Can anyone remember please?

[John]

I'm delighted you're pleased with it Joan. You're ready for anything the Whitby weather can throw at you!

[Mrs Sales]

Bit overwhelmed with everyone's kind advice - thank you

Very wise words Phil!

It takes a while to get used to a DSLR, especially going straight from a compact! It's easy to be overwhelmed by all the functions and settings, remember that they don't all need to be used all the time to take a photo (obviously I suppose, but it can feel like that at first). Most of the time you will have it in aperture priority using a single focus point!

Phil's advice to buddy up is a good one, but there's no better alternative than just taking loads of test shots around the house and garden to see what effect different apertures/shutter speeds gives you.

Get to know your camera by reading the instructions of course, but mainly by holding it and playing with until it becomes second nature - if some one gave me their canon camera to use, I wouldn't know where to start, so knowing you own camera is EVERYTHING!

You'll be surprise how quickly you pick it up the more time you spend with it - remember that digital snaps cost nothing unlike the old film days, so just shoot away and fill up you memory card! Just don't give up on your DSLR straight away!

Andy.

Thank you, I've been doing this a lot recently and yes I'm much more confident and enjoying taking photos again
I am also thinking of getting the Raynox thing as it seems the next step up from the diopters