:thumbup:

When I first looked at the subject line, I thought you were asking how to wear a camera when going out to a dressy event. Haha. I do take my camera with me, even to dressy events (sometimes) and I'm glad I do because I get the pics that no one else does!

Archaeologists know about ancient cultures through their art, whether it was hieroglyphics and frescos on walls encased inside pyramids or carvings on a Mayan wall or an Etruscan sarcophagus. Ancient Greek art history is studied in 500 year blocks. All of those objects are things that be felt or seen and have been recorded by photography for the most part. Someday we'll be an ancient culture too. This generation, more than any other before it, has a video, audio, and visual record to pass on to archaeologists of the future. I believe History should be taught so that mistakes aren't repeated. Does that mean every image should be printed and kept? No. But I still hope that the history we leave behind won't be buried in unreadable formats for future generations to decipher.

Thanks for bringing up up the environment in this. Although the use of batteries, rechargeable batteries, computers, satelites for GPS and cell-phone pics all add to the waste inground and in our air through emissions from the electricity and fuel used. The amount of electricity used over the last decade has grown by leaps and bounds.

Art imitates Life. This is most obvious in the art of photography. And the fact we use digital photography more than film reflects our lives and culture and its incredibly speedy changes since the industrial revolution began. I'm glad I understand how to use a manual film SLR, my Dad taught me how to shoot on a rangefinder, and he even set up a darkroom with equipment purchased from the fleamarket. No Ansel Adams pics developed there, but it was still wonderful watching the picture emerge in the solution. I'm glad that we have digital nevertheless because it is the most democratic form of photography, allowing it to be used and enjoyed by most people. I still believe that whatever good pics we think we have we should print. Images trapped on a computer hard drive, a CD, a DVD or even a memory card will most likely soon be unreadable by newer technology.

lmarc said:
" To some degree you may be equating photography with digital technology. Photography is in the vision and soul of the photographer, not the box, lenses and bells and whistles of his machine."

I agree with lmarc, and add that art is in the eye of the beholder. One of my best friends is a visual artist whose work is non-traditional photography and its selling very well and has received good reviews. Art imitates Life.

When I used film cameras, my set of three close-up filters were always with me and they worked great. They are probably a lot more expensive than they used to be, though still cheaper than a macro lens. Maybe you could find them used. I also used the extension tube with great results on the film camera,(even combining it with a close-up filter sometimes) but I agree with Charlie, it may make it more difficult for the electronic connections of the camera to work. Take your camera with you and ask to try it out before purchase or make sure they have a reasonable return policy.

Yes, I agree about the moth laying eggs, larvae destroying food crops. You give good advice about that moth. I simply replied that bugs can attract birds to a garden. Not that "bug" necessarily. I'm all for natural controls whenever possible in my yard and garden.

Quite nice, all the pics!

This is definitely the photo you should send to your local and/or state agricultural office! Bees are dying off (a danger to most food crops) due to mystery disease or fungus. This could be helpful to researchers in some way. I'm not saying this was a sick bee, maybe there is something going on gemetically they could surmise. If nothing else, they might could tell you it's a one in a million rare sighting! Great picture, too!

Nice photos, Bruce. Enjoy them while you can because they really do grow up so fast.

That's OK, bugs will bring birds to your garden too.

Great pictures! What kind of camera do you use? You can tell it's a it's a kind of moth from its feathery antennae and looks like others may have put a name to it. I saw one of these once and it was a curiosity to me as well. They really do mimic hummers.

Thanks tmdingle. Sometime in the future I'm sure I'll switch to a dslr. A friend bought one of those newer ones that is smaller and provides the advantage of a DSLR without the heft. I'll wait for the price to come down and maybe pick up one then. My pictures these days really are "snapshots" but I still want little to no shutter lag, a long optical zoom, and an electronic viewfinder, not just an LCD screen.

Thanks for your input Nubia. Months ago I printed out all 194 pages of the manual on 8.5 x 11 inch paper and bound it into a notebook to study. I don't deny this camera can take great pictures (great shots of the moon day or night, birds if they are still enough to focus on)and wonderful videos with a quiet zoom. Here's a quick example of a focus problem: I want to zoom in on a dragonfly on a stem in the middle of some water-lillies in the middle of a small pond. I can't get in the water to stand close to the dragonfly for a macro shot. When I try to zoom in to get a close-up of the dragonfly, the camera will not focus on the dragonfly. It will blur between the lilly, the stem, the bank on the other side, until finally the dragonfly flies away before I get the kind of shot I could easily get in the past with a much less expensive Kodak. Sometimes the focus squares jump around and there seems to be no rhyme or reason to it. I follow directions to the letter in the manual and I don't see the same effect or window or frame that is pictured in the manual. And my photos are much too grainy, regardless of lighting conditions and resolution chosen. I shoot in 7mpx most of the time, because 14mpx is unnecessary for a good print as large as I would print. With it's supposedly great lens, Canon should give me a great picture whichever mpx I use. Additionally, 14mpx pics take up way too much HD space. I haven't seen a difference in 7 or 14 mpx quality on the computer screen. I'm glad you are liking your camera and find it easy to use. Any advice appreciated.

Thanks, I've been through menus many times. Though your offer to work out a purchase deal is tempting, I've invested too much in it to sell right now. I think I need to return to camera store again and ask for more answers. I just need more help with this its problems. I've received some private messages from others who have the same problems with this model that I have.