Doubts on quality possibilities

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Permalink Reply by paul holmes on January 10, 2008 at 1:21am

hi jo anne there are some fantastic photos taken on this site with point and shoot cameras,you dont always have to have the latest or best camera to take a good photo.much more important is to have a good eye ,a and a bit of imagination goes along way. your camera is fine try to learn all its settings and above all have fun. paul

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Permalink Reply by Jo-Anne on January 10, 2008 at 1:25am

Great to know... thank you so much, it's the kind of "Push" needed to get out there and take pictures!
Thanx again...
j

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Permalink Reply by Ken Scribner on January 10, 2008 at 2:46pm

A quite common assignment in photography classes and schools is to have the students put away their expensive high tech cameras and takes pictures using a drug store throwaway camera. This makes you forget the dials and buttons and settings and concentrate on light and composition. I have seen some really fantastic images from this kind of assignment.

Of course expensive high tech cameras and lenses have their place. Just try taking a frame filling shot of an eagle with a 50 mm lenses. Better equipment if you are like most of us comes with time. So in the mean time go out and take shots of the whole world of things a point and shoot can, with a photographer's eye, display very well. Below is a photo I took with a Olympus point and shoot using it's flash as well.

Attachments:

• dliondownbest.jpg, 265 KB

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Permalink Reply by Jo-Anne on January 10, 2008 at 9:10pm

You are wonderful Ken Scribner! With support like this... I've GOT to get results!
Thank you, and it is a great picture... COLOUR, filling the frame, light, focus... hmmm, words from a person with my little experience may not exactly be a compliment... but thanks again!
j

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Permalink Reply by manouel the greek on January 10, 2008 at 9:33pm

"Not everybody wants to be a professional photographer. Some of us just want to take a few pictures here and there, and don't want to spend a fortune doing it. Before you run and see the army of camera sales teams in your local home electronics store, concern the follow.
I own both a Point and Shoot digital camera and a DSLR.
I like having both because I do feel they compliment each other and are each suited for different situations. My preference in terms of quality of shots is with the DSLR but for convenience the point and shoot sometimes wins out.
I regularly hear among digital camera owners - that a cameras megapixel rating is the main thing to consider when determining a camera’s quality.
The fact is that megapixels are NOT everything. Despite point and shoot cameras now coming with up to 12 megapixels, their quality level is not necessarily has good as a DSLR with only 8 or so.
The main reason for this is that the image sensor used in point and shoot digital cameras is generally much smaller than the image sensor used in a DSLR (the difference is often as much as 25 times). This means that the pixels on a point and shoot camera have to be much smaller and (without getting too technical) collect fewer photons .
DSLR Strengths
Image Quality -Already covered this above , also due to the larger size of image sensors in DSLRs which allows for larger pixel sizes - DSLRs are generally able to be used at a faster ISO which will lead to faster shutter speeds and less grain.
Adaptability - DSLR’s ability to change lenses opens up a world of possibilities for photographers.
Speed - DSLR’s are generally pretty fast pieces of machinery when it comes to things like start up, focussing and shutter lag.
Optical Viewfinder - due to the reflex mirror DSLR’s are very much a what you see is what you get operation.
Optical viewfinders can be found on many point and shoot cameras. However, they do not show you the view through the lens, and generally have very poor magnification, so you are always guessing for your framing.
large ISO range - this varies between cameras but generally DSLRs offer a wide array of ISO settings which lends itself to their flexibility in shooting in different condition
Manual Controls - while many point and shoots come with the ability to shoot in manual mode, a DSLR is designed in such a way that it is assumed that the photographer using it will want to control their own settings.
Depth of Field - one of the things I love about my DSLR is the versatility that it gives me in many areas, especially depth of field. I guess this is really an extension of it’s manual controls and ability to use a variety of lenses but a DSLR can give you depth of field that puts everything from forground to background in focus through to nice blurry backgrounds.
Quality Optics - I hesitate to add this point as there is a large degree of difference in quality between DSLR lenses (and point and shoot cameras are always improving) but in general the lenses that you’ll find on a DSLR are superior to a point and shoot camera.
DSLR Weaknesses
Price
Size and Weight - the only reason I take point and shoot out with me is on those occasions when I don’t want to lug my DSLR (and it’s lenses) around with me.
Maintenance - a factor well worth considering if you’re going to use a DSLR with more than one lens is that every time you change lenses you run the risk of letting dust into your camera
Should You Buy a DSLR or a Point and Shoot Digital Camera?
This is ultimately a question that you need to answer for yourself. My answer is to have both (If you are able to do so) but if you had to choose between one or the other,personally I’d get a DSLR based upon my experience level, the type of photos I take, my desire to use manual settings and the quality of image that I’ want."

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Permalink Reply by Jo-Anne on January 11, 2008 at 12:04am

http://www.letsgodigital.org/es/camera/specification/368/show.html
http://www.olympuscanada.com/cpg_section/product.asp?product=1312&a...

I was thinking that the sony would be the "good, big camera"... but reading up on it (bought it second hand ages ago, and didn't do my homework, the interface isn't as easy, and well, it's more or less been collecting dust since)... I see that the specifications have become obsolete, and my new point and shoot camera outdoes it...
Is it worth holding onto? I mean, will it take better pictures in some conditions?
Has it more "depth of field"?
Your explanations are excellent, and I appreciate you taking the time...
I must do my courses and practice more, before I continue to bombard everybody with my million questions... I realise that time is precious for everybody!
Do "we" have a spot on this site (which I haven't found) with actual descriptions of the settings, according to the photos... this would be like revealing top secrets I suppose, but that is one thing that I am happy about in the RAW format... being able to compare qualities afterwards, and learn from every picture...
Have a nice day!
j

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Permalink Reply by manouel the greek on January 11, 2008 at 1:32am

What would art be without a point of view?

You may own a camera, you may know how to work it, but what sense would it be if you don’t know how to create a work of art from it?

A camera is basically an artist’s tool, be it a pinhole, camera obscura, disposable, compact, or slr, in the end its only a tool. How well you work it depends on your creativity.

I do not intend to put down those photographers who use slr/dslr cameras, there are technical aspects involved on how to work a slr/dslr camera, I know that it requires skills and the quality far outweighs the “ point and shoot ” camera but the photos taken with a “ point and shoot camera ” are sometimes nearly as good. The point of this article is to show you how creative people can make their compact “ point and shoot ” camera work to their advantage. How creative are you at manipulating your camera in whatever condition to get a beautiful photo? This requires skill, and it can be used by novice, kids or anyone.


So take a look at some of his best selections of photos taken with a compact “ point and shoot ” camera.

From *FaMz Sep 23, 2007 from DEVIANTART website

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Permalink Reply by C. Karmel on January 11, 2008 at 3:08pm

Nice samples. But I think the photos above have been color corrected/manipulated with photo editing software such as photoshop. IMHO, that the thing that made those photos beautiful..
So no matter what your camera is, as long as you know how to do magic in photoshop I'm sure you'll still get great images.

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Permalink Reply by manouel the greek on January 11, 2008 at 11:50pm

i thing you simplify it, and is not like this. the above images has only 3 minutes correction each. Most people with DSLR cameras need much much more time to introduce a decent image after the shot.
if you know well your camera and the art of photography you can take pictures that they DONT need hours of correction in software. thats the meaning of the whole article.
It is not a matter what camera you have (point and shoot or slr) if you KNOW what your are doing and NOT what the software can do.
Otherwise we all lern one software and not photography that is the main subject.

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Permalink Reply by matias pace on January 12, 2008 at 5:44am

i agree with you manouel. further i feel a picture which has as many pixel as possible showing what was there in the first place as an edge. this is very abstract feeling and is perhaps reflected in the hard core photographer who keep insisting on shooting films. the pictures may still look the same but they feel different, specially onprints. for this reason i would do films but i can't bother with the chemicals involved.

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Permalink Reply by Jo-Anne on January 15, 2008 at 8:37am

Well... before having read your comments on any forum, I had seen your pictures, and noticed you "title" on your site, which openned my eyes... after reading your comments, well... I'm driving everyone crazy.. including myself, as I see angles, and possibilities everywhere... NEXT step, actually daring to take the pictures!
I've been playing around a bit with the camera... I didn't even realise that one COULD make such changes to the photographs on the computer... which, of course, after reading these comments, I've looked into...
I consider this a "back-up"... fantastic to have (long live technology!) but to rely on that, well, it seems to take the art out of photography... which I see you feel and breathe!
thanx
j

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Permalink Reply by manouel the greek on January 16, 2008 at 12:18am

thanks jo-anne for your thoughts! Many people think that the manipulation of images started with the invention of Photoshop, but there have been manipulated photographs since the invention of photography
The manipulation of photographs is not new. In 1903 Edward Steichen said . . .
In the very beginning, when the operator controls and regulates his time of exposure, when in the dark room the developer is mixed for detail, breath, flatness or contrast, faking has been resorted to. In fact every photograph is a fake from start to finish, a purely impersonal, unmanipulated photograph being practically impossible. When all is said, it still remains entirely a matter of degree and ability. Adobe Magazine 6(3), 104)
As photographer Jerry Lodriguss said “what tool or technology we used does not really matter. Do you really care whether Hemingway wrote with a pen and paper or a typewriter? What matters is what the artist does with the tool or technology. Is he true to the subject and reality as he sees it?
Is it the tool, or the user of the tool, that the viewer trusts? The viewer must trust the creator of the work. The artist's credibility is the only commodity of value that he has to exchange with the viewer for their trust.

It only becomes a problem, and a question of ethics, when the artist or photographer lies about what his motivations, methods, and conclusions are, and presents images with the purpose to intentionally deceive.”

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