Hobbyist photographer wanting to go beyond the "hobbyist" status

[Greyelf]

Hello all, and let me introduce myself. I am Peggy. My story begins where my husband decided to surprise me with a relatively higher end point and shoot camera when he saw that my abilities as a hobbyist photography was going beyond the cheap digitals I was buying. My first "real" camera then, was a Canon PowerShot SX20 IS. I've done fairly well with it, I think, such to the point that after a year and a half, husband bought me the SX30 so I'd have a bit longer zoom. (Though truthfully, I've been disappointed with the autofocus abilities of the SX30 and still use the SX20 probably 75% of the time.)

I am curious - are most of the posters here DSLR people - or can a noob point and shoot person like me be able to get point and shoot advice, information, assistance, etc.? I know that some of the SLR information can still be applied to point and shoots, but, truthfully, even after a year and a half, I'm just now getting to the point of feeling comfortable going to manual focus and have no clue how to put an HDR photo together in GIMP. (That's the only editing software I have other than Windows free stuff.) Most all of my shots are taken with one of the auto settings on the camera. If anyone wants to get an idea of what type of stuff I'm shooting with this Canon, I upload a majority of the shots I care about to the Weather Underground photo section. The Canon shots begin on 12/18/09, so should you choose to, you can see how hobbyist photographer turns into rabid photographer taking her camera everywhere she goes so she can't miss a shot...LOL. The link to my photos is here: My WunderPhotos : Weather Underground. I really am looking to get the most out of my camera and learn what all of these other settings are for so I can go beyond what the factory preset options are allowing me to do. I am also looking for honest critiquing with suggestions on better framing, another way to shoot a subject, etc. since, while the Wunderground crowd is nice, most of the comments are all aimed at being just that - nice - so as to not start any flame wars.

I guess the gist of this post is me wondering if this is pretty much a SLR crowd, or can a Point and Shoot person maybe learn something too?

 

[Netskimmer]

I am a noob here myself but I have heard many people hear say that it's the person not the camera that takes good photos. I know of a few regulars here that have point and shot cameras as well and I have seen some pretty stunning shots taken with them. I'm sure the folks here can help you improve your skills.

Good luck.

 

[MissCream]

Welcome to the forum! The majority of the posters on here are SLR owners but there are quite a few P&S'ers. There is always something to learn, doesn't matter what kind of camera you own!

 

[Derrel]

I would head to your local library and check out a few books on photography. Kodak produced hundreds of books on how to take better pictures, in many different areas. There have been thousands of books written about improving one's photo skills.

 

[The_Traveler]

You can get better no matter what equipment you use.

There are some specific limitations of P&S which is why many people migrate to dSLRs; if you learn to work within those limitations, you will be successful.

 

[Kbarredo]

although its true that the photographer not the camera makes a good pic. Using a p and s is like giving micheal jordan a flat ball. there are alot of helpful people here when it comes to p and s but if you really want to be free a dslr is better.

 

[Joshonator]

The SX30 and SX20is isn't really a point and shoot, it's more of a bridge camera. I would recommend that you read a little bit about shutter speed, aperture and ISO (learn the exposure triangle). Then make it a goal to shoot for a month in NOTHING but full manual mode on your camera. You will probably miss a lot of shots at first, or may have to take a shot 10 times to get it right, but once you master using full manual you will have a lot more control over your work and learn to think more about things like depth of field, lens perspective, etc when composing your shots.

After this you will realize the need for a DSLR, it just makes preparing your shots so much quicker, while allowing you to have control over what your shooting.

 

[subscuck]

Using a p and s is like giving micheal jordan a flat ball.

And he could still score 32 points with it...

 

[usayit]

Its not the camera nor equipment but the photographer. That also means knowing and working within the limits of your equipment.... whether it be a point and shoot, camera phone, or a full assortment of professional gear.

If its any inspiration, there are many professionals and photo-journalists that use P&S. Alex Majoli is one.... and he's a magnum photographer.

Rob Galbraith DPI: Alex Majoli points and shoots

With that said, if you do find yourself growing beyond.... digital SLRs have been around long enough that the used market is wide enough to meet the budget needs of anyone. Of course, I don't believe that it is absolutely necessary.... just have a camera that's all.


btw.. there are more flamewars regarding Nikon and Canon around here than topics concerning P&S. Don't worry about it.

 

[Kbarredo]

Using a p and s is like giving micheal jordan a flat ball.

And he could still score 32 points with it...

not if he cant dribble it.

 

[usayit]

Using a p and s is like giving micheal jordan a flat ball.

And he could still score 32 points with it...

not if he cant dribble it.

That analogy is stupid..... Flat ball is more like a broken camera. Both of which is useless regardless of the person using them. Give him a ball from the dollar store... Michael would still perform to the highest degree.

 

[Kbarredo]

And he could still score 32 points with it...

not if he cant dribble it.

That analogy is stupid..... Flat ball is more like a broken camera. Both of which is useless regardless of the person using them. Give him a ball from the dollar store... Michael would still perform to the highest degree.

Well considering a bball is a bball regardless of price is why i had to use a flat ball analogy. You can do the same thing with a 3 dollar ball than with a fifty dollar one. You cant get a good pic of a bird half a football field away with a p and s with digital zoom. Now if you gave the same guy a camera with a 400mm focal point he would have a much clearer brighter image.

 

[Railphotog]

I have a DSLR (Canon XSi and 6-8 lenses), but use my Canon SX30 IS most of the time because it is so versatile and a whole lot easier to haul around! I previously had an SX10 IS, and I never had focusing problems with it or the current one. The SX30 does focus slower than my DSLR, and I do miss shots at times, but its smallness and silent shutter are a real benefit. So how do you have problems focusing your SX30? Long shots? Closeups? Or just the time it takes to focus?

Here's one I took just yesterday of a hummingbird at rest. I was sitting near a tree in our backyard and this little fellow was near the top keeping an eye on "his" feeder. Shot at maximum focal length, hand held:

I don't know about your image program, Gimp, and whether it has a sharpening tool. I sharpen all of my images, and it makes a real difference. If you don't have the capability, it might be worth your while to seek out a program that will allow you to sharpen and do many other adjustments to your photos. I use Paint Shop Pro XI.

Good luck!

 

[Greyelf]

I think I will try your suggestion on going full manual for a month is a great idea and will do this with the SX30 since that's the one I'm particularly frustrated with and already use manual focus about 50% of the time. I do wish there was a book available like a workbook that is made specific to different brands (e.g., all Canon P&S's, all Nikon P&S's, etc.) and have like weekly lessons to work on so you can learn how to work on photography basics while, at the same time, you learn how to use features of the camera. I've bought quite a few photography books already, but most of them are all biased toward SLR and I haven't been able to figure out how I may come even halfway close to the same effects on my P&S. I suspect what it's going to boil down to is that I'm going to have to go take a type of introduction to photography class at one of the few camera stores where I live. I've been trying to avoid it, as it is a bit pricy, but think I'm probably more of a hands on and show me how something is done type person. I also think a secondary benefit to taking a class is that my husband wouldn't hear me whining about missing a shot anymore too.

 

[Kerbouchard]

This is a debate perpetuated by people who are set at convincing people that they achieve better results because they have some sort of gift. It is a myth.

The gear matters. Outside in nice diffused light in a beautiful location, you can take an equally stunning shot with a $30 p&s or a $6000 DSLR. That is true. Under perfect conditions, the results are almost indistinguishable. Unfortunately, we are almost never taking photos in perfect conditions. There is a reason why people use DSLR's. It is because they find the limitations of the P&S unacceptable.

There are certain photos that will never be possible with a P&S, regardless of your knowledge, gift or skill. I firmly believe that if you hand a complete amateur a top of the line DSLR in auto mode and you hand a top pro a P&S, you will get better images from the amateur. It isn't knocking the pro. It's just that the P&S has too many limitations...focus speed, shutter lag, ISO performance, optics, focus accuracy, DOF control, custom controls, quick access to major controls, etc, etc, etc. The list goes on and on. Almost all of the things that make the pro a great photographer are unavailable with a P&S. About the only thing he has left is composition, and even that is hampered by the shutter lag and lack of DOF control. The reason you see great shots by pros with P&S's is because they work well within the limitations of that gear...namely outdoors in locations that don't have distracting backgrounds and under ideal lighting conditions. That is fine if you want to prove a point that it is possible. Not so great if you just want to take pictures of friends, family, and things that interest you.

If a P&S could consistently deliver the kind of results from a DSLR, the manufacturers would have stopped producing DSLR's a long time ago.

This may not have been the popular answer, but it's the truth, and 6 months from now when you are wondering why you aren't progressing with your P&S, maybe you will think about this thread and realize that you probably reached it's limitations; no matter how many people tell you that it is the photographer and not the gear.

As always, your mileage may vary.