Look what I just bought!

Which may have been a bit foolhardy after my experience with The Bear (which was returned to Amazon after an unsuccessful trial period. Mostly because I didn’t like the photos and at the time it was meant to also be a temporary back-up for Niko while he was in camera hospital – for two months!!). But I digress. The Bear just wasn’t what I wanted or needed at the time. And now that I have the new Pippin I don’t need a back-up camera anymore because the iPhone4 takes excellent pics.

But I still need a video camera, something that became very apparent after I stupidly made what would have been a much better video of Diego making palomas if I hadn’t been holding the iPhone the wrong way – duh! I also have a job coming up next week where I’ll be taking several videos that will require editing (I cannot edit the iPhone Quicktime vids).

So I thought I’d try this different version of the Kodak pocket zx5 video camera that I saw on special offer at Fnac. It seems very well suited for what I’ll be doing (mostly interviews and shots inside rooms, so not much zoom required). She has HD quality, a simple intuitive menu and I think she’ll do just fine. Because my first use will be wandering through Malaga mountain vineyards taping interviews I’ve decided to call her Scout.

As always, it’s tough timing for a new purchase with very little work this month (just barely scraped the rent for August together today) but what the hell. That’s what credit cards are for and it’s an investment because I know I’ll get more videos made this way. Especially because Scout is a sleek pocket model. I kind of hankered for the usual type with the flip out screen and hand-strap, but that wouldn’t fit in my bag.

Scout has lots of groovy features like being waterproof, the HD thang, and being able to take 5 megapix photos. I also got a special deal that came with a 4GB card and a cute little zip-up case. Anyhow, we shall see. As the salesclerk told me when I was hemming and hawing… I can always try her out for two weeks and, if I’m not happy, I can bring her back for a full refund. Win-win. But I kind of think she’s a keeper.