I'll answer the last question first: I use Photobucket for some of my posts as well as my own website for others.

Cameras are a funny thing, talk to 10 people and you'll probably get 10 different answers. I'll give you my 2 cents worth.

One of the things I personally find indispensible in a camera is the ability to conveniently take shots from all sorts of angles and some form of screen that can be angled is a must in my books, wouldn't look at a camera without that capability. Budget becomes a consideration of course and when all's said and done, you only get what you pay for. Most of my pictures these days I take with a Panasonic G1, which is a camera with an interchangeable lens, but that may be more camera than you want. If I were looking at a camera with a fixed lens I'd probably take a long hard look at at the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150 or something similar from Canon, such as the Powershot SX30 or the Powershot G12. It has the vari-angle screen I find a must, a good zoom range and does easy macros for close-ups of flowers etc. It is SUBSTANTIALLY bigger than your current camera, not something you'd throw in your purse.

We all look for different things in any tool we choose and bring our own bias to the process. And ultimately the tool is only as good as the hands that use. There is no substitute for proper technique and that comes with practice. And mistakes. I know most of us will prefer to use any camera handheld, but, there's nothing like the steadiness of a tripod. Yes, they're not convenient, but they sure improve the sharpness of your pictures.

I could go on and on.... but, these will be my 2 pennies for the time being.

Pieter

I also use Photobucket. I had one of the free accounts, but when they were down last spring, my account was one of the affected ones. Even though I never complained to Photobucket about not being able to access my account, I got an email apologizing for the inconvenience and a free upgraded account for a year. So, right now, I have no reason to look at any other on-line storage.

I use Picasa that I downloaded free to crop, edit, etc. my pictures. I don't use their albums features as I prefer to manage their location on my hard drive myself.

I went from a Canon point and shoot camera to a Canon EOS Rebel T2i DSLR camera. My main complaint with the point and shoot camera was not being able to take good pictures in low light without the flash.

Pieter is correct regarding the ability to take pictures at all angles. With the point and shoot cameras, you can extend the camera from your body and have a large LCD screen that will show you what your pictures are going to look like. When you have a DSLR camera, you have to look through a small view finder and for best results are supposed to have your arms against your chest to steady the camera. It took me a while to remember to look through the viewfinder to take pictures, even when the camera was on full auto.

One of the main reasons I went with the Canon was that my daughter, who has two degrees in photography, uses Canon cameras. The controls are universal. So, my less expensive camera has pretty much the same controls as her way more expensive camera. So I can call her up and ask her for her help on some of the more complicated features of the camera.

Over the past couple of years, I found myself using our camera almost every day between April 15 and the end of the year. Over the course of that time, I started yearning for better pictures. Once I made the decision to upgrade to a DSLR camera, it took me about three weeks to take the plunge and plop down $1,000 for the camera, extra lens, camera bag, tripod, filters, etc. I was totally stressed out about spending the money until I started seeing some of the pictures I was able to take.

I also believe that the older you get, the more we should try to challenge our brains. This camera is filling that challenge! I still haven't figured out how to take a video yet, but still have young kids to turn to when I don't feel like reading the instruction manual.

Gesila

I have just recently gone from Photobucket to Flicker. I believe the pictures are much sharper on Flicker, especially the garden shots (not individual plants). I don't want to discuss it here but write me if you want to talk about this more. myrlet@telus.net

Last fall I went from a Pentax Optio M30 to a Canon Powershot SX 210 IS. I was happy with the clarity of the Pentax but was looking for a wide angle and better zoom. The main thing I was looking for was better inside shots. With a new young grandson I didn't want to miss anything. The Canon has 14 x zoom which is greaat. It has the wide angle and clear inside shots. This camera was about $300 which was a splurge for me. I'm very happy with it. I must say shooting at an angle and changing lenses are beyond me at this point but if I ever had the money, I might just look into it.

i use photobucket .... and a cannon a630 ... lol .. its a big gun .. check out the link

take your pix on the biggest size.. and use your photo editor to crop them ...

NEVER >>> EVER use the digital zoom ... thats my trick and i am sticking with it ...

i like the way the viewer ... tilts and turns.. so no matter what.. i can point the camera where need be ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

I use Photobucket,also. I have never taken any photos without one of my Nikon cameras. I still have 4 film-type which I don't use any more,but my D-70 takes the same lenses,so it was a natural transition for me. I also have a coolpix E5700,which has long been discontinued,but still takes good photos. Phil

I use Photobucket for sharing. I have editing/storage software from Creative Memories called Memory Manager. It's simpler than Photoshop, yet it still has all the features I need.

For cameras, it depends.... I have a Sony a300 as a DSLR. It's good for details and for higher quality pics. It was the first DSLR to offer a tilt screen

I have a Sony TX-10 that I love as a pocket camera. The feature I love from it is the Panoramic. I can stand in one spot and move side to side and it'll make a long pic. No stitching necessary.

If I had it to do over again, I'd get a Nikon DSLR.

One thing you might consider is a monopod. It's like a tripod, but only 1 leg. It helps stabilize your pics without the cumbersome-ness of a tripod.

I second Melissa's recommendation of the use of a monopod and will go one step further: a minipod of some sort. The one I use is 30+ years old and has LONG been out of production, but take a look at the Gorillapods.

Pieter

Roger roger on the monopod or Gorillapod. Part of my troubles with small cameras happens to be hand shake.

So many great pictures are posted from the members of this forum, I knew I'd get a variety of suggestions. Not always the most expensive camera is the best one, because the sheer beauty of the subject matter outweighs the quality of the photo....as long as you can hold still enough to be well in focus.

I've been leaning toward one of the Canons, since I am wanting something different than the Sony T-700 that is my latest from them. I've had the Sony product since their first one which took a floppy disk. I have tremendous brand loyalty, something which most big corporations no longer deserve. I look forward to a different camera for the new year. My DH knows I am the electronics gadget freak in our family, and he won't be surprised when I ask for a camera in my Christmas stocking.

All the pictures in our living room are black and white, so I'm hoping to get a great shot of one of our hostas next summer that I can enlarge and frame. That was another reason I picked the Canon EOS Rebel T2i, it's 18 mega pixels, so I should be able to make poster size prints!

I really envied Paul from Minnesota whose pictures all summer long. Yep, I blame him for my budget breaking purchase :)

Gesila

In retirement I try to simplify things. I have an inexpensive Kodak EasyShare CX7300 with 3.2 Megapixels, good enough for my purposes, small and smooth enough to slip into my shirt pockets. In case I need a closeup shot, I ask my son to take that picture with his Cannon G7, works great!

I use Photobucket, but do not know how to type labels into the picture, so use filenames with date and ident. My Microsoft software permits me to crop and edit the picture.
Bernd

I use Photobucket and Flicker photo storage.

To edit photos I use Microsoft Photo editor to crop the pics. I do not do any big manipulations of my photos so that program is good enough for me.

I have 2 old point and shot cameras...Sony 3.0 mp and a Olympia 1.3 mp and thought I needed to upgrade a couple of years ago to take more professional photos so I purchased a Nikon SLR.

If I am looking to get a perfect color or a good close up shot I use my Nikon D70 SLR. So as you can see I am all over the map with this camera thing. LOL

I have actually had to us the old Olympia 1.3 mp to capture the true peach color of a daylily. Why that was amazed me that an expensive SLR could not capture the colors but a old low mp could get the color exact.

Like Ken I use a Canon Powershot A630 point and shoot camera and I use Photobucket. But I can't get good close shots with the Canon and it's not good in low light at all. So I recently ordered a Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-HX100V. I did a lot of research on this one. It's not a DSLR but it outperforms a low end DSLR in many ways. It has 30X zoom, can get to within 1 cm. of a subject and performs well in low light situations. It's not cheap, but it's a lot cheaper than a DSLR.

Steve

Okay, now I'm back home in Alabama, and I placed an order today for the .......(drum roll)......

NIKON COOLPIX P500. Which has that little moving viewfinder, has 36x optical zoom, and 12mp. It does full HD video, has a mini-HDMI port, good low light ability, no hot shoe.

A review says it is a little "soft" but I really liked the zoom it had. I also added a monopod with a ball head to help hold it steady.

I took a lot of pictures today with my old camera, and will then take similar shots with the new camera when it arrives next week. (Two day shipping.) Hope to show you what my in-ground hosta look like and the potted ones, only some of which have gone to sleep for the winter.

Gee, it's good to be back home.

Well, I have to wait for my PODS to arrive here on Dec.1st and then find my Sony cord to connect camera to computer. Why I lost touch with that and not in my computer bag, I haven't a clue. I took all these lovely pictures of my three original hosta still all pretty and nice in the garden bed covered with leaves, and duhhhhhh, there they sit untouchable in the Sony camera.

The new Nikon P500 arrives on Nov 29th, I think Tuesday, and after I charge the battery, I'll be reshooting the same garden shots. As direct a comparison as I can make, provided we don't have a terrific freeze before then.

I got a monopod and a tilting ball head.

Incidentally, I decided on the Nikon because of my hands. I must have broken my left hand while loading the PODS to move, and it is quite painful and will not do things as it should. Not knowing if I will regain an adequate degree of use for a heavy camera, I opted to go with one having a fairly long zoom lens w/o so much weight. Being left-handed I've always been more ambidexterous than many folks who are right-handed, but some things you just MUST have both hands working right. Like pruning with hand clippers.

You don't have to wait.
You can take the card out of your camera. Many computers have card readers in them.

If not, USB card readers are fairly cheap...
In fact, I ONLY use a card reader. I don't even know where my Sony cords are!

Melissa, good reminder, except I only use the internal memory of the T-700 and never need to insert a little Pro-Duo in the slot. My computer does have a reader built in, which I've never accessed. I always kept that Sony cord plugged into the USB because the other end was unique to the Sony.

I hate it when things don't have a universal connector. But I ordered a really cheap straight connection cord for about $5 and a replacement battery as well.

And, I do have a ProDuo that I could slip into the slot and take more pictures....after the rain stops.....to then upload some to the forum. Yeah, thanks for the idea, Melissa.

Okay, I don't have many shots yet, but if I keep it straight, I'll show the same plant as viewed through the lens of the cameras I have. Please consider that I am just learning to use the P500 and "close focus" is still new to me.

My original three hostas planted in Mobile zone 8B this past spring. The T700

Fragrant Queen

Now the P500 shoots 'Blue Angel'

And now P500 shoots H.'Winter Snow':;;;

What do you think? Any improvement? I'm not making the pics 12mp, just 5 I think. Is there a steadier look with less shake?

I don't notice a steadier look, but it seems the new camera is better in low light than the older one.

Steve

Steve, that might be the difference I needed. Better in low light, which means I can get the lens to work before my hand jiggles. And the reviews said that the P500 was not as good as the Panasonic equivalent in low light. However, I am pretty excited to have a SLR-"wannabe" instead of the super compact digital again. I'll never be a great photographer, but I do enjoy my garden.

I'll put in the link to my Webshots albums, and the latest album is the one for the Alabama cottage garden for 2011. Newer shots are at the last part, there are over 200 shots in that album. And I was gone from Aug - Nov ....

Here is a link that might be useful: Moccasin's Webshots albums

Hey Bernd, I use the Kodak Easy Share CX7300 also but considering the few pics I've posted I' sure no one is impressed. I sshake a lot after being bent over a while so I have it mounted on a tripod and carry it folded to use as a monopod. Low level close-ups are almost impossible for me. Sunlight behind me washes out the digital viewer sometimes,so I cover the viewer to aim on the tripod, close my eyes, and pull the trigger, just like when I used to duck hunt. (please no-one. No anti's about that). Now that my sisters moved in she may be posting pics for me.

Les

I'm liking my new Nikon Coolpix P500. I also have trouble with shake and I feel a larger camera but not a really HEAVY camera is working for me.

At this time, I am mostly shooting with one hand, which is perfect since the right hand curls around that side of the camera, and I can touch one finger of the left hand to the other side to level the shot.

While I was packing up, putting everything in the PODS to come south, I injured my hand, could not say when, but it is just about useless and has been for almost 3 weeks. I was sent to phys. therapy, which I hope gets me going again. Trying to unpack that PODS is a real problem.

However, my hosta seem to have made the trip south in good form. One of them looks like little eyes are trying to poke up above the soil of the pot. I'll have to figure out what to do to keep it dormant. Pile more soil over it? More mulch? They are all in the shade outdoors. I have no shots of them in their staging area, maybe I should do that tomorrow before the rain begins. Temps will be dropping again. Good news for the new arrivals.

Moccasin-

In Zone 8, I'd suggest that you do what you can to keep dormant hostas dry. I didn't at first as they made it thru rainy season just fine the first couple years. (we hover here with low 40's nighttime and 50's daytime all winter) So I bought lots of new (read expensive) ones and that third year. We had a wetter winter here (over 12" total for the whole rainy season) (haha) and 50% of mine died. I about gave up. I went from 90 to 45 varieties.

Do what you can to keep your dormant hostas cool and DRY! and in mini-bark to keep the drainage fast.

YMMV- We only get a killing freeze here once every 9 years. Fla is FAR away from Northern California, so I can only relate my own experiences. Do what you gotta do.

-Babka

Babka, appreciate the heads up here. I must buy some ingredients for new raised beds in the garden before I plant the currently potted hosta. This afternoon, I turned a few larger pots on their sides and hid them under some large shrubs. Why? Well, I was looking at the weather forecast calling for rain, and while a little bit of rain might be fine, what we normally get in the winter is a LOT of rain.
That is in a normal year. But, the climate is changing, and it has been drought conditions for a couple of seasons. Planning ahead is not easy. Our winters USED to have only one occasion of freezing, down to 28F. However, for the two previous winters, we've had some extended periods where it stayed in the low 20s for days. My tropical plants did not like it, I did not like it. I figure that planting hosta will hedge my bets, just in case it stays cold again this year. The tender plants are already inside my Teahouse mostly out of harm's way.

Thanks for the advice. I might need more as winter comes.