TO THE BEGINNERS

[manaheim]

i guess none of you know what a point n shoot is capable of... Ive taken and seen MANY point n shoot pics that blow SLR pics out of the water. its the eye, the time, and the settings, not just the label and cost of a camera.. you guys will soon learn that.. People are to quick to go out and buy a 2k camera when they havent even mastered a polaroid..

moral of this post when i see post saying (wow thats a nice shot cant believe its from a PnS) you look stupid to me...

Part of my problem with your original post is it smacks of the kind of thing someone says when they have a chip on their shoulder about the fact that they don't have a DSLR. "I don't need that, I can take great pictures... oh and yours suck! What good is your big, snazzy DSLR now, eh?" I see this a lot on the forums, and it does get a little tiresome.

That being said, you're right in your statements, but... I think the general "can't believe it's from a P&S" is a pretty valid comment, and I'll tell you why.

Most P&S cameras suffer from a few major flaws compared to most DSLRs...

1. Significantly slower response time from when you click the button to when an image is captured, so it's very easy to "miss".
2. Significantly more challenging controls for if/when you want to set things manually.
3. Smaller sensor, resulting in lower quality image capture.

I could also toss in lack of ability to change lenses, but some of the P&S cameras have REALLY nice lenses, so that's a little shaky.

So, as you and tirediron both said... yeah, you can get great images with a P&S camera, no doubt. It is, however, frequently harder to capture the image than it would be with a DSLR.

Now, that being said, it's also generally way easier to screw up an image with a DSLR. A lot of DSLRs are perfectly happy to let you massively mess up your images, whereas a lot of P&S cameras will do a lot of the thinking for you and rescue you from your own mistakes. (this is assuming you're not in manual mode, obviously)

This is massively oversimplifying things, and kind of glazes over things like "landscape mode" or whatever on many of the transitional DSLR cameras.

Again, I'm not disagreeing with your original point, I'm just augmenting it a bit.

 

[kalmkidd]

good cause as i stated in my post i OWN a Nikon D40, and a PnS. and as i said in second post i didnt wanna come off rude. but going threw these beginner threads, and seeing how these people talk DOWN on a PnS is disturbing..

 

[zubin]

haha, this thread is as bad as the OP's grammar (check website for reference)

dude, you're 21. I used to think i had all the answers back then, too. No need to condescend. Dude above me basically said what i wanted to say. Seems lke you are just tryng to justify your cameras, although don't even see why it matters. Thanks for the "knowledge" haha

 

[jwsciontc]

my powewrshot s5 has done me very very well, just need some lenses haha

 

[sxesweets]

This has been an interesting read for me. I was using a DSLR until it was stolen. I was learning to use it and loving it. I haven't decided with camera to replace it with up to this point and at what level so I am still using a P&S. I have two of the wannabe SLR style ones and even with the tons of reading I am doing still finding major challenges with setting the aperature and shutter speeds but am I ever learning a lot. I'm going to keep at it for a while longer likely with the P&S only because it is challenging me to really know what it all means, terms settings and everything. Thanks to the OP for starting this discussion

 

[tsaraleksi]

A point and shoot is simply not as capable a camera as a dSLR.

 

[monkeykoder]

haha, this thread is as bad as the OP's grammar (check website for reference)

dude, you're 21. I used to think i had all the answers back then, too. No need to condescend. Dude above me basically said what i wanted to say. Seems lke you are just tryng to justify your cameras, although don't even see why it matters. Thanks for the "knowledge" haha

To paraphrase from a well known source "Even a fool is thought wise who knows to hold his tongue." Another paraphrase/quote from the same source "Let he who is without sin among you cast the first stone."

 

[Thunderwolf]

i can see where kalmkidd i coming from, by which i mean you can take very good pictuures with a P&S.

but like manaheim said they have their issues just like the DSLR's have

personaly i think it comes down to preference, but i also think you should start small, before spenting alot of cash on a DSLR

 

[kalmkidd]

haha, this thread is as bad as the OP's grammar (check website for reference)

dude, you're 21. I used to think i had all the answers back then, too. No need to condescend. Dude above me basically said what i wanted to say. Seems lke you are just tryng to justify your cameras, although don't even see why it matters. Thanks for the "knowledge" haha

first of all johny 9 post b4 you talk about me get to know me.. im 21 does that mean something. im also married with 2 kids and a Iraq vet. does that mean something 2? number 2 i OWN a Nikon d40 so saying it out of ''jealousy'' is something that now made you sound stupid.. Number 3 i was not harsh or talking down on anybody i was stating simple facts and anytime you wanna have a ''shoot out'' you can pick the scenario and use your SLR and ill use my PnS, and we will see who has better results..

 

[lostep3]

I actually started shooting with an A95, which I thought took great pictures. I used that for about year, using M, Tv, Av modes just trying to used to costum settings. Then I got a Rebel Xti, which I love. I think its easier to take better quality pictures with an SLR, but I have seen some really good pictures for the new P&S.

 

[Paul M]

...moral of this post when i see post saying (wow thats a nice shot cant believe its from a PnS) you look stupid to me...

I think this is the disturbing part of the original post. Although I agree with everything said, calling people stupid just screams for controversy. However, the key words are "to me" which everyone's entitled to an opinion. I can't say I haven't said to myself "I can't believe it's from a P&S" but maybe that's only because I was comparing someone's P&S results from any of my P&S results. My P&S doesn't allow for manual settings, interchangeable lenses, or much of anything, the menus to change the lighting are hard to get to but it takes tack sharp snaps (it's a pocket sized P&S). Some P&S shots I see posted impress me and it just surprises me that such great results can come from a P&S. When I have thought this to myself, I in no way meant it in a derogatory fashion.
Off topic, I thought the same thing when I saw a VW Rabbit GTI take a Corvette in the 1/8th mile. That was something you had to see in order to believe, although not common it is possible.

 

[chrisburke]

My P&S doesn't allow for manual settings, interchangeable lenses

i havent heard of any P&S that allowed interchangable lens' (thats what SRL's are) however there are LOTS of P&S that have manual settings.. they are great for people who want the functionality of an SLR, but arent ready to move to an SLR

 

[Thunderwolf]

That was something you had to see in order to believe, although not common it is possible.

nothing is imposible....its just hard


just like you can take a P&S and make it take a picture you can sell for a nice profit, camera is a tool that is good with the right technique. which comes for the phone cameras aswell

 

[ksmattfish]

35mm film SLRs are available on Ebay for under $50. Canon is selling refurbished Rebel XT DSLRs with a lens for $400.

Normally I'm the first to preach "It's the photographer, not the gear", but to be honest, I really think all currently available digital compact cameras suck big time. It's 2008, but compact digitals have me feeling like 1908 when ISO 100 was fast.

 

[rufus5150]

Walmart's giving away D40's if you believe other threads...