Digital cameras forum: Poll: What type of camera do you use to take your pictures?

I didn't want to have to take a course--that's why I have stuck with my Nikon L120. It will take a while to learn all of is options as it is. Plus, I don't need anymore expensive hobbies (I had a list of things I wanted to do when I retired--and I have had to pare it back and concentrate on a few--and phtography is not one of them!)

Before you think about investing in a dSLR, you might want to get to know the people at your local camera shop. They might have suggestions, and be able to steer you to a good used dSLR.

I used a film SLR (Minolta) for years until 2003 when I converted to digital. I lugged that big old camera everyhere -- vacations, camping trips and took some really great photos. I loved the match needle aperature setting and split image focusing and was quite fast. What I miss most about it is that there was no delay when pressing the shutter. Now I use a Sony W-90 which works really well. It won't set aperature and focus separately but usually I can cope by just selecting something the right distance away and with the right lighting before locking by pressing the shutter halfway. But what is really great is the size. I carry it everywhere with me in my pocket so I am always "armed" with my camera. I love that I can take short video clips. I used to carry that SLR around and a Sony camcorder. No one wants to watch even 30 minutes of vacation video let alone 10 hours but the short clips inserted in a slideshow of still hold their attention. The only thing I really miss about the SLR is the 200mm telephoto lens for wildlife shots. If I were going on another African safari, I'd take a DSLR with a telephoto.

I teach digital photography and show my students great photos that have been taken with everything from 4.1mp point-and-shoots all the way up to $34,000 Hasselblads. We discuss what makes each photo special and I emphasize that the camera was only about 10% of the end result. I personally use a superzoom (that goes from wide angle to over 500mm telephoto without changing lenses) because it's light and produces sharp pictures.

Every camera has its pros and cons: price, weight, ease of use, etc., but the single biggest difference is the user's ability to "see" a good picture. I always recommend that beginners take a course in art composition and lighting because those are the biggest difference between good and great. I'll put my friend with her $250 camera up against almost any ordinary photographer with a $5,000 Canon or Nikon setup.

BTW, my superzoom will do 95% of what I want it to do -- the other 5% would cost me around another $1,000.

With all the money and lenses I have in my film SLR that I would like to convert if I ever did go with a dSLR. My digital point and shoot does fairly well as the Cannon was at the top of that line many years back. I bought it just to replace my old Poloroid used for my hobby job. At least the heat in the cab did not effect it and it has a decent optical zoom. Wish it had more for the micro side for the flowers and insects. My wife grabs it whenever we go somewhere so she can take of subjects she likes even though she has her own digital point and shoot.

And when I was a kid (60+ years ago), I used a pinhole camera and got some good pictures. I think the cameras today have surpassed the capabilities of the old pinhole camera (and possibly even your Brownie) and it is kind of nice not to have to close up in a darkroom and mess around with the chemistry.
. . . . T.

I just bought a little Nikon L120 (on sale) that is quite a step up from my little old Vivitar point and shoot that focused accurately only 50% of the time. I decided not to get a DSLR because I did not want an additional expensive hobby, nor do I have the patience to become proficient at yet another technical skill. At the same time I did want a camera that would take very close shots and had a telephoto lens. The L120 has a 20X zoom and there is another model with a 36X zoom but I wanted to stay within my budget. By the time I bought lithium batteries (it only comes with alkaline), a case and a memory card it topped out at $300 I just used it for the first time yesterday and am VERY pleased. I also weighted the issue of batteries vs a camera that I could plug in and re-charge and realized that carrying a couple of extra batteries solves the problem of getting a low battery reading whem I want to continue taking pictures.

My DSLR is a Nikon D200 and my point an shoot is a Nikon S8000. Both can produce excellent pictures. The largest issue in photography is the skill of the photographer. My cameras are both over 10 Mega-pixels which is more than adequate for most things. Would I like a 50 Mega-pixel Hassleblad -- sure -- but not enough to buy it. With it, someone that is good enough could rival the photography of Ansel Adams in color. I like the DSLR when I can use it. It gives me control -- in basic terms it suggests a lens and shutter speed and then allows me to easily adjust either one if I choose. It also allows automatic bracketing and many other thngs. It is also fast -- its response when I push the shutter is so quick that is seems instantaneous. It and the lenses are also big in size. It will not fit in yoiur shirt pocket. If I am going to someplace expressly to take pictures, like a trip to the Arboretum, it is the camera of choice. If I have no particular photography plans and am just going for a stroll, I drop the S8000 in my pocket or fasten its small case on my belt. If I am lucky enough to get a goood view, I can get some excellent pictures with it. It does not do bracketing, or allow much adjustment of its exposure. It is not as fast as the DSLR -- neither in time to take a picture (but the lag time is not really noticable) nor in low light abilty, but it can take some very nice pictures. I took a vacation last year and deliberately took it as my only camera. The freedom from bulk was nice and I got some some terrific pictures -- I was not disappointed at all. This year, my wife suggested that I may want to take both cameras on our vacation (and I will). As I said earlier, there are some things the DSLR does better. The real key to taking good pictures is the photographer. Recognition of a photo-op and composition is everything. If you have an adequate tool (camera) you can get excellent pictures. The message is adequate, not necessarily the best. Very few people could improve their photography with a 50MP Hassleblad, and conversely most people would be unhappy with a 0.3 MP camera which was the norm only a few years ago.
Good luck everyone with your photographic endeavors.
. . . . T.

LOL- and by the time you got it focused, you probably missed a lot of good shots. Thats why I got a digital point and shoot--plus I will go absolutely insane if I have to learn yet another techological skill.

Thanks for convincing me that I did the right thing when I went from my little old point and shoot to a Nikon L120 digital point and shoot. (When I am dead and gone someone will dump all of the phtots anyhow! LOL!)

This camera allows me to shoot on full auto all the way up to full manual which is great!

Hi.
I would suggest Fuji's DC point and shoot S series with 18x zoom and at least 12 megapx, or more advanced models. I had 3 Fuji cameras in last 12 years; all of them are great, especially one made in Japan. They work better than DSL, because someone does not need change lenses, so no dust, no technical problems. Also, Fuji has wonderful unique, sensors, and if advanced chip, it accepts I would tell "telepathic" commands. Some people told that I am crazy, because theoretically it is not possible that DC' chip would react on brain waves. However, after I worked with my camera about 6 months, it began to perceive my mood and changed color gamma accordingly. For instance, I have pictures of almost black sunset taken 3-5 seconds after normal light gamma, although I did not change filters, and simply pointed and shoot the scene in the same way I did 3-5 seconds before. The only answer I have, it is my own mood change. I wish you enjoyable DC experience.
Alice-Sofia

I have a whole slew of perfectly usable cameras, ranging from a 1964 Honeywell Pentax Spotmatic, a pair of Spotmatic II's, a Canon Rebel Ti, Canon EOS-1v (Those are all 35mm film cameras) to an Android phone that can make some VERY NICE images with just the right light, a Canon PowerShot S5 IS and even a Canon EOS-1Ds (Yes, the first generation full frame beast).

I easily use the PowerShot far more than all the others combined, but honestly, I use whichever camera is going to be the right tool for the job. More often than not, the PowerShot is just up to the task. It's quick, easy to use, fast, gets the job done, and of course, it's fun to use!

This is a good deal more than a "point and shoot" (what we this side of the Atlantic call "point and press"). I bought it because I'm not much of a photographer and really am only interested in being able to photograph interesting shapes I see around me (plus the occasional holiday snap). So for me, the ability to have a small digital with a 10 x optical zoom, is far more important than vast collections of electronic gadgets which I will never use. My record of interesting shape photos includes such gems as the wooden supports of beach huts on the Essex coast and an ancient coal chute in an old disused harbour. I've also some fabulous shots of shadows cast by the setting sun on a fence post and so on. I spent time before buying the Olympus utterly frustrated in Scotland on holiday when the vagaries of sunlight on hill tops were totally unphotographable because they were too distant.

My wife is a Glass Artist and has recently bought some mid-way expensive kit to allow her to take better photographs of her work than was possible with her otherwise excellent Canon G5. She has had to have both concentrated training and mentoring to be able to achieve her current results in this most difficult of tasks where getting a single "perfect" image can take literally days. For other work she simply uses her Samsung Galaxy S mobile phone camera. We've just been over to Bildwerk Frauenau (a very important Glass and Art centre in Germany). I forgot my camera and never missed it, she didn't take her expensive kit and used her mobile phone camera for her needs on the master class and her other photographic needs.
Incidentally, she's an accomplished alternative photographer using pin-hole camera and cyanotype. When will someone produce a digital sensor that can be fitted into a beer can pin-hole camera to give those wonderful distorted images for direct download?

By this time you will have realised that we use photography for some very *different* purposes than most people...

Regards

David Walland

Personally, I use a digital megazoom "bridge" camera for most of my serious pictures, i.e., exhibition or contest pix - I want a DSLR, but right now, I can't afford a better piece of equipment! I haven't used my film cameras more than once since I got my first digital camera - I feel a certain amount of guilt, but, digital is so much easier, especially for color! I know - when I was in the freelance business, I shot and developed more B&W than anything else - I only used color for brochures - most of my work was for newspaper releases, such as bank openings, new house models, etc. I don't use a cell phone for anything serious - I usually carry a compact 6mp P&S just to have a camera with me! This usually serves me quite well in emergencies! :>)