I haven’t had much luck with cameras over the last few years. In July 2008, as I began my “big overseas trip” I left my camera “on the charger” back in Sydney, and was forced to buy a new one in Singapore. Several months later, my house was broken into as I slept, and my new camera, as well as my older one, were both stolen. There were no problems as I travelled to Sweden this year, though unfortunately I lost my latest camera somewhere in Hobart a few weeks ago.

So tonight, ahead of my trip to China, I went and bought a new one. When it comes to camera choices I think I’ve pretty much settled on Canon as my favourite brand. Generally speaking, they’re intuitive, sturdy, and take good photographs. All of the reviews and recommendations have always mentioned the superior lens quality of the Canon, and of all of the Canons I’ve had over the years, I’ve always been very happy.

I’ve spent a couple of hours playing with my new Canon, taking those stupid photographs of yourself you always do when you get a new camera. This one combines good features with a compact size. I’m pretty happy with this one, and looking forward to taking lots of photographs in Beijing.

I’m not sure how much I’ll be blogging of this trip at the time, as I’m not sure how much internet access I’ll have, but you can hopefully expect to see some great photos towards the end of the month, if not earlier.