Well, Lara... I found that learning one thing well at a time, was best for me when I first got my digital camera.

Trying to do too much in the beginning just made my head swim!

I chose a camera was was mostly automatic (it has optional manual setting capabilities which I don't use yet) was good for me. I am just not technical enough for it all. But our son, well he is very good with white balance, ISO settings, etc. He has a DSLR camera, and takes photos in RAW format. (whatever that is...:o:p )

So just try to do a bit at a time. I tend to think while sleeping, so I read the manual before bed....then it percolates during the night, so when I read it again, it isn't so complex as time passes.

You'll be a pro in no time, I bet.

Ah yes. Aim and click just isn't cutting it. These days I have 3 sets of glasses. One prescription sunnies long distance. One regular long distance. One reading. I always forgot to take my reading glasses with me when I leave the house so basically I can't see what I'm pressing anyway. :D

I just took one, but a little hand symbol came up when I did so I guess it's going to be out of focus or the light was too low.

anyway... still lots to learn.

The little hand is the motion stabilizer. If your light is low, the shutter has to stay open longer, and hence motion is exaggerated in the result.

Your photo is very nice and works at the setting the camera chose.

The motion stabilizer does eat battery life however, so if you use it alot you'll need to charge more often. This function also comes on when you use the zoom feature, in low light as well.

I totally understand about the vision. When I use my camera for birds, I get very visually exhausted. I have trifocals and even with them, going near and then far trying to find my fast moving object bird, is very tiring. Our muscles in the eye to focus get weaker with age. When I did my recent few hummingbird photos, using the zoom feature, it was very difficult for me. I just rely on the little focus boxes that show on my screen and shoot.

UpNorth ---
I couldn't even see the hummers at the feeders at all, but I saw them fly by me to get there, so I just started pressing the shutter. I still got some nice shots, that I shared here with you and others, and they were intuitive all the way! LOL You can delete right away any failures or misses.

Your camera is 8 megapx, so you will have to decide on the resolution you want in your photos fairly soon. At fine/high resolution you can't store much on your card. If you lower that more photos will fit. I ended up getting a new card for my new camera which is also an 8megapx...so I could get fine detail in zoom shots (I edit on computer alot). I now have a 4 gig card. When I started, I had 500mB, then I moved up to 1gig, but that became too small, so I got a nice deal on Ebay for 4 gig summer 2014. Since the cards have come down here quite a bit, I might even get an 8 gig soon. My son insists I not leave photos on the card as storage, as he says they are not designed for that. But I do keep some still today ...sssshhhhh don't tell on me. ;)

Thanks for all the tips you've been giving me, mrsD.

I have now figured out heaps of the settings. I had it set on the largest size at the lowest picture quality. :rolleyes:

I've also found all the settings for different lighting and there's one for almost every setting possible inside or outside. There's one especially for "beach" and another for "foliage" so that's excellent. Lots of amazing Ginger plants flowering at the moment and I wanted to keep those. Now that I've found all those it explains why all of my beach pics are out of focus.

Thanks again. :)

I guess your "beach" is my "landscape"....;)

Your getting on very well, and faster than I ever did! :hug:

Hi Lara
 

Have a great time, you deserve it! Keep sending the photos . You'll be a camera expert in know time :) Jim

Thanks Jim and thanks everyone for all your good wishes. I appreciate them very much.

I forgot to reply to bluesfan about going out to the reef.
I'm not so sure I can do that anymore sadly. I have many times in the past though.
I have enough trouble in water with my vertigo so I'm not sure I could handle the movement of any size boat or catamaran anymore. I'll see how it goes. I might be able to get ON the boat but getting OFF the boat and back on land might be a major problem. ;)

Thanks Lara!
 

Hi Lara,

Sounds like you are enjoying yourself! :D
Thanks so much for continuing to share!

:hug:
DejaVu

Here's a little snippet from today...

Click Thumbnail to enlarge.

Crystal clear, great colors.
Good work Lara. Give the operating manual the flick.
Phil

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