Digital Photography Without Optical Zoom? Unimaginable!

The Fujifilm FinePix S9000 bridge camera (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Isn’t it amazing how digital cameras have made such amazing technological leaps and bounds in the last fifteen years?

It seems like we’ve gone from 3MP to 28MP in the proverbial blink of an eye. ‘Megapixel’, ‘image stabilization’, ‘digital single lens reflex’, ‘super macro mode’ and ‘mirrorless cameras’ weren’t in my vocabulary when I first made my acquaintance with black-and-white photography via 35mm film cameras, darkrooms, and the intoxicating scents of chemical baths in senior high. 

Intergrade Northern Flicker in a Pear Tree

A welcome sight–other than the sunny skies–in the wee hours of this morning (10:00am, actually) was this male Intergrade Northern Flicker, who was spotted on the suet feeder before he heard the digital camera and flew over to this pear tree. This Intergrade Northern Flicker has yellow shaft feathers, red nape, and a port wine mustache.

Macro Monday: Cup Fungi

This gallery contains 3 photos. It’s a regular science field trip in my backyard! At least I can put a name to these backyard oddities: cup fungi (which lack a stalk)! Did you know that they are shaped like cups so that drops of water can splash out the spores?