"Butch Davis" wrote in message
nk.net...

Now all I have to decide is what software and printer to get. Probably a
$20 to $40 disc and a photo printer for around $200.


I have some thoughts on that, as well. Adobe's Photoshop is the gold
standard when it comes to photo editing software, and that's not likely to
change any time soon. Since there is a considerable investment in time to
get your digital editing skillset up to speed, it should be invested in
software that is likely to remain relevant for a long time to come. Also,
there is no shortage of reference and tutorial books as well as free
web-based tutorials for Photoshop. This is one of those times that cruising
in the mainstream has its rewards. The bad news is that Photoshop sells for
about twice what you're about to spend on your camera. The good news is
that Photoshop has a little brother called Photoshop Elements, that has
about 85% of the photo editing power of the full-blown version, uses the
same tools and concepts as the big dog, and has almost as many books and
tutorials available. It lists for $99, but can be found on sale for as low
as $50. It's just what you need and want, there's no reason to buy any more
or less. The current version is version 5, and it's the one you want. It
is a significant upgrade from prior versions.

When I bought my first digital camera seven years ago, I also thought that
I'd want to print my own prints. I purchased a wide-carriage Epson Stylus
Photo 1270, and a bunch of the special glossy papers to go with it. As it
turned out, I found out that I really didn't do as much printing as I
thought I would. Most photo viewing and sharing was done digitally, on a
display of some sort. It's the digital paradigm versus the film paradigm.
Although the quality of my home-grown prints were unbelievably good, they
were in fact a PIA to produce. I learned that it was sooo much easier and
more cost effective to upload the digital files to a local professional
color lab and let them print them as needed. You don't need to use a pro
lab, there are likely a number of other local choices in your area as well,
such as Costco, Walgreens, Wal-Mart and others. I junked the Epson ink jet
for a color laser, which for non-photo printing is so much easier to live
with than a temperamental ink jet. I'd hold off on the photo printer and
try outsourcing your printing and see if that doesn't meet your needs.

The S6000 is an interesting choice, and you could certainly do worse. It
has a very versatile and reasonably fast lens, along with image
stabilization. Before I bought my D70, I considered a Panasonic Super Zoom,
which is essentially identical in concept to the S6000. The deal killer for
me back then on the Panasonic was the Electronic View Finder (EVF). The EVF
is essentially a tiny eye-level LCD screen that you look at to compose your
photos. Unfortunately they have a wicked delay to them, and a very
artificial feel to them versus looking through a nice TTL optical view
finder. It was a deal killer for me then and would be today on the S6000 as
well. The whole point of that purchase was to get back to a camera that
handled and responded in the same way that my film SLRs did but in a digital
format. The EVF broke that familiar feel I had always enjoyed with my film
SLRs. The DSLR kept it very much in tact. If you're coming from a 35mm
film SLR background, I don't think you'll like the EVF (Evil View Finder).

At any rate, you will most certainly enjoy the transformation from film to
digital, no matter what camera you end up with. The combination of a
digital camera, digital editing software, and the internet has made
photography much more engaging and satisfying than film photography ever was
for me. Enjoy.