Reviving an old camera

My cameras are all point and shoots, so no great shakes here.  But in the next three months or so I'll be going on a big trip.  Trying to think about what bins I'll take and also considering taking two cameras.  My first Lumix was the FZ35, 12 megapixels with 18 mm zoom purchased around ten years ago.  I was surprised to be reminded how small and light it is - perfect for packing as a back-up or alternate.  I recharged the original batteries and they didn't seem to hold the charge. Purchased two new off-brand batteries and took it out for a test run this morning.     

All of these photos were taken for practice.  

Spring and fall robins are one of my favorite subjects.  

The great blue heron landed in a tree quite distant from where I was standing.

This is the time of year that interesting birds can frequently be found at Belle Isle.  Today, above and below, this solitary mallard with female features, but also with male features on his head, bill, breast, and back was perched on a log in Nashua creek.  All of the other male mallards were in their bright, new plumage.  Perhaps his molt is just slower.

For comparison, above and below, this solitary and plump female mallard was perched in the creek further along.

The Lumix FZ35 was the first point and shoot that gave me photos where I could really enjoy and appreciate the results and was probably responsible for hooking me into bird photography.  In 2009 I recall going to southern California for a conference and visiting a state park while there.  The photos I took are in an early entry of this blog and several still remain my favorites.  I've had my black-throated sparrow photo perched in a cactus from that trip pinned up in my cubicle at work all this time later.

Especially with the distant photos, I struggled with finding the birds (I missed a perched song sparrow  and a perched winter wren for not being able to locate in the viewfinder).  Where I think reviving this camera will really be helpful is with dragonfly photos.