Need camera that takes super close shots.

[the chi]

Sweetie, it depends on your definition of good.

I've got 2 P&S's and my DSLR.

Call some of us "picture snobs" if you will, but I agree with Mudpuppy. I carry a P&S everywhere and have been so underwhelmed by the shots I've tried to get on the spur of the moment, I will probably never buy another. A good bit of the time I do carry the DSLR everywhere if I know I may have a chance to get a good shot. But look at it this way, when I go to the track with buddies to get some amateur shots, I will take 100 or more pics to get 1 really good one. And I'm still not usually happy with it. By the time a full day has passed I'll have taken more than 1000 shots. When I go hiking or 4wheeling I take the DSLR, because I never know when I'm going to get the PERFECT shot. And I'll take 20 different shots of the exact same thing to get it juuuuuust right. Your average person isn't going to do that. Especially with a P&S.

We camera nuts are exactly that, NUTS.

Why don't you just agree to disagree?

[Homeslice]

Taking your DSLR on trips and hikes is one thing........That's a no-brainer. But I don't see people carrying an SLR when they are out hanging with friends or shopping or whatever. That's what a P&S or cellphone is for.

There is such a wide range of camera quality anyway. That being the case, it's entirely possible that the best P&S takes better pictures than the worst DSLR. And in order to find that camera, people need to take the time to do some research, by looking at sites & publications that know how to test cameras........ Instead of asking on random message boards or buying whatever Best Buy happens to have on special and then not being happy with it and saying that all P&S suck because of it.

Just MO at least.......as always

[Angee]

DSLR's ROCK! I got a Sony a230 for Christmas last year, and a Tamron AF70-300mm F/4-5.6 lense with macro as an early B-day gift yesterday...OMFG the pics are awesome...yeah, you gotta put some distance between you and the subject, but you can see every detail in crisp clarity...you can get lenses for shooting close up if you want and you can use it for other stuff too. I am about to branch into photography, as my friends are bugging the shit out of me to do pics for them...thus the new lense and lighting/backdrop shopping DSLRs are the best way to go for quality IMO. Mine is down to around 200-300 depending on where you shop.

[Papa_Complex]

Originally Posted by Homeslice

Taking your DSLR on trips and hikes is one thing........That's a no-brainer. But I don't see people carrying an SLR when they are out hanging with friends or shopping or whatever. That's what a P&S or cellphone is for.

There is such a wide range of camera quality anyway. That being the case, it's entirely possible that the best P&S takes better pictures than the worst DSLR. And in order to find that camera, people need to take the time to do some research, by looking at sites & publications that know how to test cameras........ Instead of asking on random message boards or buying whatever Best Buy happens to have on special and then not being happy with it and saying that all P&S suck because of it.

Just MO at least.......as always

That's why Olympus and Panasonic created their Micro Four-Thirds line of cameras:

http://www.dpreview.com/news/1002/10...olypenepl1.asp

http://forums.dpreview.com/previews/panasonicdmcgf2/

... and Samsung released their NX100; you get DSLR quality shots, from a camera that isn't much larger than a compact.

http://forums.dpreview.com/previews/samsungnx100/

I've seen professional landscape shots taken with a P&S camera, but they are decidedly in the minority. The best photographer can squeeze more performance out of any tool that he uses than the average person, but there's an ultimate limit to what a budget tool can produce. Put Rossi on a Honda Cub and me on a ZX-6R, and I bet I'll beat him on a lap around Barber.

[EpyonXero]

Originally Posted by Papa_Complex

I've seen professional landscape shots taken with a P&S camera, but they are decidedly in the minority. The best photographer can squeeze more performance out of any tool that he uses than the average person, but there's an ultimate limit to what a budget tool can produce. Put Rossi on a Honda Cub and me on a ZX-6R, and I bet I'll beat him on a lap around Barber.

Yep. There are physical/techincal limits to what you can get out of a P&S. No matter what your skill level you can only get so much depth of field out of a small sensor, for example, which definitely affects the quality of certain shots.

[Kaneman]

Originally Posted by Papa_Complex

I've seen professional landscape shots taken with a P&S camera, but they are decidedly in the minority. The best photographer can squeeze more performance out of any tool that he uses than the average person, but there's an ultimate limit to what a budget tool can produce. Put Rossi on a Honda Cub and me on a ZX-6R, and I bet I'll beat him on a lap around Barber.

That's a nice comparison!

[Papa_Complex]

Of course the flipside of this is the old standard line:

"That's an excellent picture! You must have a very good camera."

"This meal is delicious! You must have a very good stove."

[the chi]

Originally Posted by Papa_Complex

Of course the flipside of this is the old standard line:

"That's an excellent picture! You must have a very good camera."

"This meal is delicious! You must have a very good stove."

So true!!

[Kaneman]

Originally Posted by Papa_Complex

Of course the flipside of this is the old standard line:

"That's an excellent picture! You must have a very good camera."

"This meal is delicious! You must have a very good stove."

Yea but really....with a good DSLR flash combo, all on auto....you can't really take a "bad" picture, as far as exposure and such goes. The latest line of cameras is amazing.

[Papa_Complex]

Originally Posted by Kaneman

Yea but really....with a good DSLR flash combo, all on auto....you can't really take a "bad" picture, as far as exposure and such goes. The latest line of cameras is amazing.

Oh, I've seen some pretty bad shots from DSLRs too, from people who think that an advanced camera can manage to set levels between a sunny window and a dark room

Something as simple as knowing you need an accessory flash, and how to set it appropriately, is specialized knowledge that the average user doesn't necessarily have.