figure out how to use all the features on my basic camera so that I can justify getting a real one that I won't know how to use either.

Standard features
CCD resolution
4.0 megapixels (2336 × 1744 pixels)
Image resolution
4.0 megapixels (2304 × 1728 pixels)
Picture quality
4.0 MP—best (prints up to 20 × 30 in. (50 × 75 cm))
3.5 MP—best 3:2 (optimized ratio for 4 × 6 in. (10 × 15 cm) prints)
3.1 MP—better (prints up to 11 × 14 in. (28 × 36 cm))
2.1 MP—good (small prints)
1.1 MP—e-mail
Still format
JPEG/EXIF v 2.21
Lens
f/2.7–4.6 (34–102 mm, 35 mm equivalent)
Preview
0.2X increments starting at 3X optical zoom
Zoom
3X optical zoom
advanced digital zoom—5X continuous
Aperture
f/2.7–5.2 (wide), f/4.6–8.8 (tele)
Shutter speed
4–1/1400 seconds, long exposure max 4 seconds
Viewfinder
Optical
LCD
1.5 in. (3.8 cm) indoor/outdoor color display
Performance features
Still capture modes
auto, SCN, sport, landscape, close-up
Scene modes
auto, portrait, sport, landscape, close-up, night portrait, snow, beach, self-portrait, party, fireworks, backlight, children
Color modes
color, sepia, black and white
Burst mode
1.8 fps, maximum 3 images
Click to capture
0.68 seconds (preview on), 0.75 seconds (preview off)
Shot to shot
1.5 seconds (wide preview ON, buffer not full), 7.7 seconds (wide preview ON, buffer full)
Video mode
continuous MPEG-4 compressed video with audio recording during video capture
Video resolution
QVGA (320 × 240 pixels) at 20 fps
Video length
continuous based on memory capacity
Video formats
QUICKTIME MOV (MPEG-4 compression)
Auto focus
TTL-AF, continuous AF, single AF
Auto focus selection
multi-zone, (3 zones) center zone
Focus range
Standard—2 ft (0.6 m)–infinity
Close-up, wide—5–28 in. (0.13 m–0.7 m)
Close-up, tele—9–28 in. (0.22 m–0.7 m)
Landscape—33 ft (10 m)–infinity
Sensitivity
ISO equivalent 80–200 (automatic) and 80,100, 200, 400 (manual)
White balance
auto, daylight, tungsten, fluorescent
Exposure metering
center-weighted AE
Exposure compensation
+/-2.0 EV in 0.5 EV step increments
Long time exposure
0.7–4 seconds (with 0.5 EV step)
Ease of use features
On-camera cropping
8-level zoom and moveable crop window
Built-in flash
auto, red-eye reduction, fill, off
Flash range
ISO 140, wide—2–11.8 ft (0.6–3.6 m)
ISO 140, tele—2–6.9 ft (0.6–2.1 m)
Review options
1X–8X magnify with pan, fast scroll, slide show, multi-up, protect, album, share/print, label, image storage, copy, crop
Favorites
slide show, multi-up, remove favorites, setup menu
Dedicated buttons
back: menu, review, Share, dedicated delete, zoom, 5-way controller, LCD on and off/info
top: self-timer/burst, flash, shutter, mode dial
Auto picture rotation
yes
Software
works with KODAK EASYSHARE Software
Self-timer
10 seconds, 2 seconds

If you are not sure snap anyway. That is the power of digital, there is a magical button called delete that makes the yucky pictures go away!

One of those little icons on the top of the camera is the letters SCN. When this is on there are a whole heap of little pics that come up on the screen. One of them apparently is supposed to help when you take pics in the bright light on the beach…..found that half way through my walk at Surfer’s Paradise this morning. I really don’t know if it helped because it was so bright that all I could see was a dark screen on the camera.

My camera has a little dial at the top with a handful of little icons on it. One of the icons is a flower, I discovered today that it is supposed to mean that I can get half decent shots of plants close up. Wish I’d know that sooner.

change the name, I think I have managed to take photos of things that don’t have cats in them….. on the odd occasion at least. I drool over the nice cameras in the shops all the time and have whimsical dreams of actually owning one. The thing is that I don’t know the first thing about them and the thought of spending that amount of money on something that might as well be a disposable camera just doesn’t seem logical. I have my old cheap 4 megapixel point and shoot… even that has settings that I have never used or played with. That has to be done first before I can even contemplate anything else. I am thinking that I should learn how to play with the photos aswell….. I can crop and adjust the brightness and that is it. I have a strong feeling that I am missing out on something here.

I usually only see the big picture and try to get everything in the image. When I was at the lookout today I saw an amazing cobweb over a frangipani tree. Thought I’d have a go but couldn’t see anything in my display because of the sun on it….it turned out much better than I thought it would.

just like it

just one i mentioned in another post

I thought about the mop and bucket or the dish drainer on the sink. I even thought about the blue cat bowl but figured there would probably end up being a cat in the photo. I decided on my blue bedroom wall with my favourite picture on it. The picture is of the Yorkhire moors with the house that was the inspiration for Wuthering Heights. It is a fantastic print. Unfortunately the light in my room is awful at the moment.

I was in Hong Kong Airport in the middle of the SARS outbreak in 2003. I was on a 5 hour stop over in the middle of the night as I returned from the UK to Brisbane. I had the worst flu that I have ever had, it had plagued me on and off for the 3 1/2 months that I was over there. Usually it coincided nicely with visiting relatives! Anyway, I was in the airport and most of the flights had been cancelled (the flight I had arrived on was only 25% capacity) this meant that most of the stores were closed. I changed some money to get something to eat and had a ton of Hong Kong dollars left….the Disney store was open so Sully came the rest of the way home with me.