I think that I finally have a solution to my camera needs.  Last year (well, really only a few months ago) I wrote about my quest for a new camera and over the holidays I found the solution: a basic point a shoot for my purse and a new macro lens for my DSLR.  So far I’m happy with this solution.  The point and shoot is just a little Canon Powershot SD1200IS that I chose after trying a few different basic slim cameras.  I liked this one best because it’s small, it’s fast, and it takes good pictures.  The photo of the VanDusen Festival of Lights was taken with this camera with no tripod – not bad! 

The much more exciting addition to the camera family is the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro Lens I got for Christmas.  While I really didn’t want to have to switch lenses for different shots, the quality I get with this macro is just so much better for close up shots of the garden.  I used it for today’s Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day shots after our rainstorms cleared and the sun popped out for a brief visit this afternoon. 

The theme for this month’s photos is “The Old and The New”.  I’ve used my old Digital Rebel with my new macro lens to take photos of the evergreens, overwintering veggies, and spent foliage that keep my winter garden interesting as well as the mighty new growth that is already pushing the leaf mulch aside.  Spring may not be here yet, but it already feels like the dark of winter is behind us.  The new growth is emerging from the soil and it can also be felt in the air.  That combined with the building excitement for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics is making these short days full of promise.  So without further ado, here is “The Old and The New”.