Today, I headed up onto Cannock Chase. I love the forest in winter, and on icy days like today, it’s almost deserted. A few walkers and a handful of nervous mountain bikers were all I saw. This area is beautiful whatever the weather, and sometimes caches you in unexpected places.

Adult red deer stag, on former spoil heap near Five Ways, Heath Hayes. 1:04pm, Sunday 5th December 2010.

Cycling carefully up the Sherbrook Valley, Cannock Chase. Told by mountain bikers 'Christ, you're a bit hardcore' - I ride a cross bike. No, just got ice tyres. 2:36pm, Sunday, 5th December 2010.
Stunning pictures Bob, what camera do you use?
I use a Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ10. It’s a compact thing with 12x optical zoom and automatic geotagging. It’s the third little panasonic compact I’ve had.
I’m generally an Olympus man, and use an Olympus DSLR for good stuff, but the Panasonic’s fit nicely in the jersey or shirt pocket, and take nice pics, although in low light the images can be noisy and they have some peculiar idiosyncrasies. Their best feature, however, is that they’re built like brick shithouses.
They’ve got wet, with rainwater and sweat, been dropped and subjected to heat and cold and still work.
My last one – a TZ-7 – came to a sticky end after being dropped onto rocks. It still worked fine but the screen broke. The original, an LX2, still works and has been handed down to a member of the family. That one had been dropped in puddles and been soaked in floodwater when I forgot it was in my pannier as I cycled through a swollen ford.
If you can live with the odd way panasonic have with menus and software, then I recommend their compact cameras. They aren’t the best image quality, but by heck, they take some punishment.
All the best
Bob
Pingback: Features in brief « The YamYam Walsall
Hi Bob, following your advice I researched various Panasonic cameras; I was about to buy a TZ10 when the opportunity arose to purchase a used LX3 for the same price. I’m very excited as it has had fantastic reviews: The Leica lens sounds great. I might also treat myself to a Jessops training day to get the most from it. Hopefully it will arrive tomorrow so I can get snapping!
Pingback: Sat on their arse in their four-wheel drive « BrownhillsBob's Brownhills Blog
Pingback: Driven like the snow « BrownhillsBob's Brownhills Blog
Pingback: Shut the wardrobe door! | BrownhillsBob's Brownhills Blog