I was lucky enough to have January 1 off from work, so I begged Jorge to go to the Hotel Zone with me. After our trip to Virginia for Christmas, warm weather was sounding pretty good!
I brought along my brand new camera (a Nikon 1 J1, Christmas present from Jorge) to experiment. It’s been difficult getting used to the angles because of the wider frame, but by the end of the afternoon the photos were improving.
Forum Beach: I guess everyone else in the city had the day off because this beach was packed!
Chac Mool Beach: This lesser-known beach was a lot quieter. The photos were taken around sunset, so they’re not as bright but still beautiful. I didn’t even stage the footprint photos… everything was already there. 
Perfect.
I’m loving the lighting and colors on this new camera. Everything I see with my eye is exactly what shows up on the camera without needing to do any manual adjustments. (My previous camera had a hard time with bright sunlight and evening light, so this was a welcome change.)
I’d been wanting a more professional camera for awhile and was lusting after some of the larger cameras with the changeable lenses. However, I went on a tour with other bloggers recently and saw everyone else carrying around a big camera bag, which made me realize I DIDN’T want that. I looked around online for more portable options and found the Nikon 1, which has the lenses I want but it’s still about the same size as my point-and-shoot. Perfect for taking more “fancy” pictures while still being small enough to just throw it in my purse!
I got the sexy red one.
I feel like a real blogger now.
I saw that Camera on special at Target for $399 and I was going to buy it but wasn’t sure how good it was but now I see the pictures come out really good. Thanks for sharing
I got it at Best Buy for about that price and I’m very very happy with it!
I was there too!. we spend new year’s eve on forum beach but took off by dawn
Oh fun! Was it super busy?
That is an AWESOME camera. I’m in the market for a new one too and I also want to avoid the big camera bag. I already have enough bags.
The photos are gorgeous and you are so lucky! Maryland is pretty much like VA right now. I could use a nice relaxing day on the beach.
I hear ya. I carry around lots of bags (gym, work, beach, etc) so the last thing I needed was another bag!
Hi I just discovered your blog! Congratulations! I love the design!
Great pictures! I also got a camera for Christmas, but I still don’t know how to use it quite well.
I hope you have a great 2013.
Thanks Paulina! Hope to see you around
Oh Man, now I need a new camera. I have an older Nikon…. It’s days are over. LOL.
Great pics
That’s what happened to me. My previous Nikon (a point and shoot) had a rough day swimming with whale sharks and hasn’t been the same since haha Still, we had 2 great years together
Look at you and your husband, going from chilly temps in the US, to chillin’ at la playa. Like I said, best of both worlds!
Nice pics with your new camera! I’m so jealous of your beach weather, we’re still waiting for that in Barcelona.
Happy new year!
great pictures. coming to isla in may. any recommendations for out of the way good restaurants? I love to read your blog because I love Cancun, however Isla has my heart!!
Mary
Hi Mary! Whenever Jorge and I go to Isla Mujeres we eat at Yax, but it’s definitely not what I would consider out of the way haha
There are tons of little restaurants along Miguel Hidalgo Avenue (the pedestrian street in downtown with lots of shops), but we haven’t been to any yet.