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MM, don't let all the technical jargon put you off, the new point and shoot digital cameras are really user friendly, even the software that comes with them is easy to use... and a final word of encouragement, my mom wont even use an autobank, she does however have a lovely little Canon Powershot which she happily uses..did need some convincing to get it though

So many advances in technology, like PC's and everything else. The beauty of technology in photography is the modern cameras can do so much for you as the photographer, auto focus and many other functions.... almost point and shoot Take your time, decide what it is you want to photograph. if you decide to go with digital (I highly recommend), you can see instantly how it worked and correct any mistakes instantly
In time as you get more confident you can learn to use all the techy stuff...... frankly techy stuff does not take good photos, it's you that takes the photos Hope this helps put you at ease.....

Hi MM,
I sugest you contact a good Photography outlet and discuss your needs with them. They will have the neccessary knowledge to help you and will know what to reccomend in your price bracket. Have a look at some websites to get details. There are a number around the country. I see that you are in Gauteng. One site in the Pretoria area is outdoorphoto.co.za. The guy there has excellent knowledge about all things digital.

Good luck

Scruff

Hedrus is a member of this forum as well and his website http://www.outdoorphoto.co.za has an active and supportive forum (with a number of members common to this one, eg. DQ, NightOwl etc). It's a great place for advice and discussion although some of the members may be more "serious" about photography..

Have a look at this page, that explains the amount of patience you need to make a good photo.

Re-read my previous post.

We are not technical, but our photography has improved incredibly with that camera. A professional photographer rates my wife's photos very highly and is a bit jealous of some.

Go for it, you won't be sorry.

BB,

p.s I have no vested interests other than seeing somebody happy with the results.

Even though this is not the camera I will be buying, I must admit it does take really nice photo's. My sister has one and she always returns from the Kgalagadi with stunning pics

So what would be your recommendation Jay (or anyone else) - budget of R5000 maximum.

Have a look here, and fill in what you want. I.e. <$1000, 5+ MP and a zoom of 200+ mm. Leave the rest as it is.
You'll get some camera's that arte worthwhile, and the price is under your price. (Then you however have to shop in SA, and the prices may be higher.)

There is a lot out there for the <R5000 price range. I use a Panasonic Lumix FZ20 with 12X optical zoom (= 430mm in 35mm terms). Wildtuinman uses the FZ5 with the same zoom range. These cameras and the Fuji camera mentioned have a fixed zoom lens so you cannot add lenses. If this is OK with you get one of these. You can visit my photo website (click the link button below) to see some of my (better) photo attempts with the FZ20.

Just one warning. When you start taking photos you will soon discover that you actually want something better and I already find the reach of the 12X zoom insufficient, especially when photographing birds

I suggest what someone here suggetsed to me, goto: www.dpreview.com and see what a whole lotta poeple got to say

Thank's everyone for the advice.

Francoisd, that's bad news. I was hoping that a 12X zoom would be more than sufficient (given the fact that we're still taking our photos with a little 3x zoom camera). I've heard that you can get some kind of converter (cost a R1000 or so) that will convert the 12X zoom (of a Canon Powershot S2) into something like 20X. Do you get something like that for the Panasonic as well and does anyone know if its any good?

I was once told that for bird photography one should start at 600mm. I don’t know how much truth there is in that statement. When photographing from hides such as Lake Panic near Skukuza I’m sure the 12X will be sufficient. If you visit hides such as Geelbek at the West Coast National Park however you will soon discover that 12X is not that great. It al depends on how close you can get to the birds. If one is on foot your chances of getting close to a bird is much better and in Kruger one do find many birds close to the road. I am sure that most people here would agree that 430mm (12X) is good enough for most situations

I have read that a converter is available for the FZ20 but do not know if it can be sourced in SA and what the price is. Try the DPReview website for information.

I include an example of the 12X zoom below. The photo was taken from the Stormsriver bridge (Sorry the only photos available taken in this manner). First photo at 1X and second photo at 12X. As you can see this might meet your need. I sometimes do birding at large water bodies and it is mostly there that I find the reach to be insufficient.

Thanks again for all the info francoisd. I'll do more research, but seems from your pictures like the 12X zoom should do the trick for me (for now).

And what does the TS (Topic Starter) think of all this?
MM, have your questions been answered?