I never traveled with a camera. This year I received one as a birthday gift. I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. I am a very analytic, inward type. The camera forced me to pay more attention to my surroundings. I also enjoyed creating a memory book that I share with friends and also use to relive my experiences.

Dan,<BR><BR>Thanks for your comment about Adorama. Makes me feel like I made a good choice because I always enjoy your photography commentary posts on this forum. <BR><BR>I got the camera just yesterday, actually. It is so lightweight and compact and the zoom lense is quick reacting. I can already see the difference that the 28mm lense will make in my pictures. <BR><BR>I don't understand something I read in the manual, though. It's about night time pictures. There are two "modes" that I can choose from and both say they are good for nigh shots. One is called Bulb-Mode Flash Off and describes as being useful for long exposure for fireworks and night scenes. The next one is called Bulb-Sync Mode Flash On. The description says you can use this to take a portrait photo with a night scene in the background. What's the difference if they are both for night scenes? <BR><BR>That's all... thanks in advance if you have a minute to reply back about this. <BR><BR>Sandi

Sandi, <BR><BR>This is an educated guess. I can't give you many details because I have not used that exact type of mode.The one with flash off would be used simply for scenics, and the long exposure would enable the camera to gather enough light for a decent photo (say of a lit building). The one with flash on would light a person in the shot adequately while still capturing enough of the background detail. I am thinking that by the addition of the word "bulb" you may be able to set the shutter time to some extended point of your choosing(say one minute). I know that when you put SLR cameras on bulb mode, you tell the shutter when to open and when to shut. Maybe someone who has used this exact type of feature can provide more information on how best to use it.