Cathy, Fully 'manual' DCs have been out there for quite some time. Both the Nikon Coolpix 950 and 995 have fully manual modes - they are as controllable as a regular SLR, with automatic, exposure controlled, shutter speed controlled and one other mode. To control depth of field, especially for extreme close-ups, I set my 995 to work at anything between f6 and f11 - ensures good DOF. At f11 it becomes quite important to work in very bright light, or use flash. The user selectable features are numerous, and include, matrix, center, center-weighted or auto-focus point exposure metering - again, helps with achieving close focus and correct exposure. The 995 allows you to use fully automatic auto-focus or any user-selectable value from a ridiculously high number that is effectively zero to infinity for the lens you are using. Any upcoming technology will likely address increasing resolution or storage technology - there is little if anything left to do to make a good DC more like a manual SLR. Artifacts are distortions or defects in the image that can be introduced from a variety of sources. They are not just restricted to DCs - they can come from the lenses themselves. DC specific ones include artifacts introduced by over-compression. Ken - many thanks for your comments and links. J. Dr John T Lonsdale 407 Edgewood Drive, Exton, Pennsylvania 19341, USA Phone: 610 594 9232 Fax: 801 327 1266 Visit "Edgewood" - The Lonsdale Garden at http://www.johnlonsdale.net/ Zone 6b