Yeah, the automatic setting is great. My Canon has been on auto for 2 years, and I've gotten the best pictures I've ever taken (after over 40 years of Brownie and 35 mm picture-taking). Plus I can instantly see if the picture came out well and do it over again if not.

When I want prints, I just bring up the photo finisher's website, move the photos I want prints of (and only the ones I want prints of) to the website, and pick up my finished photos on the way home from work the next day. Such a time and money saver.

The other thing I like is hooking the camera up to our hotel TV at night and writing down notes for each picture--I used to get my film photos back and sometimes couldn't remember what some of them were.

Heavens

Just set your digital camera to 'Auto' mode, then point and shoot. Invariably you take some good shots as well as some not so good ones, but when you get more proficient, you can then use the manual settings.

Be sure to have enough memory on your memory card(s), ie no less than 512Mb, and certainly buy an extra battery and ensure that the spare battery you carry with you is fully charged. Make it a habit to charge your battery nightly at the hotel.

Have fun!

S

Point and shoots are easy and if that's what you're comfortable with, you should take it of course. But I can't help but feel that maybe you're posting this for a reason.
Before you give up on a digital consider that a digital camera can almost pay for itself in a couple of trips.
I took well over a 1,000 photos on our recent trip. (My husband asked me at one point if I were going to photograph every square inch of Germany - I was!)
The pictures were great quality and I didn't read my manual either before I went. (I had so much fun with it I read it when I got home.) Because I was able to capture each image more times for just the shot I wanted without worrying about what the film would cost me to develop, I ended up with some great pictures. If you throw enough rocks you'll eventually hit the post. Plus no film to buy either.
I've been able to do more with the pics I took... screen savers and emailing the top three to friends with ease.
If you have a digital that runs on AA batteries they're easy to charge and not expensive. I bought a converter at Home Depot that has all the little plugs all in one lightweight unit and the battery charger I have wieghs practically nothing.
The digital not only was fun, which I love but it saved me tons of money. I should go calculate how much and put it in my travel fund.
Camera or no camera, you'll in Paris and it will be heaven. Have fun.

Do what you want. You just didn't plan far enough ahead to get with the program. You get what you get.

Another HUGE advantage of digital is that you can upload all your photos to your PC (again, no developing cost), edit them, and print them if you like. Best is just screen savers (for your own enjoyment - and no photo albums to worry about) and being able to easily share them with others, if you like.

With the economical photos printers and high quality photo papers (love HP, and my printer has a "slot" for my camera card), I get better printed photos (cheaper) than I ever did having them processed.

Be sure to save your images to a CD not just your pc hard-drive.

About 3 1/2 months before a trip to India, I bought a Canon digital Rebel xt SLR. I tried to learn how to use it before the trip, but didn't feel that I really was comfortable with it. But I took it with the attitude that I would be comfortable with it by the time I got home, and that proved to be true. I love the camera & the photos I got! Go for it!

Digital requires a lot more infrastructure than film. If you shoot film, you can get the film developed and turned into prints in an hour. If you shoot digital, you can do the same, except that you pay a lot more for the camera (you save on film, but you'd have to shoot thousands of photos to make digital as inexpensive as film in some cases).

It's surprising how many people take digital photos and never do anything with the shots, just leaving them in the camera. Some move the shots to CDs or a computer, but this requires special equipment (a computer) in order to view them. You can take a CD to a lab and get prints--but you could always do that with film, too. And Kodak once estimated that about 80% of all digital photos at least will be lost, because most people never back up their digital storage media.

I love my point and shoot. I like film. 80 bucks for the camera from B n N in New York, six or seven rolls of film, and I am off. No fussing with computers. I like the physicality of film and paper, rather than the nebulous world of bits.

Take a digital photo, a bird flew across the lens, check it see its flawed delete it and take another. Or I suppose you could go back home have the film developed, see that the once in a lifetime shot is flawed and then buy another plane ticket to go back and take another photo. Or maybe the x ray scanner at CDG is a bit zealous and and your precious rolls of 35mm now appear to be have shot on a foggy day ?

Copy you pics onto a cd make a dozen copies (still for less than the cost of processing a roll of 35mm), give them to your friends and relatives because most newer DVD players will play a slide show of your photos, in as large a format as your TV allows.
Download them to the My Pictures section on your PC and then set your screensaver as slide show!

PS I still print my digital photos (only the VERY good ones )and put them in an old fashioned album as well !!

I understand how you feel. I normally use my digital camera but on my last trip to Vienna, I forgot it. I ended up buying an inexpensive (under 100 euros) regular point and shoot camera.
The downsides: I couldn't tell whether the photo I'd just taken would be any good or not. Once you have a digital camera, it feels weird not to be able to check the quality of the shot right away and delete the out of focus, boring or just not quite right shots. I bought four rolls of film then had to buy another. Also, since this is the first time I've had to take film in to be developed for years, I didn't know where to take it. The Fnac shop I used to go to in Brussels closed. I don't know the quality of the photo developers in Maidenhead. I HATE it when developers don't change their chemicals often enough and you get that yellow or greenish tinge to pictures!

However, if you've never used a digital and you're not comfortable with the idea, don't be bullied into using one. One of my mother's neighbors just bought a digital camera and finds it very confusing. I tried to show her the simplest commands, but she's still uncomfortable with it. The basic commands are second nature once you're used to a digital camera, but if you and digital just don't click, then don't stress about it. My mother doesn't use digital either. The point and shoot camera I bought in Vienna (with instructions in English) is easier to use (specifically, the films loads a lot more easily) than her old point and shoot, so when she comes to visit, I'm going to give it to her.

We're pretty savvy with our Sony 5.2 mp camera, but we still get blurry shots now and then.

It's your trip. Do whatever you feel most comfortable with. Prices of point and shoots are so low now, there's no need for disposables.

Anthony - where do you come up with this crap. What a lot of hooey. Thankfully no one will read your analysis of digital photography and take it seriously.

He does paint with a broad brush. I thought I would never give up my film cameras. I'm on my 3rd digital now, and this one will see me through (although I really was waiting for the digital SLRs to come down--to about where they are now).
I LOVE not having stacks of photos to deal with. I can make a collage of my pictures if I want--or individual--or a page of small prints.
And Anthony, I know this will make you feel better but I do back mine up--twice at least.

This last trip was our first with digital. I thought of taking a conventional camera and doing a 'parallel' shoot just to be safe but at the last minute I bailed... on the conventional camera... and I'm glad I did. Nothing like being forced into the 21st century.

And oh, do I now love digital! The hardest bit, it is true, is the editing and processing after the photos are taken - but we had enough memory to take plenty of pix so we were able to wait until we got home to fiddle with the rest. I love the picture quality, the camera's wonderful sensitivity to low light conditions - our Canon Powershot has IS (image stabilization) - I think this might account for why I got great hand-held photos at speeds as slow as 1/8.

I know what you mean about the learning curve. But RonZ is right on - just do the basic stuff this time and you'll be sold. Go forth, be brave, this is why you travel - to have new experiences.

I've never used a P&S.

By the way P&S doesn't only refer to film cameras. Digital cameras that are not SLR, interchangeable lens cameras are normally referred to P&S as well.

So, it appears the debate is whether to stay with film or to go digital.

As I wrote, I've never used a P&S. I've always had some form of SLR camera.

Many years back I had a Canon AE-1 and loved it. I used it for 20 years.

Then 5 years ago I decided to modernize somewhat. Auto wind, auto focus, semi-auto exposure (I never used fully automatic mode) and moderate wide/moderate telephoto walkaround lens.

I stayed with Canon because I like their cameras and moving within the same family makes the camera look and feel the same. The layout of the controls is more or less the same.

I used the Canon elan7e for about 4-5 years and decided to wait until 8 megapixel became the norm to move to digital.

Six months ago I purchased a Canon XT DSLR. As before, many of the controls are in the same place. It almost has the same feel.

Of course, there are a few very important differences.

While you can't view in advance on the screen (SLR could never do that) you can see your results immediately. You know whether or not to retake (Important).

Interestingly, due to the fact you can easily delete, I take more not less photos. I don't think much in advance. I just take it and review several to delete later when I have a chance.

One very important detail. You have an extra variable in upper level digital (DSLR). ISO!!!!!!

With film, you make a decision which film to put in the camera.

Essentially, at that point in time you've decided on the sinsitivity of the film. I used to used Kodak 200 and then switched to Fuji 400.

With a digital I can shoot ISO100 or 200 during the day and switch to ISO400, 800 or even 1600 for evening or night shots.

Of course, with a less expensive camera ISO400 or more would result in much noise (the equivalent to grain on higher ASA film). But my Canon XT DSLR has a great sensor and I can't tell the difference (maybe older eyes) even at ISO1600. Phenominal difference having 3 more stops of sensitivity for low light times of day.

I realize this may be beyond what most people are interested in but hang in with me.

I still believe film is slightly better in quality than digital. However, not by much.

On the other hand, I used to take my film in for developing and printing. Unless you go to a really top-end developer and/or have a lot of confidence in your photography and insist on redos, you're getting mass produced results.

Amazing how many prints came with dust marks, out of focus (my negatives were sharp - I checked with a magnifying glass), under or over-exposed. I just didn't like the results.

With Phototshop I can adjust under or over exposed photos that were my fault. I can see what is sharp and what isn't.

I know what the results should look like and insist upon it.

I've taken the new camera on a few short trips and as I wrote, I take more not less than before.

I have three memory cards for a total room of over 800 shots. On trips I used to average a roll of 24 per day.

We'll be going on our first major trip (Prague, Budapest, Brugge and Amsterdam) in the first half of June. I expect to take a "few" photos.

Having written all that, I still expect to make an album of selected prints so my wife can show it to friends.

Now, my advice.

Digital is here to stay. Accept that.
Get a digital camera of at least 5 megapixels (Sony W5, Canon, Nikon, etc).
Buy a large memory card.
Set the quality to the highest quality (no use in buying 5 mp and taking your travel photos at 2.5mp - you may have a few absolute winners and can't do anything with them).
Set your mind to it and play with the camera for 30 minutes EVERY DAY for a couple of weeks. Force yourself if necessary!!!!

You will be amazed at how quickly you will become comfortable with the camera and understand what you are doing.

You may even end up understanding enough and switching off fully-automatic and onto semi-auto mode.

Just my opinion.
Good Luck.

Hey, Meyer, you can set your ISO with LOTS of digitals--even my original 1MP Kodak. AND you can even choose black and white.
As for using the viewfinder, I have never stopped using it. I rarely use the LCD panel to compose a picture.
And the Canon S1 or S2 is such a great camera--user friendly with the controls for aperture, movie, focal, manual--or the ubiquitous and easy, AUTO all on top of the camera.

And one more thing to Heavens, although I think she has already left. WHY oh WHY would she borrow Tumi luggage and put a big bullseye on it for theft. HOpe it doesn't happen, but never never for me.

Gretcheen (you added an extra "e" to my name name so I just thought I'd return the favor),

What I really meant to write about ISO is that on the upper level cameras the higher ISO values are usable.

From what I understand the noise becomes rather unacceptable at higher ISOs on less expensive cameras.

If I remember the Canon models correctly, the Canon S2 (successor to S1) (they now have an S3 that's 6mp and goes to ISO800) is not really considered a P&S camera but a Prosumer.

I guess that's above one and below the other.

I actually considered the S2 for a short period of time as a less expensive entry into digital. However, I found the grainy viewfinder too tiring for my eyes. I never really got far enough into it to check the quality.

I wouldn't buy a new film P&S these days. Digital completely dominates that end of the market.

Remember that you don't have to master every feature of your Elph to take pictures equal or better than your old P&S.

Learn to use the zoom, flash, red-eye reduction, and delete and you're pretty much there. Learn to use the programmed shooting modes (selecting portrait, landscape etc) and you're ahead.

Buy an extra memory card or two, and maybe an extra battery.

Pretty much everything else is optional, although very useful as you become more adept.

If control isn't your thing, even a cheap film camera rivals a $500 digital for resolution. You can buy a perfectly serviceable P/S film camera for $30 or so (Walgreen's has some $50 Fujis in their "overs" bin for $7).

Buy film in Europe, and have it processed by a film lab (at least to negatives) before you board your return flight. This will obviate the hazards of airport x-ray fogging.

If you can use a computer and post on this forum, you can use a digital camera!!

S