It was about this time last year that I was absorbed in deciding what camera gear to take with me to Germany.  We had a family vacation planned for a one week cruise on the River Rhein – from Basel, Switzerland to Amsterdam, Netherlands.

I knew I was going to take my Canon PowerShot G11, my don’t-leave-home-without-it camera.  The big question was would I take the big Canon with its retinue of lenses.  And would I take my laptop with Lightroom and Photoshop?  It came down to one simply stated problem – how could I safely get them over there and back?

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We’re leaving tomorrow for a family vacation in Europe. We’ll be eight days on the River Rhein with a little extra time at the start and the the end. And yes, I’m taking my camera with me.

I just upgraded my Spot 1 to Spot 2. I haven’t tried it out yet but I’ve been using the Spot 1 for about a year every time I go out shooting.

In case you don’t know what Spot is, it’s a GPS reciever and communication satelite transmitter. The GPS tracks your location and the transmitter sends signals to the nearest communication satelite which is then downloaded to a ground station. From there a message is sent to the email addresses and cell phones you specify.

There are 4 kinds of messages on the Spot 2 – checking in, custom, help and SOS. I’m using the custom message to rub it in to my family that I’m out shooting and they’re not.

I just finished configuring the new device and am ready to give it a spin. But here’s a link with a review that gets me excited about what to expect.

http://hardcoreoutdoor.com/2009/11/18/new-and-improved-spot-satellite-messenger–spot-2.aspx

I can’t wait.

The download and installation (re-installation) of DxO is complete.  It took the better part of an afternoon however. The DxO technologies site is (in)famous for slow downloads.  It literally took a couple of hours to download the 500 MB file.  But it’s done, DxO is installed and I had a brief opportunity to use it.

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Well, no shooting with the new toy yesterday or today.  As I haven’t given up my day job yet it’s necessary to get some consulting hours in to bring home the bacon.  Besides, the client is happer when I pay some attention to them.  However, the RRS L bracket came today.  So I’ll be able to attach the camera to the tripod without having to use the long lens – always a good thing to be able to do.

But this weekend is going to be very exciting.  First of all, it’s the 1st Annual Joshua Tree Gathering, open to anyone who owns a camera and isn’t afraid to use it.  See the post.  But I’m going to attempt a series of sunrise shots from first light to the sun fully up.  The thing that makes this interesting is I’m going to attempt to do this as  360 degree panorama.  I hope I don’t have to add HDR to the mix.  Arg!

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It shipped yesterday, my new Canon 1Ds Mark III.  I should get it next Wednesday.  Stay tuned for first impressions.  The excitement is running high.