Feels Like New !

Thanks to all who commented on yesterday's post! After reading through the comments, then rereading what I posted, I realized that I gave the impression that we had acquired a brand new camera!

Actually, the camera I'm having so much fun with is a couple months old. It just took me awhile to get up the nerve to get to know it beyond the basic point and shoot level. Although a couple months still seems pretty new to me, after becoming better acquainted it really does seem brand new again!

For those who were wondering what camera this is, it is the Canon Power Shot A470, one of Canon's moderately priced, "lower end" cameras.

The photo I took yesterday was utilizing the super macro function.I've been using that function quite a lot the last couple days, and am amazed at the results I can get with it! Another option I've been playing with a bit is the zoom. If you stop by my Flickr site, you can see shots of the moon I took last weekend. They're particularly exciting, but, they represent the beginning of my new familiarity with my camera. The first shot is taken with the regular point and shoot method. The second one was taken by zooming in once. At the time, that's all I thought I could do. Now I'm eagerly anticipating next months full moon, and keeping my fingers crossed it will be a clear night, so I can give it another try!

The next day I got to playing around with my camera and, quite by accident discovered I could zoom in to multiple levels, anywhere from 3.5 to 14. I'm still experimenting with this feature, and expect if I pair it with other features I may be able to find applications where the highest level might work for me. For now though, I've found 8.5 (or in some cases, 10)is about as far as I can go without experiencing some rather annoying "noise". As I recall that's pretty much what one can expect in most any of the AA utilizing cameras though, so for the price, I figure I really can't complain.

The biggest negative aspect I've found with this camera is the problem with glare on the viewing screen. There are certain situations where the the sun gets in the way, and I just can't see my subject. Honestly, I can't understand why some sort of a shield couldn't be installed on this otherwise great little camera with nominal cost adjustments.

Digital photography is new to me, and I was never an expert in photography anyway. I think this is an excellent camera for beginners, like me, and/or for those (again, like me) who are on a budget. I'm quite pleased with this camera, but have no doubt I'll be looking to upgrade at some point. Of course the kids are both looking forward to that point in time, as they know who this little gem will be handed down to ;-)