Photography: Getting the most out of a point-and-shoot

Similar to the last post about fishing, this article will be an "information dump" with all of the interesting things I have found about photography while researching it in the last two days.

My wife and I were looking at a DSLR, and after thinking about it, I was simply not convinced that this camera was a great choice.  I had read many articles that talked about the wonderful photos that could be taken with point and shoots, so I knew there was untapped potential in our Canon SD1000 7.1MP Digital Elph.  Further, I knew the cost and size of the DSLR would make it annoying to tote around, and we would always be scared of it breaking.

Our current point-and-shoot.

Thus, I went in search of information on how to get the most out of our little point and shoot.

The first set of three articles are general information on why point-and-shoots are great, and techniques for getting the most of of them.

• http://lifehacker.com/5489968/get-the-most-from-your-point+and+shoot-camera
• great discussion of what preset modes are good for, like landscape and portrait
• http://photo.net/learn/point-and-shoot-tips
• http://photo.net/learn/point-and-shoot-photo-tips/top-ten-tips/

I like to take a lot of photos in macro setting (up close pictures with a wide aperture for a narrow focal plane resulting in a blurry background).  This article explains how to do it better.  The article also serves as a good into to aperture effects.

Night shooting is something we also wanted to try.  In particular, we want to shoot a nice night cityscape of Atlanta.  These articles have some great tips on how to get very good photos at night, including portraits, stills, and scenery shots.

• http://www.digital-photography-school.com/6-tips-for-better-night-photos-with-a-point-and-shoot-camera
• the author of this article has the same model as us
• note the relationship between shutter speed and aperature, and what that does for focus
• note the tradeoffs between using iso and shutter speed to capture good photos
• http://www.pointandshootshutterbug.com/6-steps-to-improving-your-night-photography.html
• again, author has the same camera as us!

Since we want to blow up our cityscape photo, I did a little research into what resolution camera we need to get a nice blown-up photo.  It turns out that matters very little.

• http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/mpmyth.htm
• http://www.design215.com/toolbox/megapixels.php
• http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/08/technology/08pogue.html

And lastly, as inspiration, an article on cameras and why they don't matter very much.  This article contains many examples of beautiful photos taken with cheap or seemingly "obsolete" cameras.

• http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/notcamera.htm

And although cameras don't matter so much, to get my wife really going on photography here are some I picked out as great options.  It looks like the travel-zoom category of cameras is the place to look, since the DSLRs and even the micro 4/3 class are a bit big to carry around.

• http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/canon_powershot_sx40_hs_review/
• Full-size mega zoom with a bit more built in versatility, but much larger than most compacts.  Not very portable, but lots of options with feel of DSLR.  This is probably my least favorite.
• costs ~$370
• http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/canon_powershot_sx230_hs_review/
• A compact mega zoom with lots of features and great quality photo
• NOTE: Smaller cameras are harder to hold and usually have less battery power and a narrower aperture lens
• costs ~$200
• http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/sony_cybershot_dsc_hx9v_review/
• A travel-zoom a bit larger than the Canon above, with more features, great image quality, and a slightly larger body for a better grip.
• CNET review
• ~$330
• http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/panasonic_lumix_dmc_lx5_review/
• Similar to the above, but a class above in terms of picture quality, speed, and manual options.
• CNET review
• ~$350