I like to photograph horses, who do not often listen to my posing instructions. To avoid missing a really good opportunity I shoot in RAW, and don't have to worry about much other than shutter speed, and staying out of the way. I can fine tune exposure later in PP.

I have found that my cameras frequently select a higher ISO that I would like, so I use auto ISO in a very narrow range: 200-400. People should learn to check the camera's settings after taking a meter reading but before taking the first photo in a new batch. I have frequently moved the mode dial taking the camera out of the bag. After every batch I check the last few images via the preview function. If I have made a mistake I only loose a minimum of images.

Elements has three levels of automation, beginning with what amounts to full auto. Next is guided, which takes you by the hand and leads you through all the basic adjustments. Kinda like having a tutor sitting next to you. Then comes expert, but you can go back to auto or guided at any time. Finally, they have a number to special edits that do things like remove fog and haze, add motion blur and adjust facial features (neat is you use a kit lens too close) and refine a selection. Experts can do these things by themselves, but it takes some learning. Elements also includes an organizer and RAW processor. Perhaps not the best around, but good enough to see if you want to go in that direction. Finally, Youtube has many, many tutorials (free) to help with things like color replacement and selection refinement. Full price it is like $80, but frequently on sale (Amazon).

Visit a local camera shop? Good luck. Ocala FL has a Best Buy, with a very modest selection. The times I have wandered through the camera section there was no one, Best Buy employee, or potential customer, in sight. I walked over to the computer department and asked that sales person to page someone to the camera shop. I never heard the page and no one ever showed up. The nearest dedicated camera shop I have heard of is in Orlando, about 100 miles from Ocala.

I just checked user reviews of Qantaray 70-300 lenses on Pentax Forums, there are three listed, and they are scored from "7" to "7.8". About average. Some reviews posted sample images that looked OK to good. Some reviewers mentioned Tamron and some Sigma. (Sometimes the lenses are externally rebadged, but the EXIF data reveals the true mfg.) I was given one for free, and while it works, it shows a blue cast on every photo. Cheap telephoto lenses work well for Pentax because IS in the body, not the lens. You can buy used Sigma 70-300 APO/DG without IS for less than $100, a very good lens. I don't think I could use a 300mm lens without IS or a tripod.

I have read very few comparisons of editing software by people who have actually used, let alone become familiar with, more than one program. I have used Elements since version 2, and am now on version 15, so I obviously like that option, but I am not familiar with any other software well enough to offer my comparison. I suspect most people are in the same boat, but will not admit it.

The lack of third party lenses will be major problem. Consumer Pentax lenses are very expensive compared to equivalent Sigma and Tamron products, and believe what you will, seem to test out little or no better. I have used Pentax since the K100D, and have a nice collection of lenses, mostly third party. If I did not already have these lenses I would swap to a brand with better resources.

Great! Thank you. I agree completely with the original post, and if and when part 2 is posted, another summary would be welcomed.

I am noted for having a short attention span, but I did manage the first four paragraphs before I scrolled down to see how many there were in total. For other's with short attention spans, there were 16, then a note to go to "Part 2". I couldn't find part 2, but honestly, I was done after the first 4 paragraphs anyway. If someone could summarize this for me it would be great. I never finished War And Peace, either.

I was waiting for this week's rehash of this topic. Usually we don't get to Thursday before it comes up again.

Most people recommend the software they have learned and currently using. Few have tried more than one package, and fewer yet are familiar enough with two or more to give you good advice. I have used PS Elements since version 2 and now have version 15. Over the years I have tried most free or trial versions, but never long enough to determine if they are better, or worse than Elements. To people who ask, I first recommend the free software that came with their camera, and if they don't like that package, Elements. If they are good friends I will let them play around with Elements on my PC, and offer some tutoring here and there.

If you are still undecided,aAsk Yahoo or Google for digital photograph editing software reviews and read those that compare two or more products.

Perfect answer! Disregard all the other comments. Either they have never used Elements or just like to express their lack of knowledge. Kudos to Linda.

I generally avoid taking portraits in direct, bright, mid-day sunlight. Appies to people and animals. Too many harsh, dark shadows, even when I get the exposure pretty close, too many squinting faces, too much contrast. I almost always ask my subjects to pose in open shade, then change the background in PP if necessary. If I have to take portraits mid-day outdoors I have a large white golf umbrella that makes a cute prop, and helps filter the light. I never take a portrait into the sun, always have the sun at my back.

A lot of "Newbies" soon feel overwhelmed by advice that may be beneficial long term, but too much all at once. Your camera will give pretty good exposure advice, probably better than you can in the beginning, so let it do it's thing. Monitor f-stop, shutter and ISO so you can see how the changes affect your image, but concentrate on composition, focus and timing, things your camera is not so good at doing for you. (Yes, your camera has auto focus, but you will be surprised at how many times it will focus on the wrong item.) Start in AUTO, then try different scene modes, like moving subject or macro, to see how the camera adjusts. You may want to eventually try manual, but at first simplify things.

When I had my PC in for service (a power failure while booting up really messed up open registries) I asked a PC professional about adding more RAM to the existing 8gb. He told me that still photo editing (as opposed to video) is not a really demanding assignment for any PC able to run Windows 10, and 8gb would be fine. He recommended a video card instead, and that addition brought about a real difference. I sometimes use the task manager to check performance and have found that while CPU usage will spike momentarily when asking Elements 15 to execute a command, it quickly returns to perhaps 20% while waiting for my personal CPU (my brain) to tell it what to do next. If fact, it spends most of the time waiting for me. Mass processing of many, many RAW files might be slow, but I think that defeats the intent of RAW anyway.