Mar 10 2009
Top Tips for good photography #1 finding a camera - point and shoot buyer’s guide
As part of the series of Top Ten Tips , we are still discussing tip #1 . The last post was on the merits of your cell phone camera and now we are graduating to actual cameras. There are basically two types of cameras. Point and shoot cameras and SLR cameras. The point and shoot comes in different varieties, but is usually a handheld camera with a zoom lens on it. (You do not have to change lenses with a point and shoot as opposed to an SLR).
PC World magazine put out an excellent consumer’s guide to the ten best point and shoot cameras. I highly recommend reviewing this guide in case you are considering purchasing one in the near future. My point and shoot is a generation behind the one they listed as best buy.
A point and shoot offers more control and choices. You are often able to select between modes (usually some version of portrait, landscape, sports, and night modes) and priority settings (aperture, shutter speed, full-manual). You will want to look for one with more options that just fully-automatic so that it will grow with you as you learn. This allows you more freedom and creative capability. Check you camera’s user manual for your exact settings and what they do.
Also, keep in mind when making a choice that there is a difference between optical and digital zoom. Optical zoom is the actual zoom that your camera lens is capable of. Digital zoom basically just crops the image and makes it larger.
Notice the difference between the optical zoom and the digital zoom in terms of quality. That means that you want the most optical zoom, and digital zoom is more or less worthless because you can crop on your computer.
The second major consideration you should make is resolution. This is usually advertised in terms of megapixels. Pixels are the little tiny boxes of color that make up the image, so the more pixels (boxes) you have, the more definition and sharpness you will have. Anything above 6 megapixels is fine for normal pictures and enlargements. If you are looking above that, you might want to consider upgrading to a SLR.
While a point and shoot is a step up in quality, it will not get you the same quality of images as an SLR will. There are more options, and usually better resolution with a SLR. However, a point and shoot is great for learning on, and a natural first step. It’s usually adequate for the family photographer who just does a few “artsy” things on the side. Here are some examples from my point and shoot:
These are all perfectly acceptable images. One’s a decent portrait, and a great landscape a great action shot and a great wildlife shot. These were all point and shoot. The outcome of the picture isn’t so much about the camera itself as it is knowing what you are doing.
I would definitely consider traveling with a point and shoot, just for the ease of use. The smartest way to travel is to put a point and shoot on your wrist/around your neck and your big camera in a bag on your back. Then, when you need the big equipment you can pull it out. SLRs get heavy and hard to manage when you’re out all day.
I may be jumping ahead here, but did you take these pictures in automatic modes or do you regularly adjust the… what did you call them?? priority settings?
Also, all of the colors in your pictures are so vibrant. Is that how the scene looked when you took it? Is it due to a trick of lighting that you were already aware of? Or were they edited later to look like that?
Great pics, by the way!
Great shots and thanks for the tips. Could you suggest a point and shoot that is sufficient in low light situations?
Katrina - when I use my point and shoot it’s usually in automatic mode because if I”m looking for something more than an easy snapshot I will use my SLR.
You are jumping ahead with the priority settings. I will be including that either during or directly after my post on SLR’s. All the info will come.
As for the vibrant colors, lighting does have alot to do with it. Just a quick couple of tips - use shade if you can and try not to photograph into the light, it will affect the colors. There also may be a setting you can adjust on your camera for saturation. I will note if I have changed any images I post when I post them, otherwise they are straight out of the camera.
Jodapoet - I can’t make a specific recommendation as to a good low light camera. What I can tell you is that if you use a night mode and a tripod you should be able to get a decent image out of most cameras. The tripod is essential to get a sharp picture as the night mode will leave the shutter open longer and if you’re trying to handhold your camera, it will be blurry. You can pick up a decent tripod at wal-mart for $20 or less. Also check out the PC world’s camera guide and see what information it can give you, the link is contained in the above post.