[Seminole]

I ended up not making the jump all the way to a SLR. Instead I decided to make a smaller jump to a super zoom. I got a Panasonic Lumix FZ28.

The main factors in my decision was before I go drop a grand or more on a body and lenses I want to make sure I enjoy photography. The camera also only cost $278 at Vanns.com, and records HD video, a big plus for me. Its 10.1mpx with 18x optical zoom. Here are all the stats: http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/it..._c=site_search

I just got it in the mail today, and so far I haven't had a chance to mess around with it too much. But below is a picture I took of my backyard during a lull in the rain. I attempted to play around with HDR in Photoshop CS2, but I had no clue what I was doing, and fubar'd it all up, so here is the unedited photo.

[scollins]

Go out and shoot lots of pictures! That is the best way to learn how to take great pictures.

That picture won't benefit from HDR at all, so don't waste your time. Actually, don't bother with HDR until you take great, normal pictures. If you don't understand exposure, shutter speed, aperture, filters, composition, white balance and a whole host of other technical skills, then HDR will just look cartoonish. Hell, getting those things right are tough enough to take normal photos, much less HDR!