Photographer's advice needed

[Alia]

Hello you all photographers,

You know that I’ll start my vacations tomorrow with my girlfriends, I’m so excited about it, so I’m ready with a borrowed camera, its in my hands now. I didn’t have a chance to ask the owner about all its buttons, and I’m truly a toddler about photography and all its equipments, so I’m kinda hoping you can help me with it. My old simple digi cam is dead and it was all I’m familiar with.

Its Fujifilm finepix S, S2800HD. I know its not that sophisticated one, but I don’t want to just press the buttons and make unexpected mistakes. So what is all that : P, S, A, M, C, SR, SP, F, Panorama, mean ? And also pictures like tulip, lightning, star, dust bin, disp/back, +/- ? Ok, lightning and the dust bin I’m quite sure of. Please tell me others, will you ?

Terima kasih banyak …

[Alia]

Edit : Sorry, of course anyone who is not photographer but knows the answer welcome to advice me.

[nickie]

I found the manual for you if you even bother to check

http://camera.manualsonline.com/mdow...2e92583a00.pdf

[rabbit_39]

For you, my dear Alia, just leave it in the P mode (means program mode) and you should get more than decent results. Tulip is probably close up.

The reason I say that is because if the P mode, the camera will try to fit the settings to give you usable pictures without any assumptions. With a tulip, it might limit the focus range and the flash power. With panorama it might set the focus to infinity, etc etc... And if you set it to the wrong setting, and the camera's assumptions are not correct, the pictures won't come out right.

If you're around Kemang, come visit my office and I'll give you a quick tutorial.

[Alia]

Oh, sweet Nickie ! Thanks a lot ! I'm reading the manual now, I should be an expert in an hour. Huehehehe...

Kelinci lucu, thanks for the advice, and yes, it will be great if someone can give me a quick tutorial indeed. Don't think I would be near Kemang though, but thanks again for the help. Will let you know if I ever made it.

[tjamail]

Don't worry, Alia. I will give you a one-on-one crash course tomorrow.

[Alia]

What is crash course ? Kursus tabrak2an ?

[Mas Fred]

Keep the sun to your back.

[rabbit_39]

Keep the sun to your back.

But that only works when there aren't people facing you. Otherwise they'll squiiiinnttt :-D

Good advice to avoid flare though, and to ensure you have good light.

[Hombre de Maiz]

...come visit my office and I'll give you a quick tutorial.

Nice line. Smooth. Very smooth...