Extreme Digital Photography: Beyond Point-and-shoot

When my old Olympus digital camera got broke while caving during a family camping trip, I had mixed feelings. For quite some time I had felt that the quality of some of my pictures was hampered by the limitations of that camera, but I did not look forward to spending the money on a new one.

The old camera wasn't bad, but there were certain situations where it was difficult to get good pictures with it. When taking pictures at my son's basketball games, for example, the camera would slow the shutter down to try to improve the exposure, and this would cause the fast-moving players to just look like a blur. The flash was of no help, because it didn't work well from that distance. All I could do was change the ISO sensitiviy, and that made the pictures grainy. Also, the camera was slow, so I'd often miss a good picture by about half a second. At football games, I had another problem; the players were just so far away that the camera's zoom wasn't enough.

For a while, I tried using my old Yashica 35 mm film camera. I even bought a fairly large telephoto lens off ebay and managed to get some really nice football pictures that way. Unfortunately, though, I found that I wasn't saving any money by not buying a new digital as the photo processing was so expensive, especially by the time I added the extra cost of asking for cd's. Also, the Yashica had a manual focus, which allowed maximum control, but sometimes I wasn't quick enough with the focus and the shot was spoiled. Worst of all, since I couldn't see the pictures until I'd paid for the processing, a couple of times I found that there were few if any good shots on an entire roll. With digital, I would have simply taken a lot more shots and deleted the bad ones.

So, finally I decided I needed a new digital, but I was spoiled by the control that the Yashica gave me. Simple point-and-shoot was not good enough. I wanted a camera with good optical zoom (digital zoom is just a marketing gimic) that would give me the ability to take control of more of the camera's features. I also wanted a camera with a quality lens (an oft overlooked feature in consumer cameras), but I did not want to spend a lot of money. I finally settled on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ3 3MP Digital Camera with 12x Image Stabilized Optical Zoom.

Everybody looking at digital cameras seem to look mainly at MP (megapixels), but 3MP is good enough for photo quality 8X10's if you don't do a lot of cropping and enlarging. So, that's a great area for potential cost savings. Personally, I'd rather spend my money on features that will actually help me take better pictures, not just bigger ones. And the Lumix is loaded with such features. Consider also that if you get a higher MP camera, you also need a bigger, more expensive memory card as well.

This camera is admittedly too large to be pocketable, which may be an issue for some people, and if you use the adapter for filters it makes it even more bulky. However, it's pretty light weight (due largely to the battery type) and I like a camera that fits into the hand nicely instead of feeling like a toy. Also, there is a reason why professionals lug around those big cameras. It's because they take better pictures... if you know how to use them properly. Most people don't realize that a telephoto lens is not just for taking pictures of things far away. They are also great for portraits. And for taking pictures of my son's football games, the more zoom the better.

One of the great thing about this camera for me is that my wife, who wants things to be simple, can use the camera in "simple mode". So, she can take great pictures of kids birthday parties and such without having to learn all the features of the camera. I have also used the "simple mode" sometimes, but for basketball games and other extreme situations, I have the option of using shutter-priority or manual modes, and have been able to achieve better results. And with the 12X optical zoom, the camera is great for football games too.

I've seen postings on the internet where people who have bought digital cameras are wondering why they can't seem to get good pictures in certain situations. The answer is simple. Most cameras are made for the average user who wants something small and simple. They aren't made to work well in extreme situations.

In this article, I have described what my needs were when buying my camera. Your needs may be entirely different, and may also change over time (as mine have). However, if you carefully evaluate your individual needs and take into consideration the pros and cons of different cameras before you buy, you will surely avoid some annoying surprises.

The author, Greg Bonney, is the owner of Bonney Information and E-Commerce and founder of Scoutcamping.com (http://www.scoutcamping.com).

Copyright © 2005 Bonney Information and E-Commerce.

---

Candid Photography

Candid photography is photography that focuses on spontaneity rather than... Read More

Seven Ways for Saving Your Digital Images Forever!

So, you have taken lots of pictures with your new... Read More

Photography - Things to Consider Before Buying a Camera

Before you are able to take the kind of photos... Read More

Using Film Speed Effectively

So you have this great new camera. Now you're standing... Read More

Basics of Photography

Understanding light is one of the very basic principles of... Read More

Selecting Good Stock Photography in the Age of Digital

The business of stock photography has drastically changed over the... Read More

Infrared Photography and Big City Crime

One of the major problems of the larger cities of... Read More

Crooked Horizons in Your Photos? ? Here is a Five Minute Digital Fix

Remember the good old photography days?Film camera in hand, you... Read More

Digital Camera Memory - An Introduction

The digital camera is essentially a computer-based device, whose core... Read More

The Advantages of Underwater Camera Housing

You will need an underwater camera housing to keep your... Read More

Studio Photography and Digital Backgrounds

The article given here was written for Adobe Photoshop 5,6,7,CS,... Read More

Have You Read Your Digital Camera Manual?

Have you read the manual that came with your digital... Read More

How to Buy the Right Digital Camera

When buying a digital camera there are many things you... Read More

Better Photos with Your Digital Camera

Everyone has a digital camera today and we all take... Read More

Digital Camera Auto Exposure and Auto Focus

The digital camera being a fantastic and technologically advanced device... Read More

Photographing Kids

Kids grow up so quickly and while we are often... Read More

Video Camcorder Formats and Media

There are way too many tape, disk and stick formats... Read More

Types of Digital Cameras

If you are in the market to purchase a digital... Read More

The Arizona Desert Museum

The vast beauty and richness of the desert can be... Read More

The Truth About Pixels, Part 2-1: Printing 4x3 Inch Photos

Why is a 3 megapixel camera better than a 1... Read More

Christmas Rush this Holiday Season to go to Digital Photography

So you have rushed out into the malls in a... Read More

Photography - Rules of Composition

Composition is defined as the combining of distinct parts or... Read More

Keep a Digital Photos Diary

Digital Photo Diary - memories that last a life timeThe... Read More

How to Create a Great Video - a Simple Guide on How to Shoot Home Movies with a Camcorder

So you have bought a camcorder and have shot some... Read More

Why 1.5 Megapixels is Enough

Dots Per Inch is a useful measure of relative resolution.... Read More

Tips for Better Vacation Photos

Photos are a great way to share your travel experiences... Read More

The Photography Portfolio: Building Your Reputation

If you have hopes of becoming a professional photographer, or... Read More

Optimize Your Photos for the Web

It doesn't matter if your emailing photos of your grandson... Read More

Wildlife Scouting Cameras

For years I wondered how big the bucks were that... Read More

Market Your Photography Business

Setting up your own photography business it easy, you don't... Read More

Magic and the Photograph

It was widely reported in the press (15 September 1997)... Read More

Getting The Right Digital Camera For You

There are really great advantages in digital photography:You can shoot... Read More

Picture Framing for Photographers - Part 2

There are two sources for obtaining the moulding for making... Read More