Software that came with the Canon PowerShot A300 can stitch together several images to create a single, panoramic photo, such as this one.
For a long time, digital cameras held no allure for me. That changed when I was faced with 30 rolls of film a photographer friend shot at our wedding. Thirty rolls with 24 exposures each add up to a whole lot of double prints.
We filled albums. We sent prints to family and friends. And still we've got a bagful of pictures that aren't bad enough to toss.
Digital started sounding appealing.
I tested the Canon PowerShot A300, which I am told is a simple model, as these things go. Still, it came with two instruction manuals - one for the camera (143 pages), another for the software (130 pages, but to be fair, it covers use with both Windows and Macintosh computers). I do not think my car came with as many instructions. If it did, I never read them.
The camera user guide had instructions on the cover for how to use the instruction book, which seemed daunting. It includes a two-page Quick Start, but it refers you to pages throughout the book to accomplish basic tasks, so it wasn't very helpful.
I must confess here that I have no intrinsic curiosity about gadgets. I learn to use them only when I need something done.
I managed to get the camera running, and truly, without too much effort. I fired off a few shots, with and without zoom, and sat down at my Toshiba laptop. I dreaded this step, since I have Windows XP, which seems to make everything hard.
But in this case, it worked like a champ, or at least, the way the Software Starter Guide said it would. In no time at all, I had retrieved a photo of blossoms from my prize rose bush, downloaded and e-mailed it to my office. My colleagues, who know me well, marveled.
Giddy with my achievement, the next day I decided to try something more advanced: Stitch Mode. This involves merging several photos together to form a panoramic image of our backyard. Shooting was simple; using the software was frustrating, probably because I didn't take the time to study the instructions. Once I did that, it worked just fine.
As a digital camera neophyte, I was surprised that the memory card held only 13 images. I thought that would be a pain if I were traveling and had to juggle extra cards or tote a computer so I could download the images.
I noticed that the two AA batteries that came sealed from the factory ran out of juice after about 20 minutes, which was irritating, but I'm told digital cameras consume prodigious battery power. Of course, I could have read the section in the manual about conserving power.
Would I buy the Canon for my own use? I liked the quality of the photos, and if I spent enough time with it, I'm sure I could have mastered the basics. It also seemed a great value for the $299 price.
But it has a number of functions I cannot ever see myself using, such as making a three-minute video, complete with sound. I don't know that I could get used to a camera emitting bird-like chirps whenever it's turned on. I'm certain I'd never use the light meter - I'm the point-and-shoot type. And I doubt I'd remember how to use Stitch Mode if I were on a mountaintop and saw a panorama worth capturing.
So I think I'll wait for a model without the bells, whistles and chirps.
