On Nov 19, 1:36 pm, Janet Tweedy wrote:
In article , Charlie
Pridham writes

I have a Fuji finepix 5700 and would have to agree with the above, I
generally leave it set to Auto but I use the two macro settings a lot for
close ups and its a lot better than my previous camara a Kodak. Best
thing I did was put a 1gb card in it so I have it on the highest quality
setting and can still do several hundred pictures which means I always
take several shots using different settings and then discard all but the
best!
Find a flower and have a play

Been there, got a t shirt Charlie
The batteries last about 2 hours then I have to change them It uses
immense energy to show the picture on the screen at the back! I am

They do chew batteries quite a bit faster in macro mode with the LCD
screen continually updated. Especially if the thing is using flash as
well. But most modern digicams should last quite a bit longer than
that with a decent set of batteries. My old Canon Ixus is good for a
few hundred still shots with a fresh set and my DSLR is even more
frugal.

The one thing that little digicams really don't like is being left in
videoclip mode with live updating. That absolutely hammers the battery
and after a few minutes mine goes into thermal shutdown. Case very
warm.

Another good way to ruin batteries is to leave the camera attached to
a PCs USB port for extended periods acting a disk drive. It represents
a fair drain on the batteries when USB is active.

forever having to run out to the kitchen to put new recharged batteries
in so the woodpecker or the red kite have flown to outer Mongolia before
I get back to the harden

It is not exactly a camera you can slip in your pocket either, well not
unless you have poacher pockets in your coat, AND it weighs a ton. By

Well built ones are often dense but small. I personally like the Canon
minature Ixus cameras for a pocketable device with advanced macro
closeup. Minor irritation is that smallest size means custom battery
pack.

You might be well advised to ask on rec.photo.digital for a camera
suitable for the sort of wildlife and close up photos you want to do
with a good zoom lens (soem now 10x and of good quality), but which is
simple enough to understand and use easily. Some of them now are very
powerful but have steep learning curve if it is being used mainly to
record some other hobby rather than for amateur photography as a
hobby.

This is one situation where going to Jessops and playing with a few
likely candidates is more likely to get you what you want than
visiting any number of review sites. The spec may be fabulous, but if
the buttons are too close together and fiddly for you to use then it
doesn't really matter how good the optics are.

Regards,
Martin Brown