I recently returned from a 2-week holiday of a lifetime. I took about 5000 pictures, although, sifting through them, am already down to 4220. I was determined to take the perfect pics and put my camera straight on Aperture priority. On the first morning tour, there I was fiddling with aperture, exposure etc and didn't have a clue what the guide was talking about as was so engrossed with the camera. I even had to run to catch up with the group. After a couple of hours, I realised I was missing out on all the beautiful scenery and the history of the place so I suddenly said "sod it" and put my camera on Programme mode with ISO100. Because in the first week I was in the desert, my lens had trouble autofocusing sometimes so I put it on Auto and was fine. Have some good photos (and many bad ones) but as "beauty is in the eye of the beholder", I'm happy with them and have a lovely record of the places visited. I'm also saving up to buy a bridge camera (probably the P900 as I don't shoot Raw). There were a couple of people on the tour with this Camera and were taking really good pictures and they didn't have 3 kgs hanging round their neck (I'm only 5'2" and with a backpack on my back as well, it was very tiring walking in the dry heat). Also you miss out a lot when you spend your time behind a viewfinder. I think I will leave playing with camera modes when I'm out for the day solely to take photos. Am I wrong in this thinking?

Until you get more accustomed to your camera Program mode works just fine quite often. About 6 years ago I put my bridge camera on the shelf and bought my first DSLR. We then left for a vacation in Bora Bora shortly thereafter. I used Program mode for almost all my shots and I got some great shots. More a testament to the photographic qualities of the place then to my skill as a photographer, I can assure you. Now, I use Manual or Aperture modes and have enough experience to shoot without a lot of searching for the proper settings. In short, familiarity with your camera counts for a lot in your ability to shoot and still be able to experience your surroundings. There is also a lot to be said for bridge cameras. Lighter, no need to carry extra lenses, and so forth. They have some limitations compared to a DSLR, but for vacation shooting I think they are the way to go.

Bebu, perhaps wives are obliging but friends aren't and don't have a husband. From all my friends, the only one I have who is interested in photography is the one who came with me. And my other friends only take a handful of pics with their mobile....

When it comes to gear to take and settings to use I believe strongly in the KISS principle (Keep It Simple, Stupid). Simplicity to me is a high-quality bridge camera with a 1" sensor (not changing lenses is part of KISS). When shooting I usually use Auto, sometimes Aperture Priority (using just one or two settings is part of KISS). However, to give me more control I use cameras where exposure compensation, when needed, is on a dial or a lens ring rather than in the menu (ready access to compensation also being part of KISS). As Grace98 said above, when fiddling with things like lenses and settings you can easily miss more than you get.

I recently returned from a 2-week holiday of a lifetime. I took about 5000 pictures, although, sifting through them, am already down to 4220. I was determined to take the perfect pics and put my camera straight on Aperture priority. On the first morning tour, there I was fiddling with aperture, exposure etc and didn't have a clue what the guide was talking about as was so engrossed with the camera. I even had to run to catch up with the group. After a couple of hours, I realised I was missing out on all the beautiful scenery and the history of the place so I suddenly said "sod it" and put my camera on Programme mode with ISO100. Because in the first week I was in the desert, my lens had trouble autofocusing sometimes so I put it on Auto and was fine. Have some good photos (and many bad ones) but as "beauty is in the eye of the beholder", I'm happy with them and have a lovely record of the places visited. I'm also saving up to buy a bridge camera (probably the P900 as I don't shoot Raw). There were a couple of people on the tour with this Camera and were taking really good pictures and they didn't have 3 kgs hanging round their neck (I'm only 5'2" and with a backpack on my back as well, it was very tiring walking in the dry heat). Also you miss out a lot when you spend your time behind a viewfinder. I think I will leave playing with camera modes when I'm out for the day solely to take photos. Am I wrong in this thinking?

Bebu I was with a female friend who's also into photography. She persevered more than me with aperture/shutter priority/bracketing/exposure compensation....and her photos weren't any better than mine. In the end, she too gave up and went to Programme and Auto. I was in San Pedro De Atacama (North Chile) and Easter Island. Places which have been on my bucket list for many years and I know will never go again so wanted to soak up all the scenery and history. When I sort all my pics, might put some on the Photo Section of this site if I think they're decent....