Viewing post #702163 by MotherRaphaela

Marilyn,

This is the camera a friend gave us (Canon PowerShot S5 IS, with its manual) and it doesn't have the tulip. It doesn't have the circle dial on the back -- it has other buttons. And I don't know what the "IS" stands for -- although our other camera (with the tulip and circle dial) has that as well. NOTE: Later: I have found the tulip...

To be honest, I hardly ever use this one -- just when Mother Katherine has the one I used to take this picture -- and while another guest recently told us it was the better camera and got all kinds of lovely photos with it, I don't have much luck with it. Unfortunately I was too busy elsewhere to ask her for a tutorial while she was here... If it truly is better, I'd like to learn to use it.

Which brings me to repeat what someone said back in the thread where we were campaigning for this photography forum: The manuals are, for me at least, nearly useless -- my brain shuts down when I try to read this one. There is no index and the table of contents has no page numbers. I don't know even where to start to find out what I need to know.

Is there some sort of "Cameras for Dummies" book someone can recommend? Something I could sit down and read through once, then take with me while I start to use the camera with it? I don't need more like this one! I'm the kind of person who usually learns by picking something up and using it; repeating what works and not doing again what didn't work... That approach doesn't seem to work well with this one -- the various buttons sort of sit there saying nothing that means anything to me and the "menu" and manual are confusing because they show things like "White Balance" only I don't know what "White Balance" is...

And of course this camera also records sound and video -- Maybe they tried to make it do too many things? The part of the manual that seems clearest is of course the video section which I hardly ever need -- my new mini-laptop does a better job -- and I don't think we can upload video here, can we?

to whoever reads this all the way through and can answer at least some of my dumb questions*! MR

*And yes, there are more where these came from...