Wow, it looks like I have some thinking to do. I don't have a smartphone and not sure that I want one, but I do really like Ann's pics. Yesterday, I was looking in the direction of maybe a Canon PowerShot ELPH 150 IS, but was talking to a friend last night and she said that her iPad takes pretty good pics and I have been thinking about getting an iPad. Maybe I'll explore that first...I don't know, gotta think about it. Thanks for pointing out the Gallery...I don't think about that and Conversations much because many years ago there wasn't a lot of activity there, but I see that has changed. And, you are absolutely correct about Sharon's tips...I looked at a few of them and know they will help me. Again, thanks to everyone for your help and I promise some day you will see a food pic from me...it may only be a mouth watering ear of sweet corn or BLT (my current diet), but you'll see something someday. Janet

What camera do you have? First of all I would find out why you are having this problem. If you have a good P&S you should get good photos. Is it because the child is active and hard to keep in focus? Check your owners book for various settings for auto focus, some are quicker than others. Most good P&S cameras have a manual focus option just like a DSLR. For active children learn to use the fast shutter speeds to freeze the motion (you need good light for these). I would ask anyone who advises a DSLR to explain the specific reasons spending more money is going to guarantee better photos. As a rule, DSLR's give you more options and better light sensors, not clearer or easier focusing. Just MHO. Marnie

It looks like amazon.com has the same package for $479.00. Buying piece by piece at the best prices wouldn't get you better savings. Two things I would clarify with the ebay seller. The shipping costs are not clear to me. Also, will they take the package back if you aren't satisfied with the quality of the add on lenses? The 2-lenses and 3-filters are items that may not give you satisfaction depending on their quality. I have a Panasonic DMC FZ20 which takes pretty good photos. Some of my complaints have been addressed with the newer Lumix series cameras--according to one of the camera review sites. My camera doesn't do well in low light, the FZ8 is reported to have fixed that noise problem. Also the 8 has a popular lens size so you shouldn't have trouble or high costs finding filters, etc. All Panasonics have good stabilization. Their Leica lens are top quality. The new ones shoot in RAW which is good. All the accessories that come with this package appear to be off brand and inexpensive. That isn't always a real bad thing. It lets you experiment with tele-converters, various filters, tripod, etc. If it turns out you develop a burning desire to take really professional quality wildlife photos and need a better lens/camera you can upgrade later. You should be able to get good portraits with this camera. IMHO too many people jump in and pay $1000 for a DSLR and another $1000 for lenses. All of that stuff sits in a drawer and gets used at graduations, birthdays and vacations. My point is, you can learn a lot with this package. Which ever camera you choose, spend another $50-100 and get Photoshop Elements software and a good manual. Also consider the Cannon S3. A lot of people love this camera. Check out the birding forum. Ken has an S3 and just got a fairly good quality 1.7 tele-converter. His bird photos are wonderful. He's a nice guy, and will answer your questions. Here is a link that might be useful: Ken's bird closeups

Although I am currently only working as an advanced amateur shooting for my own purposes, way back in the late 60's while in the Air Force I was professionally trained as a "Still Photographic Specialist" and I worked as a professional photographer for a short time after I got out of the Air Force in 1972. I principally shoot Pentax invented the through the lens pentaprism viewfinder and they were the first company to make cameras with a built in light meter. At the time Nikon was makng the Nikon F, which is unquestionably one of the finest camera ever made, but the Nikon F did not have a built in light meter, Instead they had an optional viewfinder that had the light meter built into the viewfinder and with the optional viewfinder it was designated the Nikon F Photomic. Canon was still making some world class rangefinder cameas but they had not yet got into the SLR market. From 1966 until 2006 I had amassed a collection of 21 ranging from an 16mm fisheye to a full 1,000mm that weighs in at nearly 32lbs including the dedicated wooden tripod that came with it. Pentax lenses, so when I decided to upgrade to Digital I chose a Pentax camera because Pentax has reverse engineered their digitals so we can still use all of our lenses. Needless to say, I am fully comfortable with a totally manual camera, although I do appreciate the conveniences of modern technology. As a sideline, I have been teaching a free photography class at our local senior center for about a year, and as you might imagine I hear your question quite often. First off, let me make it perfectly clear. Just buying a professional camera will no more make you a better photographer than what buying a stethoscope would make you a nurse. Before you buy a camera you have to stop and think about what you intend to do with it. If all you need is a camera to take good high quality scenics and family album type photos then I would not recommend the expense of a true DSLR. Professoinal photographers need a DSLR because they need to select lenses for the type of photography they perform. By example, a news photographer needs a fast normal lens and generally a moderately long telephoto, whereas a sports or wildlife photographer needs super long telephoto lenses while a scenic photographer needs super wide angle and a portrait or fashion photographer needs normal and short tele lenses and a nature or forensic photographer would need macro lenses for super closeups, while a laboratory photographer might need a microscope adapter for their camera. While that Nikon D3100 package is a very good deal, you must keep in mind that it is an entry level DSLR and while it does have enough automation that you can basically take it out of the box and use it as a point & shoot while your learning, but if you decide to really get into serious photography within a year or so you will begin to see its limitations. Basically that camera has different modes, which means you can select Full Automatic mode, Portrait Mode, Scenic Mode, Sports mode, etcetera and the camera will make the necessary adjustments to meet the need of the mode selected. It should also have a manual mode so as you advance it will work with you. For a true beginner making the initial switch from basic Point & shoot to a more sophisticated camera I would advise you to consider what the industry now calls a "Bridge Camera". (In fact, I bought a bridge camera as a backup camera). Generally the bridge cameras have the same basic shape and size as a DSLR and many of the advanced control features but instead of interchangable lenses they have a super zoom lens and they cost much less. By example, Walmart carries a number of bridge cameras from Nikon, Canon, Fugi and Kodak. My personal choice was the Kodak Easyshare z981, which has 14mp resolution and a 26x zoom lens(equivalent to a 26 to 676mm zoom.) It has a 3" display on the back of the body and it will shot both stills and video,and it has all the modes that you will have on that Nikon. All for a mere $238 plus you will have to buy a memory card separately. Another great bridge camera is the Canon Powershot SX30-IS. It has a 35x optical zoom and sells for $350. One word of caution. 200 to 250mm is about the longest lens that you can successfully use as a hand held camera. I would strongly suggest if you buy a camera that exceeds 200mm or 8x you will need a tripod too. Having said all of that, no matter what camera you choose, in the beginning you will feel a bit awkward until you get the feel of it. If you run into situations you don't understand or you have photos that you would like constructive criticism I would invite you to post them in the photography forum and their are a number of very knowledgable ppl that will help you along as you learn.