I have just recently purchased a Sony Cyber Shot DCS-V1 and am hoping to try my luck at some fireworks shots tonite. In reading the book (I'm a real newbie here) it looks like I should use the shutter priority setting with a shutter speed of about four seconds using a tripod of course. what other settings should be manipulated that have not been mentioned? Any tips, etc. Thanks for any help you can supply.

I have just recently purchased a Sony Cyber Shot DCS-V1 and am hoping to try my luck at some fireworks shots tonite. In reading the book (I'm a real newbie here) it looks like I should use the shutter priority setting with a shutter speed of about four seconds using a tripod of course. what other settings should be manipulated that have not been mentioned? Any tips, etc. Thanks for any help you can supply.

My best shots have been:
Using a tripod
And a cable release
Shutter set to Bulb
LISTEN for the "foom" of the mortar firing.
Open the shutter
WAIT for the shell-burst to raach maximum size
Close the shutter

I haven't used fixed shutter speeds.

I'm usually in the firework crew, not taking the pictures.
It's more fun on the ground, hand lighting the 4 and 6 inch mortars.
Or running from cake to cake lighting them ... loosely timed to the music.

I use the same method asd Smartwombat. I also make sure mirror lockup and noise reduction are on, if the camera supports those options. If it's not an SLR, mirror lockup would not be an option since it wouldn't have a mirror.