Well today I had my first shoot with the XHA1. Thanks to this fourm it went off without one single problem. I've asked alot of questions over the last few days trying to get as familier as I could with the camera since its the only one I had access to. The one thing I learned is that no matter how much you like the "easy" mode, it just wont work in certain circumstances. I now realize that there is no need to be hesitant when it comes to using the manual mode, as long as you have an understanding of the various settings. Thanks again.

Glad to hear it.

I think you'll find that the more you shoot and get to know your kit, the more comfortable you'll get and the more you'll understand its intricacies. It's like anything. The more you practice, the better you'll be at shooting.