Don’t forget the point-and-shoot

CATEGORIES: Digital Photography, Tutorials | Rick Sammon | October 07, 2005

The following tutorial is courtesy of “Mac Design Magazine”

Like most of my professional travel photographer friends, I’ve been shooting with digital SLR (single-lens reflex) cameras for several years. But as you will read, my photo shoots aren’t limited to digital SLRs.

I photographed these lions in Botswana with my digital SLR and 100-400mm lens set at 400mm. Even in a 16×20″ enlargement, I can see every whisker on the lions’ faces.

These days, for my pro work, I shoot with the 11.1-megapixel Canon EOS-1Ds and the 8.2-megapixel Canon EOS-1D Mark II cameras. For me, the digital SLR system offers tremendous versatility with accessory lenses and flash units. In addition, my pro SLR cameras offer basically unlimited creative control.

When I travel, however, I sometimes don’t want to lug around my gear bag, filled to the brim with two SLR bodies, several lenses, and accessories. Sometimes-especially at night and when I’m going to breakfast or lunch-I simply want to walk around, see the sights, and take some fun snapshots. That’s where my compact, point-and-shoot digital camera, a Canon G5, comes in. And guess what? Most of the time, I’m very happy with the capabilities of the camera, although there are times when I’m sorry I don’t have all of my pro SLR stuff with me. So for me, each type of camera is functional and fun to use.

The SLR advantage

Here’s a look at my favorite features and benefits of the digital SLR system:

Wide-angle and telephoto zooms, which far exceed the zoom range of my compact camera
Image stabilization lenses (which help help steady the camera when shooting at slow shutter speeds in low light situations)
Focus tracking (in addition to one-shot AF), which tracks a moving subject and sets the focus right up until the moment of exposure
A higher ISO capability, which is needed to stop action in fast-paced situations
Relatively minor digital noise (grain), even at high ISO settings (compared to the digital noise in my compact camera at high ISO settings)
Rapid frame advance when photographing action sequences
No noticeable shutter lag
Viewing the scene through the lens (as opposed to looking through a viewfinder in a compact camera), so what I see is what I get (as far as composition goes)
The addition of millions of pixels gives me unsurpassed image quality.

Capturing fast-moving action, toward and past us, especially in tricky lighting conditions, is made easier with a high-end or professional digital SLR that offers focus tracking and super-fast focusing speeds.

I photographed this little girl in Mexico on a rainy day with my compact camera. She was standing under the awning of a vendor stand. Low light required ISO 400 for a steady, handheld shot. An enlargement may have a touch of digital noise, but as is the case with some pictures, grain can actually add to the mood of a picture.

Naturally, there’s another big difference between the two types of cameras: price. But both of them offer good value-in cost and convenience. So these days, I travel with both cameras.

If you were going to shoot with a compact camera, I’d recommend a model that offers the creative options. Basically, you want control over the shutter speed and the aperture. Having control over the shutter speed and aperture, as well as the ability to control the output of my accessory flash, allowed me to capture the beautiful movements of this cabbage white butterfly in flight. This picture would be nearly impossible to take with a compact camera with a built-in flash.

Can you see a difference? As I mentioned, I enjoy shooting with my point-and-shoot digital camera. For my pro work, however, I’ll stick with my digital SLRs when shooting people, wildlife, scenery and action photographs.

With that in mind, can you tell which one of these pictures was taken with my pro camera and which one was taken with my point-and-shoot camera? I’ll never tell.

Only kidding. The vertical photograph was taken with my Canon G5; the horizontal photograph was taken with my Canon EOS-1Ds camera. Both pictures look sharp in this article and when I make prints on my desktop.

Rick Sammon is the author of 23 books and the host of 20 television programs. His interactive, how-to Photoshop CS CD set is a fast and easy way to learn Photoshop. Visit with Rick at www.ricksammon.com.

Share This

No Comments

No comments yet.

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.

Featured Partner

From our Partners