Canon PowerShot S3 IS

A good digital camera can really whip through batteries. However, there are a few things you can do to be sure yours last longer. First, don't buy cheap batteries. Get good digital rechargeable ones. It's worth the initial investment. Next, get a wall adapter for when you are uploading images to the computer. Finally, check your camera's instruction books to see if there are any tips. Using the LCD monitor can sometimes burn through batteries more quickly than using the viewfinder.

One really awesome feature of this camera is the Macro lens. I can get so close to flower blossoms and insects and get fantastic, crisp shots. It took me awhile to figure it out. You can't zoom out very far when you're using the macro lens. To activate it, you need to press the little macro button by the lens and hold it in a few seconds. You can get really close to what you're shooting and the photo will still be very clear.

Quick tip:
If you didn't read the manual, you may be thinking that the little button that says MF is for Macro Focus. It's not! You need to press the button with the flower on it for Macro work. The MF button is actually for people who want to fool around with focusing the shot on their own.

I'm taking photos of fat little birds right and left.

Is it just me or does the lens of this camera get smeary fast? I know you're tempted to wipe the lens with whatever shirt tail you're wearing, but don't. Ideally, you should use a cleaning kit made just for a digital camera, such as the Digital SLR Camera 5 Piece Cleaning Kit, although I have used microfiber cleaning cloths for eyeglasses in a pinch. I always gently rub the cloth in a circular motion across the lens to clean it.

Never spit on your lens to try to remove a stubborn smudge. If you don't have your cleaning solution with you, you can try huffing on the lens and then cleaning it with the cleaning cloth.

If you just aren't quite getting close enough when you try to take nature shots, don't trade in your camera for an expensive new model. You can increase your range for under $150 by ordering a Canon TC-DC58B Tele Converter Lens for S5 IS, S3 IS & S2 IS Digital Camera and a conversion lens adapter (LAH-DC20). You have to get both items, because the adapter allows you to fasten your zoom lens to the camera body.

Once you get your new lens and adapter, you may have no trouble at all putting everything together. If so, I'm delighted for you. However, for me, it was a bit of a struggle to figure out, so I'll share a few tips:
* You have to take off the little ring that is on the outside of the camera lens first. A button right below the lens helps with this. Press it down as you pull on the ring and it should come off easily. This saves you 15 minutes or so of trying to figure out how to screw the new lens on when there isn't a place to attach it, because removing the ring exposes the part of the camera where you will be attaching the lens adapter.
* When you get everything in place, you'll see that your image is cropped into a circle in the viewfinder. Use the button on top of the camera to utilize the old zoom capacity and you'll zoom out past the edges of the circle. Now, everything will be back to normal (but bigger, because you are zooming out and using a telephoto lens at the same time!)