011  
You have no idea how close I came to buying this same camera, Livia. I even had it in my hand at the store . . and for a moment. Well, let's just say that my husband and the salesman both thought that I should go to the Nikon. Hmmmm. I love your camera and love this photo. You'll be doing wonderful photos with both. You're an artist and you could shoot with anything . . and it would come out great!
December 30th, 2011  
Nice one!
December 30th, 2011  
Oh how exciting! Great shot, have fun with it :)
December 30th, 2011  
Great for you! I agree with you about point and shoot :) Life is so much easier for the automatic setting. :)
December 30th, 2011  
It looks really cool, have fun with it!!
December 30th, 2011  
Hmmmm....I love my Lumix with the Leica lens --- even more than I love my Canon DSLR!
December 30th, 2011  
Thank you, everyone! I love my new camera. I wish I didn't have to clean, cook, eat, sleep or do my chores so that I could spend more time with it. 8D

@marlboromaam: Photo was taken with my trusty old Lumix on autofocus mode. I'm a lazy photographer! Can't ever be great. Heh. I want to protect what few remaining brain cells I have left instead of squandering them by trying to learn the manual controls. Thank you so much for being so supportive!

@kerristephens: I love it! It feels great in my hands. Compared to my Lumix, the focusing is faster, it does better in lower light conditions and the pictures look better with more details, even though I have set the JPEG output quality at only medium. (It can shoot in RAW mode but I have no need of that.) Can't wait for the weather to be better, because I want to go to the zoo or the botanic gardens for a shooting spree.

@karenann: So cool to know you were looking at the same camera! I read many reviews and I know I didn't want a DSLR but something that is considered at a beginner level even for mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. I think this one is it. I love it. But I'm not an artist! (Sometimes, after reading the comments, I would go back to look at my photograph and wonder what I had done right. Because I have no clue.) I just like taking photos. 8D

Again, everyone, thank you so much for taking the time and stopping by! I am very grateful for your support and encouragement. Thank you!
December 30th, 2011  
Looks great! Shiny, elegant and new ... hehe ... great husband :) Great shot and have fun with it!!
December 30th, 2011  
Ohhh flash camera! I got a new one for christmas as well. You photo inspired my photo today - out with the old and in with the new!
December 30th, 2011  
You may not recognize it but you are an artist. This is a nice shot. (I enjoy your work.) Enjoy the new camera!
December 30th, 2011  
haha you have a wonderful sense of humour Livia, and your camera is a beauty to make more incredible photos
December 30th, 2011  
That is one very sleek looking camera. Lucky you. I'm sure you are going to have a tonne of fun with it and I'm looking forward to seeing the results. I love my trusty little point and shots because they can come with me every where.
December 30th, 2011  
Livia, this is gorgeous, so sleek and so smooth.
December 30th, 2011  
Hope you enjoy your new camera!
December 30th, 2011  
Fabulously exciting present Livia - can't wait to see all your photos with your new toy. Love the clarity in this photo.
December 30th, 2011  
Great shot and lucky you....! I am loaning my husband's camera all the time as my Canon has such a small view finder that I can hardly see what I am taking a picture of !
December 30th, 2011  
Cool cam ! Lucky you :):) And again great pix !
December 30th, 2011  
Love this shot. my son proudly said the other day, the only appliances in my room are Sony
December 30th, 2011  
I use the nex-5 cam. ;) I also prefer small and light cameras and to just have to think about shooting at the right moment... ;)
December 30th, 2011  
Lovely bit of kit, very stylish looking!
December 30th, 2011  
I really like this shot, I'm really enjoying looking at your pictures :)
December 30th, 2011  
Beautiful camera. I have a Limix FZ45 and bought it for the same reasons you bought yours. Enjoy using it.
December 30th, 2011  
Looks awesome!! Yay to camera Christmas gifts :D. The fun only gets better! Love how you composed this shot and the angle, great job :)
December 30th, 2011  
Ha ha! I love your style! and congrats on picking a great hubby! I def. need a few pointers in that regard!!
December 30th, 2011  
Great Perspective
December 30th, 2011  
oooohh flash!
December 30th, 2011  
Congratulations!! New cameras are so much fun! I got my first Sony last Spring and I love it.
December 30th, 2011  
I've been wanting to try one of these! I hope you like it!
December 30th, 2011  
Beautiful camera! Love the small size.
December 30th, 2011  
Awesome gift! Enjoy your new equipment. Looking forward to months of great shots!
December 30th, 2011  
Photography is everyone's individual art form. If auto focus is your thing...that's all that counts! Enjoy your new toy! Looking forward to seeing pix from it!
December 30th, 2011  
Oh what a great hubby. Your shots are terrific. You may not be ambitious, but you are talented and very artistic.
December 30th, 2011  
Grats on the new camera!
December 30th, 2011  
I say embrace your auto-focus-ness !! You have a fabulous eye and a creative spirit-rock on!
December 30th, 2011  
A neat capture! Have fun with your new camera. I also have a point & shoot in my camera bag too. I might not use it as much as I used to, but I like the ease of use. I am jealous. Your new camera looks like it will be fun to shoot with.
December 30th, 2011  
Looks so shiny and new!! Have fun!!!
December 30th, 2011  
thats the camera that I'm saving for :) their very nice and as good as a DSLR :) x
December 30th, 2011  
Great shot of a great gift. Have fun with it.
December 30th, 2011  
Congrats that looks like hours of fun ahead
December 30th, 2011  
What a great Christmas present, I hope you get a lot of enjoyment from it.
December 30th, 2011  
Even your camera is stylish just like you are!! You will be capturing some great photo of your little collection of things I hope.Love your photos!
December 30th, 2011  
Wish you much fun and enjoyment - and big silly smiles :)
December 30th, 2011  
Concrats with you new camera , Hope to see many beautiful pic out of it
And remember It`s not the tools but the men who`s doing the job
December 30th, 2011  
Kim
Yay!! Congrats on the new camera! Thanks for sharing:-)
December 30th, 2011  
Oooh this looks like a nice camera! Have fun!
December 30th, 2011  
WOW - what a great gift! You must have been very good this past year! Enjoy and have fun!
December 31st, 2011  
What a great gift! We can look forward to more fantastic photo's!
December 31st, 2011  
Congratulations on new camera! looking forward to your macro shots! :D
December 31st, 2011  
wow congrats!
December 31st, 2011  
Nice camera, congrats. I like the pov on this shot. Have fun!
December 31st, 2011  
congratulations! love the angle here.
December 31st, 2011  
Nice and shiny! You should have fun with that! Great shot!!!
December 31st, 2011  
Congrats on your new camera~!
December 31st, 2011  
That's a beauty! Congrats on your new camera!
December 31st, 2011  
Thank you so much for all your comments! I'm having fun with the camera, taking as many photos as I can, to get used to it. I really appreciate all your support and encouragement. Thank you very much!
December 31st, 2011  
This camera looks awesome!
January 1st, 2012  
oh, i bet you are going to love this camera! i read about them one day when i was in a Best Buy and it sounds like they are top notch point and shot cameras. Your husband was good to you this year:):)
January 1st, 2012  
ooh, very nice! My Dad is considering one of those, he's finding his DSLR is getting a bit too heavy now with age (his, not the DSLR...)
January 2nd, 2012  
Oh wow you lucky thing. How sweet of your husband (did he keep it a surprise or did you know he was getting it? Actually I'm guessing you picked it out after all). The camera looks so small compared to the lens! How fun it'll be to play with the macro lens!
January 2nd, 2012  
Wow, you must be very excited. What a great present.
January 2nd, 2012  
I'm currently using my Sony NEX-C3 for my hobby, and I'm lovin' it. Even it's just tiny as the compacts it does shoot quality photos! I'm happy to find someone with the same camera as mine.
January 2nd, 2012  
Congrats! It looks like a little treasure! I have to say that I really admire your photo skills, and I don't think it's lack of ambition. I would just be unable to take a good pic without knowing how a camera is working and being able to control the settings (when it's necessary, of course). This is why I admire your autofocus work :-) Keep doing what you like to do, and have fun, that's the most important!
January 3rd, 2012  
Lucky girl!! Hope your enjoy it!! And I would have never guessed you were stuck on auto focus- keep up the great work!! You've got some mad skills!!
January 3rd, 2012  
That is an adorable camera - it looks, if I might says so, a tad expensive. As to your other comments....how can you love autofocus? That's like saying I love the lottery, lucky dips, Roulette... you have to take what the camera decides is your main subject. How can you love something which doesn't let you choose your focus, and chooses it for you. I like machines, but I want to make decisions myself. Saying that obviously your pictures are crisp and superb, but I just wonder at loving the automatic elements...
January 4th, 2012  
@chewyteeth Different strokes for different folks, I guess! Some people prefer washing their clothes by hand, some people prefer a washing machine to do the job for them. Some people prefer to sew with needle and thread, some people buy a sewing machine. The autofocus is not the lottery or the lucky dip. I'm not gambling. You said, "How can you love something which doesn't let you choose your focus, and chooses it for you." But that's not true. You make it sound like I'm a veritable prisoner of my camera. Heh. But I'm not. I choose the subject, I choose the place, I choose the time. I know what I want to shoot, I know how I want to compose the shot, I make sure the light is flattering, etc. There are many elements to control.

Different strokes for different folks, that's all. We love different things. 8D
January 4th, 2012  
Congrats - great camera. I'm looking to pick up a small one like that - currently looking at the PEN - so much easier to carry around!
January 4th, 2012  
looks like a great gift. Hope you have fun playing with it.
January 6th, 2012  
Livia,
Auto focus and simplicity is my life also. I have taken really nice photos with my Canon SD1000 point and shoot for 4 years till it rolled off my bed a few months ago and started on a downhill trail of not working. I love this Sony but it wants me to learn possibly more than I can handle. I love shooting Macro but also love shooting wildlife, scenery, beautiful buildings, distance, the pano is very cool also. This camera opened a whole new world for me to learn and much nicer photos to take. Not sure about the setting so I can enlarge photos as there are 4 and not sure about the Hi, Medium, Low I think it was light. I also shoot in low light situations and this one does much better. I can only have flash on or off it seems, so will work with that as I want that to work automatically also as needed. Not asking for much, just the sun and the moon here. Any and all of your comments on the journey are so appreciated. Thank you so much, Livia. Love this photo of your camera and checked out the link also. I have to go back to Amazon.com and see if this is in my budget, the only thing keeping me from spending more money on a camera. Thought I would get out of this at $300 or so and now $600 total but returning the battery and case as I have a case that will work and can buy the battery on Amazon for a lot cheaper with a wall charger as I do not like having to plug my camera into the wall, I like using a fresh battery and have one on the charger.
March 1st, 2012  
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