# Point and Shoot Cameras



## vie_huynh1 (May 14, 2012)

It is good . DSLR comes in a price... I am a hobbyist and I spent like 6 grands on my gears already... Seriously, the pic you post is really good. A good picture need: Good composition, lightning (avoid noon and harsh sun light). Take more pictures and learn about your camera, then you good to go


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## soxOZ (Dec 13, 2007)

I've always said you get the tool to get the job done how you want it, so don't get a 10 ton truck to carry a 1 ton payload...

Bridge cameras like the Canon SX40 are best balance between a P&S and a DSLR. 
They offer the best of both worlds and can produce startling result if used correctly.
My suggestion is to start using it and try everything and all the settings. 
You will learn very fast what works and what doesn't. 
Plus have a good read of the owners manual on how to use it as there usually is some good advice in them...

Good luck with your new toy and start showing us some of the shots you're taking...


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## Wagners Mom2 (Mar 20, 2012)

I wanted a DSLR...but it just wasn't in the budget! 

So I bought a Nikon Coolpix L8510 and I love it! I feel like it's a huge step up from the tiny little Samsung I had (but worked hard for me for many years! lol). 

Love your pics.


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## Tayla's Mom (Apr 20, 2012)

My husband is a part time photographer (dog agility events, etc.) and with everyone having good cameras now you just can’t make much money doing it professionally. He loves taking pictures where ever we go of landscapes, nature, etc. He does often say that my Nikon CoolPix 8200 takes better pictures with far less trouble than his Nikon D7000. By the time he changes lenses I have the shot already. I also don’t have 15 lbs. of equipment to drag with me. I love my point and shoot camera.


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## Ninde'Gold (Oct 21, 2006)

I have the SX40, it's great!! 

These are all un-edited... just different settings of the camera:










This crow was over 100 feet away... the camera has a wicked zoom on it.




































And I'm not trying to be any kind of photographer. I take photos like once a month, not even.


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## vie_huynh1 (May 14, 2012)

One important part for photography nowadays is post processing. So after shooting pics, learn a little about photoshop or lightroom, then edit your photo, it helps too


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## ace (Sep 28, 2008)

Very Nice Pictures Michelle!

Here are a few of my recent pics with the SX40.

Dan
Point and Shoot Photography


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## ace (Sep 28, 2008)

And of course here is our boy


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## rik6230 (Jan 8, 2008)

ace said:


> However, I am a firm believer that with today's "point and shoot" cameras you can get incredible results without the expense associated with DSLR cameras.


Yes you can !


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## photoweborama (Dec 6, 2007)

I use a Nikon DSLR, but I love Fuji S series cameras. 
I've shot about 800 guitars with the Fuji before I got the Nikon. 
I'm still considering going back to a Fuji for my guitar photos. The Fuji photos seem to look a lot crisper. We still have a Fuji S5100, and I had an S5200. You can get the latest variant of these cameras at Walmart now for between $150-250.00. Much cheaper than they used to be, and much more advanced.

Photos of guitars are sort of my claim to fame. Some have said I'm one of the best guitar photographers in the country, but I don't really know about that. I can pick out the flaws in just about all my photos.


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## ace (Sep 28, 2008)

A lot of forest fires in our area filled the skies with smoke. Not a cloud in the sky but a colorful sunset.


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## Vhuynh2 (Feb 13, 2012)

Yes, you can definitely get amazing results without a DSLR! I'm not an expert at all, but I have a DSLR and I think the main thing I wanted out of a DSLR was more options, especially in terms of lenses.


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## ace (Sep 28, 2008)

If you want something a little more compact but still the canon brand, check out the SX150. It's a great little camera with 14.1 MP and 12x zoom.

*Here are some photos* from the camera.


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## Wonderdog (Mar 21, 2012)

*Sx30*

I have the SX30 and love it. Also have Canon 50D, that's my workhorse for weddings, etc. But the '30' is a great little camera. A lot of options and best of all takes good pictures. I would like to know how to post pictures on this site. Any information would be most welcomed.


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## ace (Sep 28, 2008)

We all love getting action shots of our Goldens...The SX40 burst mode and zoom provide great action and still shots.

SX40 is my "go to" camera for sure!

Click here for an example


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## rik6230 (Jan 8, 2008)

Wonderdog said:


> I would like to know how to post pictures on this site. Any information would be most welcomed.


Go to "photo bucket" (or another photo site). "Upload" your picture.
Then copy the IMG link and paste it into your GRF message.










This is the result


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## rik6230 (Jan 8, 2008)

ace said:


> However, I am a firm believer that with today's "point and shoot" cameras you can get incredible results without the expense associated with DSLR cameras.
> .


I do not agree ! 

Try this with a PaS :


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## ace (Sep 28, 2008)

Awesome shots! 
Will I be able to capture similar shots with a P&S camera? I'll work on it and post some photos when I can.

Thanks again for sharing those great photos


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## Shutterwolf (Jan 30, 2012)

First off, BEAUTIFUL shots (what gear do you use?), and very beautiful dogs. You can get similar results with a p&s (coming from a Canon 60D user) but you will have to spend 4-500 for the top of the line Canon p&s that shoots in RAW, and has a manual shutter speed. If they still put hot-shoes on them, that is also a plus. But for that cost, you are getting into entry level SLR range for a brand new camera, or spending a lot more then if you got a used SLR (like my Xti) 

People that say you don't need a good camera to be a good photographer are only half right. I do agree, that you need to know what you are doing, and that someone can take a beautiful pic with a p&s, or even a modern phone camera, but the equipment makes that perfectly framed photo, even better. My image quality has gone up drastically since I got the 60D. The shots per second is almost twice as fast, so getting a good action shot got a lot easier, the megapixels almost doubled, giving me a lot more clarity, and room for cropping, and it gave me a few other handy features that have assisted in making my work even better. 

It does get expensive though, and if you have no interest in upgrading, and getting better lenses, then a top end p&s is a good way to go. Just make sure to shoot in RAW, so you can get everything out of the image you take. I never used to shoot in RAW, and I kick myself for it now that I do. Once I learned about RAW, that also helped my image quality improve. Well, it made it easier to save photos that I got the settings slightly off on, for exposure anyway haha. Before I babble on too much (if I haven't done so already) I think I will stop and go find something to eat lol. 



rik said:


> I do not agree !
> 
> Try this with a PaS :


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## Vhuynh2 (Feb 13, 2012)

I think most P&S cameras are definitely too slow to capture images like those above.

I see a huge difference between my bf's "lower end" dslr and lens setup and my higher end setup (not that high end at all) so I do disagree as well that the average P&S can take just as good photos, but it does depend on who is behind that dslr  However, it is the lenses that make most of the difference. 

Amazing photos btw, Rik!


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## GoldenCamper (Dec 21, 2009)

ace said:


> However, I am a firm believer that with today's "point and shoot" cameras you can get incredible results without the expense associated with DSLR cameras.





rik said:


> Yes you can !





rik said:


> I do not agree !
> 
> Try this with a PaS :


Your contradicted yourself Rik, which is it? LOL


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## FeatherRiverSam (Aug 7, 2009)

photoweborama said:


> I use a Nikon DSLR, but I love Fuji S series cameras.
> I've shot about 800 guitars with the Fuji before I got the Nikon.
> I'm still considering going back to a Fuji for my guitar photos. The Fuji photos seem to look a lot crisper. We still have a Fuji S5100, and I had an S5200. You can get the latest variant of these cameras at Walmart now for between $150-250.00. Much cheaper than they used to be, and much more advanced.
> 
> Photos of guitars are sort of my claim to fame. Some have said I'm one of the best guitar photographers in the country, but I don't really know about that. I can pick out the flaws in just about all my photos.


I'd love to see some of your guitar pictures.

Pete


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## Shutterwolf (Jan 30, 2012)

Vhuynh2 said:


> I think most P&S cameras are definitely too slow to capture images like those above.
> 
> I see a huge difference between my bf's "lower end" dslr and lens setup and my higher end setup (not that high end at all) so I do disagree as well that the average P&S can take just as good photos, but it does depend on who is behind that dslr  However, it is the lenses that make most of the difference.
> 
> Amazing photos btw, Rik!


Pretty much a short, basic version of what I said haha. 

Just to show off some cute pictures, and what I have done with my SLR... 

Roommates dog:









A friend of ours, not the same dog as above:









And one to show off sharpness, and detail that you get with a good SLR:









I could go on posting more, but I don't want to over do it haha. 

...oh what the heck, since this is a golden forum, here's a golden picture that I took as well


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## Vhuynh2 (Feb 13, 2012)

Shutterwolf said:


> Pretty much a short, basic version of what I said haha.
> 
> Just to show off some cute pictures, and what I have done with my SLR...
> 
> ...


Lol sorry! I didn't see that you had posted until I had already posted mine


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## Shutterwolf (Jan 30, 2012)

Vhuynh2 said:


> Lol sorry! I didn't see that you had posted until I had already posted mine


Haha, its alright! You pretty much summed it up for those that dont want to read my detailed post :


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## akgolden (Jun 18, 2011)

P&S are great for simplicity and to an extent I wish I never got into the DSLR scene cause now I am to picky about my pics and find myself carrying around a bag just for my camera.

P&S are great if you want something to slip in your pocket and get that quick picture of something going on but they physical just can't fit the technology that a DSLR offers into something 1/4 it's size. A P&S will have a tough time competing with a DSLR when it comes to low light shooting or fast action shot (such as what Rik posted). If you get good with the P&S and start manipulating it manually you can get some pretty amazing shot but for me when I started doing this with my P&S is when I realized I needed to stop my game up.

One thing people fall a victim of with the P&S cameras is the ""Amazing zoom"". The specs on the zoom you really need to look at are the optical zoom, this is the one that matters. The digital zoom is a nice feature but the farther you go out in digital zoom the worse the image quality will be. 

Like mentioned above get what suits you and not trying to dog (ok I laughed at that..) anyone for having a P&S....they have come a long ways but still no where near close to what a DSLR can offer. The old rule of you get what you pay for applies here



Oh... and cause I love posting pics.


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## GoldenCamper (Dec 21, 2009)

Shutterwolf said:


> People that say you don't need a good camera to be a good photographer are only half right. I do agree, that you need to know what you are doing, and that someone can take a beautiful pic with a p&s, or even a modern phone camera, but the equipment makes that perfectly framed photo, even better. My image quality has gone up drastically since I got the 60D. The shots per second is almost twice as fast, so getting a good action shot got a lot easier, the megapixels almost doubled, giving me a lot more clarity, and room for cropping, and it gave me a few other handy features that have assisted in making my work even better.


I prefer the saying "it is not the camera but who is behind it".

Tell me, just for fun. Was this Fiona pic taken with a DSLR or something else? No edits with PS, just a simple .JPG resized for the web @ 800x600 72 PPI. First impression?










I know you're not asking for a critique of the 4 photos you posted, but on the 3 action ones you really need to bump up the ISO to get a faster shutter speed. Nice lighting with the eye pic you posted, love the color. Also like your landscape pics


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## GoldenCamper (Dec 21, 2009)

akgolden said:


> One thing people fall a victim of with the P&S cameras is the ""Amazing zoom"". The specs on the zoom you really need to look at are the optical zoom, this is the one that matters. The digital zoom is a nice feature but the farther you go out in digital zoom the worse the image quality will be.


Good point, once entering the digital zoom all it is doing is cropping the photo for you.

Surprised to see the first pic @ 1/6 second, nice  Think you got a bit fancy with lightroom on the others:curtain: Very pretty though!


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## akgolden (Jun 18, 2011)

GoldenCamper said:


> Good point, once entering the digital zoom all it is doing is cropping the photo for you.
> 
> Surprised to see the first pic @ 1/6 second, nice  Think you got a bit fancy with lightroom on the others:curtain: Very pretty though!


First pic is my parents dog...she is an old fart and didn't mind me being in her face and wasn't moving LOL


Yea light room is easy to overdue it in.


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## GoldenCamper (Dec 21, 2009)

akgolden said:


> Yea light room is easy to overdue it in.


 Gotta love it though! Amazing what one can do in it, fun to play


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## Vhuynh2 (Feb 13, 2012)

GoldenCamper said:


> I prefer the saying "it is not the camera but who is behind it".
> 
> Tell me, just for fun. Was this Fiona pic taken with a DSLR or something else? No edits with PS, just a simple .JPG resized for the web @ 800x600 72 PPI. First impression?
> 
> ...


I can't see that photo but I would love to take a guess!

Edit: Nevermind.. I see the photo. I can't tell what you used  Fiona is beautiful.


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## Wonderdog (Mar 21, 2012)

Thanks for the photo posting info. Those shots are amazing.


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## Wonderdog (Mar 21, 2012)

*posting picture*

I hope this works. I think I have a profile photo. Using one of Flash when he was 3 months old. See if this works, then I can post.


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## Wonderdog (Mar 21, 2012)

Nope....will try again....not real computer/technology savy....I think it shows.


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## Wonderdog (Mar 21, 2012)

not sure what I did but it worked. At last!


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## Shutterwolf (Jan 30, 2012)

Oh, heres another SLR shot  Not the greatest of quality, but a great way to show off the speed of an SLR. Probably couldn't get this with a p&s lol


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## GoldenCamper (Dec 21, 2009)

Shutterwolf said:


> Oh, heres another SLR shot  Not the greatest of quality, but a great way to show off the speed of an SLR. Probably couldn't get this with a p&s lol


I remember that shot, you had to edit it, came out underexposed, right? Nice job with PS BTW


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## rik6230 (Jan 8, 2008)

ace said:


> Awesome shots!
> Will I be able to capture similar shots with a P&S camera? I'll work on it and post some photos when I can.


It will be more difficult because 
-most of the P/S camera's do not responds 
immediately. There is a delay between pressing the button and the picture is taking. (lag time). 
-Most p/s can not take many frames a second. My Nikon takes 8 frames a second. 
-With a DSLR you can use large aperture lenses for a fast shutterspeed.




Shutterwolf said:


> First off, BEAUTIFUL shots (what gear do you use?), and very beautiful dogs. You can get similar results with a p&s (coming from a Canon 60D user) but you will have to spend 4-500 for the top of the line Canon p&s that shoots in RAW, and has a manual shutter speed. If they still put hot-shoes on them, that is also a plus. But for that cost, you are getting into entry level SLR range for a brand new camera, or spending a lot more then if you got a used SLR (like my Xti)
> 
> People that say you don't need a good camera to be a good photographer are only half right. I do agree, that you need to know what you are doing, and that someone can take a beautiful pic with a p&s, or even a modern phone camera, but the equipment makes that perfectly framed photo, even better. My image quality has gone up drastically since I got the 60D. The shots per second is almost twice as fast, so getting a good action shot got a lot easier, the megapixels almost doubled, giving me a lot more clarity, and room for cropping, and it gave me a few other handy features that have assisted in making my work even better.
> 
> It does get expensive though, and if you have no interest in upgrading, and getting better lenses, then a top end p&s is a good way to go. Just make sure to shoot in RAW, so you can get everything out of the image you take. I never used to shoot in RAW, and I kick myself for it now that I do. Once I learned about RAW, that also helped my image quality improve. Well, it made it easier to save photos that I got the settings slightly off on, for exposure anyway haha. Before I babble on too much (if I haven't done so already) I think I will stop and go find something to eat lol.


For these pics I used the Nikon D2x and the nikkor 70-200 VR 1 2.8



Vhuynh2 said:


> I think most P&S cameras are definitely too slow to capture images like those above.
> 
> I see a huge difference between my bf's "lower end" dslr and lens setup and my higher end setup (not that high end at all) so I do disagree as well that the average P&S can take just as good photos, but it does depend on who is behind that dslr  However, it is the lenses that make most of the difference.
> 
> Amazing photos btw, Rik!


I agree with you.



GoldenCamper said:


> Your contradicted yourself Rik, which is it? LOL


I don' t think so . The questions are : 
-What kind of photo's do you want ?
-Do you want to take pictures in low light?
-Do you want action shots ?
-Do you want to travel light ?
-Do you want to use an external flash ?
-Do you want to use specialist lenses ?
and so on.

So for me it is a DSLR but for some one else it is the Point and Shoot 



GoldenCamper said:


> I prefer the saying "it is not the camera but who is behind it".
> 
> Tell me, just for fun. Was this Fiona pic taken with a DSLR or something else? No edits with PS, just a simple .JPG resized for the web @ 800x600 72 PPI. First impression?


This picture could be taken with a P/S and a DSLR. 
I think every picture you take with a P/S you can take with a DSLR. But not every photo you take with a DSLR ......  (except the long "mm" photos)
Almost every P/S can zoom to about 300 or 400 MM. 
For that I need on my DSLR this one  That shows why it is a tottaly different world. :wave: A Nikkor 400mm f2.8 (and my daughter)


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## Wonderdog (Mar 21, 2012)

now that's a lens!


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## Shutterwolf (Jan 30, 2012)

Oh man, i want that lens!!!


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## sameli102 (Aug 23, 2009)

In the hands of a skilled photographer a p&s can do amazing things. In the hands of an unskilled photographer a DSLR is not going to automatically make art. People always say WOW! what kind of camera took that shot??? It isn't always the camera at all it is who is behind it. I have both, a Nikon DSLR, and a high end Canon p&s which is handy but I have never been able to come close to taking the same quality picture with the p&s, yet it does great for quick snapshots. The p&s is more difficult for me to handle because even though it is quick to grab and easy to carry it is slow from shutter lag and I hate having to go into the on screen menus to make adjustments and changes to settings. Unless just snapping a p&s shot set on automatic I can definitely get the shot faster on my DSLR. Trying to get the desired settings on my p&s is a pain.
For someone just wanting fast snapshots p&s is the way to go. For me I prefer DSLR.


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