Marylu, I don't know much about the Sony H5-- it came out after I'd already moved on to my Canon camera. But! There's a really active and helpful Sony forum over at DPReview.com. There are lots of "personalities" over there, but more often than not you'll get some great help. Even if you didn't want to get involved in another forum, it would be well worth reading through posts. Every conceivable question gets asked and answered. Thanks wigardenerwannabe. I mostly take photos for my own pleasure, but have used them for my work (graphic design) quite a bit, too. I've sold a few images, but it's not something I actively promote. I'd like to do that someday, but have to get to the point where my portfolio is a lot stronger than it is now. The good news is that I am finally almost to the point where I am pretty consistent at being able to grab the shots I want, but I still have so much more to learn. As far as knowing when things are in focus, it's likely just going to take some practice. I know nothing about Panasonic cameras, but check your manual to see if there is an option to turn on a beep when it's focused. Or some cameras have a blinking "shakey hand" icon which shows up when not in focus. It took me forever to realize that a sort of moire pattern would show up when my Sony was focused. Lisa's settings will likely help you the most. It's cool that it's got a macro/flower setting. One other thing to consider is that camera lenses generally need something contrasty to focus on-- light/dark or hard edges usually work. For a kind of decent tripod at a next-to-nothing price, check out Walmart. I used one of these for a couple of years before moving on up and it did just what I needed it to do. Anne, something you'll need to get used to is that Canon images are generally not sharp right out of the camera. They've done this on purpose, because in the long run it will give you a great deal of flexibility. Do you have Photoshop or some other image editing program? Are you after trying to zoom in for macro shots or are you wanting to zoom into things that are further away? If you are like me you probably want to do both, but I am going to guess that you are wanting to zoom closer to things further away. Heh... you can always do what I was told to do after a friend got tired of my whining-- zoom with your feet. ;-) In all honesty, the best image quality comes from lenses designed for each specific job. Most of us would give a lot to own one lens that does it all (macro, landscape, zoom zoom). There are a few lenses that come close, but they all sacrifice quality. A DSLR owner eventually has to wrap their brains around the idea of switching lens. A lot. I still hate it, but I've finally accepted the notion.... though I still look for and dream about *the* lens. Disclaimer: Lens selection is an extremely personal thing. There are so many choices and so many individual needs. You can read up on these lenses (highly recommended!), but for every pro recommendation, you'll read a con. Photographers are very opinionated and aren't shy about saying what they think... and what they think is often based on limited experience with a particular lens. I guess I am no exception. No matter what I tell you, you still need to make the decision for yourself and you need to know that you won't make me feel bad if you end up doing what you want to do and not what I think you should do. (lol) So here I go, telling you what I think you should do. The Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM is a lens that I actually have on my Maybe Someday list. I've researched it like crazy, because it has a super duper range on it -- great for a walk-around lens. The IS is really attractive for sure. The problem is that it's only F4, which means it's a slower lens-- you can't stop it down any further to let more light in. The IS compensates, which is great.... but you're not going to get the great creamy backgrounds that you'd get with an F2.8 lens. The other thing that concerned me is that I've looked at hundreds and hundreds of images from that lens and have seen only a small handful that I really loved. The color isn't even as good as the kit lens, which strikes me as odd for a Canon brand lens. A couple of lenses you might think about: Canon Zoom Wide Angle-Telephoto EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM The 24-70mm is an "L" quality lens, which is about the best quality you can get in a Canon lens. It's just so hard to put into words the differences between L-quality and the rest. Incredible sharpeness, incredible bokeh (background magic), color, brightness, etc. This lens doesn't have the IS, but it's an F2.8 lens, which will let you shoot some really low light shots. The older version of this lens (28-70mm) is my current walk-around and portrait lens and I wouldn't trade it for any amount of money. The biggest drawback is the weight (loads of glass inside there!), but I found I got used to it fairly fast. Having waxed on about the 24-70mm, the lens I would really recommend to you is the Canon Zoom Telephoto EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM. Oh man, this has everything, including a great price! Great reach on the long end, plus you can focus this thing at a distance of only 5ft., meaning that you can actually get some decent macro shots. What I am trying to say here is that you won't often miss the 24mm on the wide end.... unless you want wide angle (landscape) shots, but then you'd probably switch to the 18-55mm kit lens. The color is really nice on this lens and it has a decent brightness to it. Even though it's only an F4 lens, you can get good creamy backgrounds by zooming into subjects. On this lens, the IS really does count toward getting those lower-light shots. The really good news is that if it turns out that you don't like your lens, you can sell it without much loss. There's a real market for these lenses-- a great place to sell them is on FredMiranda.com. As for that 18-55mm lens being sharp, hang in there, because for such a cheapy lens, it really is a workhorse. Check out the link at the bottom, then read the EXIF info below the photo. This image was taken at a super low speed at ISO1600, no flash. Just imagine how sharp it might have been with decent light. Nancy Here is a link that might be useful: Miss Em

Marcia, I thought you lived in Thunder Bay... wow I really did drive past your place, mind you that was at least 7 years ago. Wanna know how embarassingly lost I was? I was going to Rushing River - DUH! Missed the turn! Motherduck, that sounds like a great camera. I was hoping to get something in the sorta $300-$400 range. Just to keep up with the Jonses you know... if you've seen some of the horrible fuzzy pics I have posted here...

I suggest speaking to a conservator who specializes in photographs. They may be able to recommend a method or product to fix the slides. If the slides can not be fixed, you can scan them and then fix the scans with photo editing software. I know it will not save the slides, but at least you will have the photos. And whatever you do, get them scanned before you or anyone else starts trying to clean them. Which brings me to the scanning: If you have a lot of photos that need to be scanned, it may be more cost effective for you to buy a scanner and do it yourself. You can get a very good scanner relatively cheaply and they are easy to use. You can get free photo editing software (Gimp) that has all the necessary features you need in order to fix the inevitable colour shifts and scratches in the photos, or if money is not an issue, you can get Photoshop or similar software.

Pam, You didn't mention which model of Nikon you have so I can not be certain that this type of wireless shutter release will work on your camera. Digital Cameras primarily fall into one of three categories. Point & Shoot- Very limited exposure controls and may or may not have a limited zoom lens. Some of these cameras have provision to use an infra red wireless trigger, which will generally work up to about 25ft. The downside is that you the wireless unit must be facing the front of the camera. BRIDGE CAMERAS- These cameras are called bridge cameras because they "Bridge the gap" between point & shoot cameras and full DSLR's. Although some bridge cameras do have a through the lens viewfinder, most have either a separate viewfinder or they use an LCD screen to compose the picture and they have a fixed lens which may or may not have zoom capability. Most of these cameras are equipped to use an IR remote, and some may have an accessory jack where an external shutter release control can be plugged into the camera. in its simplest form the external shutter release is a short cable (typically 3ft) with a push button control, which is used in the same manner as a cable release was used on the 35mm film cameras. DSLR's (digital single lens refex): Although they are generally sold with a starter lens which is usually a short zoom, in its purest sense a DSLR is a camera body, to which the photographer adds lenses and accessories to meet his/her style of photography. I personally chose a Pentax DSLR body because I began photography with a Pentax Spotmatic in 1966, and based upon my experience with that camera I have kept with the Pentax line ever since. Pentax offered a number of features which were appealing to me. 1. Although built to the demanding specs of professional photographers they are generally about 30% smaller and lighter than their Nikon or Canon counterparts. 2.As Pentax has evolved from the original manual 35mm film cameras, they have continually designed their product in such a manner that we can continue to use the lenses and accessories that we already own. This was a huge selling point for me because when I made the switch from 35mm film to digital last October I already owned 21 lenses ranging from a 16mm fisheye to a true 1,000mm prime lens and an auto bellows for extreme macro. As a test, I purchased a used Pentax *ist DL digital body for $250 from Craigslist. Since then I have also added 5 additional auto focus lenses, although for nature photography I much prefer manual focus lenses. The only downside I have found is that my Pentax *ist Dl was the first generation of Pentax DSLR's and it only has a 6.3mp sensor, however I intend to upgrade to a Pentax K-7 body in April, and I will still be able to use all my existing lenses and accessories. The DSLR's have both a built in infra-red sensor and a small jack that looks like an audio jack where an external shutter remote cable can be plugged in. My bird feeders are mounted 60 ft from my window and generally I shoot with the camera on a tripod with a 70-300mm lens, in which case I attach the remote shutter cable and use it in the same manner as a mechanical cable release on a 35mm camera. If you camera has provision to use an extension shutter release cable you can also use the wireless shutter release like I have. It has a small receiver, about 1.24" square and 1/2" thick that clips on the flash shoe and it has a cable that plugs into the camera remote jack. The transmitter is about 1"w x 3"l 3/8" thick and it has a short antenna. When you press the button on the transmitter it sends a radio signal to the receiver to trigger the camera. (Max range about 100yds.) If you camera has provision for the remote cable system go on Ebay and run a search for "Wireless shutter release". you will find a great selection that will fit about any camera that has the capability. (Hint, check the specs, even though it may be listed for Canon, Nikon or Pentax if you check the specs you will find a long list of other brands or cameras that it will also fit.) One suggestion from personal experience. Find out what battery is used in the receiver. Mine uses a CR2 alkaline. The CR2 alkaline batteries are two for $14 at walmart and they don't last long in cold weather. I found two rechargeable CR2 with a home and car charger for $18 on Ebay. Here is a shot using the wireless shutter release with the camera 3ft from my suet feeder: Here are a couple shots at 60ft with a 300mm from my window Now don't laugh to hard, the following pic is a self portrait of me shooting from the bushes. This picture was taken with the camera at 25ft and using an infra-red remote. If you would like to see more of my bird pics go to the Gardenweb "Pets & Animals" forum then click on the Wildlife & nature net and go to the "bird Watching" forum. You will see many of my pics in the different threads on bird watching. You could also try looking in my album on Photobucket http://s577.photobucket.com/home/LazyPup/index And if you really like Nature and bird photos send me an email and i will put you on my mailing list.