Whitecat8, Is macro photography your only consideration in buying a digital camera? If it is so, then the 'Canon PowerShot S5 IS' which you are eyeing on may well be a very capable camera for it. If you want something smaller, then you may consider the Sony DSC-T300. I think the Sony DSC-T300 is the ideal camera for 90% of the gardenweb members here who like small, lightweight cameras and who have trouble setting their cameras to focus on a close subject. I recommend it as the camera for the garden lover who doesn't have the slightest idea how to focus on a macro subject correctly. If you belong to the few members here however who are also into photography in addition to gardening, then macro ability will not likely be your only criterion for buying a digital camera. You would definitely want the camera to have first and foremost, high image quality for macro, wideangle, and telephoto photography, excellent low light ability, and high image resolution. All the other features would be considered bonus. If this describes you, then you may want to consider the Fujifilm cameras for 'the best in class' in compact digital cameras. High on this category are the Fujifilm Finepix cameras, especially the Finepix F30 and the Finepix F31fd. If you are into pro- or semi pro-photography (which I doubt you are, since you are asking a camera question here), then you would likely want to buy a bridgecam with superzoom or go all the way to a full featured dSLR. If this were the case, then I suggest you visit photography forums like dpreview.com as you are likely to get more helpful suggestions there than here. tropical

In America it's known as the Olympus SP-550 UZ - price $500 (US):- - 4.68 84.24mm (28  504mm equivalent in 35mm photography) - Dual Image Stabilization eliminates blur (so you can photograph even when panicing) - The world's most powerful ultra zoom (at present) - 7.1 megapixel (so your UFO pix will make the FULL front page) - high-speed sequential shooting (get those shots of everybody running from the UFO) - shoot in low light without a flash (UFOs usually appear at night) And further propaganda:- - FULL MANUAL EXPOSURE CONTROL - ISO 5000 - "The SP-550 UZ offers the highest ISO sensitivity of any ultra zoom for superior low-light and fast-action photography" - With a burst rate of up to 15fps, you can freeze moments in time to get the shot you want. - macro (as close as 1cm) - wow!! gotta have one. -30 Shooting Modes including Movie with sound (HEAR the panicked screams) -Maximum Aperture f2.8  f4.5 - Shutter Speed 1/2000 sec.  15 sec., Bulb -ISO Auto, High ISO Auto, 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200*, 5000* (*approx. 3MP) - now you can photograph the famous "black cat in a coal mine". - Adjustment Resolutions 3,072 x 2,304, RAW / SHQ / HQ 3,072 x 2,048, 3:2 / SHQ / HQ 2,560 x 1,920, SQ1 High, Normal 2,304 x 1,728, SQ1 High, Normal 2,048 x 1,536, SQ1 High, Normal 1,600 x 1,200, SQ2 High, Normal 1,280 x 960, SQ2 High, Normal 1,024 x 768, SQ2 High, Normal 640 x 480, SQ2 High, Normal - 30 Shooting Modes: Auto, Program Auto, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Manual, My Modes, GUIDE, Scene Presets (Portrait, Landscape, Landscape & Portrait, Night Scene, Night & Portrait, Sport, Indoor, Candle, Self-Portrait, Available Light Portrait, Sunset, Fireworks, Cuisine, Documents, Auction, Shoot & Select1, Shoot & Select2, Beach, Snow, Underwater Wide1, Underwater Wide2, Underwater Macro), Movie - Panorama Modes Up to 10 frames automatically stitchable with OLYMPUS Master Software when using Olympus brand xD-Picture Card - Sequential Shooting Hi-Speed2: 15 frames per second for 20 frames (1.2MP) Hi-Speed1: 7 frames per second for 15 frames (3MP) Normal Speed: 1.2 frames per second for 7 frames (7MP) - Bracket: Exposure bracketing up to 5 frames - Interval Shooting - Shooting Assist Functions - Histogram, Frame Assist - Noise Reduction - Set automatically at shutter speeds of 0.5 second or longer - Flash Working Range Wide: 14.8 ft. (4.5m), Tele: 9.2 ft. (2.8m) at ISO 200 Wide: 42.3 ft. (12.9m), Tele: 26.2 ft. (8.0m) at ISO 1600 - Date/Time Calendar Automatically recorded with each image (up to 2099) (after 2099 it goes into "Millenium melt-down" - remember that contrived scare-?) - Removable Media Card xD-Picture Card (16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512MB, 1GB or 2GB) - Operating Environment Operation: 32°  104°F (0°  40°C), (Oh bother - that means no more desert trips, then); - 30%  90% humidity - So, why wouldn't you want one? Now I can get rid of my 35mm (Canon) and medium format film cameras, and give my back a rest - and even though the Panasonic (with Leica lens) has served me well, it's showing it's age.

I'm sorry, JoanMN/FL, I don't know. The photo was taken at the Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Park in Eastern NC not far from me. I checked their website but didn't see it among the online listings. These were with some birds that weren't waterfowl, but definitely interesting. The brown tree in the background was a dried Christmas tree they used in the pen for cover. Here's another striking bird....a Common Crown Pidgeon from Indonesia and this wonderful bird.... Pam

Hi bug_girl, My previous camera was a DSC-H2 and I really love that little camera. I'm learning a DSLR and sometimes find myself going back to the Sony to feel like I'm in a comfort zone. I was taking pictures of the moon last night with the DSLR. It was very frustrating at first. I couldn't get as good a photo with the DSLR as I had with the Sony in the past. For me, I think it's the learning curve I'm dealing with. Could it be that for you, too? I know how you feel, though...and hope you get everything worked out to use your previous camera. Pam