Jim, You will absolutely LOVE having digital. I got my first digital about 8 yrs ago now I guess. It will change the way you do cemetery/genealogy work. I use my cameras (yes, I have 4 digitals right now) for everything from tombstones to documents in courthouses/libraries. My best camera is a Canon Digital Rebel EOS. It was my upgrade from the film Canon Rebel EOS. WOW! What a different it has made. I don't worry about what I take a picture of now...I photograph any and all allied names in a cemetery that I visit for future reference/research. In fact, I have gotten to where I photograph entire cemeteries when I have the time and the size isn't overwhelming. Using my compact digital in courthouse/library situations is great also. I don't make photo copies, I just photograph the page. If they want the copy charge that is fine, but in the end I can print them as much as I want, plus they are on my computer for emailing. My advise is to really study the camera's options on size. You DO NOT need the highest settings to get high quality photos. The size of your print is what you need to consider. A standard 3x5 photo will print out GREAT with anything over 2MB. If you want to do something like an 8x10 or bigger use the top settings. My Digital EOS only has a top rating of 6.5 MB and I know one professional photographer that uses the same camera model and at times doesn't even use the highest quality setting! You should easily get 300+ photos on a 1GB card. Actually, the type of memory card/stick can make an even bigger improvement to your performance. There are different speed memory cards. I use a high speed card like the pros use. They are little more expensive, but they last longer and the time between shots is reduced about 25%. Just have fun with it. You will find as you go that there are things you like and want in the next one. These devices are so cheap and are declining in price monthly. My first digital 8 yrs ago was about $800. It was a point and shot style with almost no zoom and maxed at 4MB. It was top of the line! Today, you can get a 10MB EOS style camera for the same price, this is a MAJOR MAJOR upgrade! Find out what you like and enjoy about the devices and upgrade in a year or two... Cameras are the genealogist's tool, they are worth every cent you pay for them... Drew Slate Fort Worth, Tx ---- Jim Giddens <jimgidd@suddenlink.net> wrote: > OK guys, I finally made the big leap of faith and bought me a digital camera. > Now for reading the instruction. Still a little feverous about leaving my comfortable 35 mm but once I got it in my hands, I started getting excited. It is a Nikon CoolPix L5 digital/movie, 7.2 megipex, 5 optical zoom with 4 digital zoom vibration reduction and uses regular AA alkaline batteries which is something I wanted. Also makes movies but I guess digitals do that. I will probably try it out next week, too much going on right now. It was a close out so I hope I got a good deal. > Those cemeteries better watch out. > Jim G > Paris, Tx > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to TXREDRIV-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message