Did anyone else start with a digital compact?

[alexandra-June]

I'm new to photography I just bought a Fujifilm S1730, I was just wondering if anyone else it starting out without an SLR and if I can still take great pictures?

 

[table1349]

I started with my uncles borrowed Leica IIIf rangefinder. From there I bought my first used slur, a Nikon F. I've used slr's, medium format and large format in film and digital slr's. Never had an issue. Great photographs are a product of the photographer not the gear. The biggest difference in gear is the ease it allows you to work and the size of your final product.

 

[ann]

yes you can take wonderful images with any camera including the one you purchased.

it is about learning what your camera will do and what it won't do and then using those limitations to the upmost advantage.

 

[LaFoto]

Well, I started with a "film compact", a Rollei 35, and it was a very nice little camera. OK, I had to guess at distances all the time (or work with a measuring tape!), but other than that... nice! Too bad I once took it to the beach and a grain of sand came between the lens and body...

 

[Sisco]

I would bet there are alot of us here who stared with Kodaks

 

[Abby Rose]

I have a sony H50. My pictures aren't great, but they are certainly ok and I've been able to learn a lot even though it's not a DSLR.

 

[thruthelens]

I still use mine on a regular basis, its just too convenient to leave behind but yes they can take excellent pictures. I generally find you must keep the ISO at 200 or lower as the noise gets too er noisy.

 

[celadon]

I technically started with a ****ty compact digital Kodak, then moved onto an old film SLR, but I think I did most of my "learning" with the compact I bought to replace the ****ty Kodak (a Nikon Coolpix P5100). I kept that camera on my person every second for about 4 years straight, until a fall from a table finally did it in. You can definitely learn a lot about photography with a non-SLR camera, especially with a ton of practice and experimentation!

 

[reznap]

What made me replace my fuji finepix s1500 with a dslr (OP, it was similar to your camera) was the lack of ease it took to change the shutter and aperture combined with the delay between pressing the shutter button and the time it actually took the photo.

It's not a bad camera though and it might still be useful even if you buy a fancy dslr.

 

[doziergraphic]

I started with a Powershot sx120 - and still keep it in the glove box because i keep telling myself one day i'm going to drive upon a breaking story, grab it out of the console, and get an award winning shot! Quality is definitely there, but it doesn't do raw, doesn't have a viewfinder, and just doesn't feel 'professional.'

 

[redtippmann]

I first had a kodak digital P&S but that battery wouldn't last for over 10 shots (no exaggeration at all). And 2 years later I got a D50.

 

[BuS_RiDeR]

Since I have gotten it, I generally always use my Canon 50D. However, I still use my Nikon Coolpix 7900 Compact digital. But not often... My wife uses it more than I do.

However, I started with film. And my first film camera was a Canon Rebel (the original Rebel). I have since upgraded my film camera to a Canon Elan II. But it sees little use anymore since I've switched to digital about 5-8 ish years ago.

And yes you can still take great pictures with your camera. Good photographs are not limited to SLRs or dSLRs...

 

[chito beach]

I started with a Polaroid, them moved up to a Mamya NC1000 35mm. was without a camera for many years then bought a Toshiba PDR M4 then to a Pentax X70 which my sister gave me. When it died I bought my first DSLR and A100 Sony

 

[Blake.Oney]

When I started getting more serious about photography I was using a Kodak compact film camera. It looked a whole lot like an slr, which is what I asked for for Christmas (I was 15) and I think it looked so much like one to my parents that they got it and thought it was. The thing is, most of what you need to learn in the beginning isn't really restricted by your camera. Technique is universal.