Why buy expensive big bulky Canon?

[smokey888x2]

A good friend of mine who is a pretty good accomplished photographer of about 30 years said that he thought its sort of crazy/nuts to buy a big bulky camera like Canon's D20 when the kind you can slip into your shirt pocket is all the camera you need these days -- given Digital and all.

He said, that only about the top 3% percent, of really the best photographers can adequately use those big lenses correctly w/ that camera. (and)

That the smaller, carry with you everwhere, pocket size cameras are fantastic! And that's all 97% of camera users need because they do such a wonderful job.

And that w/ the smaller camera we would have it w/ us when we needed it but his main point was that the smaller camera's are really very very adequate. And he uses one very often, I've seen his shots, very good too.

I am deeply thinking about his comments, and wanted to hear from the troops. Take care and thank you.

 

[EOSMan]

Show me any of these with a P&S camera.
And I'm not even good at this.







--
EOSMan
http://www.pbase.com/eosman

 

[Todd Meucci]

I'm 6'7" 270... there's nothing big nor bulky about my 10D. It's all perspective. I wouldn't be able to take a decent shot holding a credit card up to my face. My hands would easily cover not only the lens but the flash as well. Also, have you ever seen a pocket size camera with interchangeable lenses? Point and shoot cameras are called point and shoot for a reason. I believe the DSLR grants infinitely grerater creative latitude... especially after the photo is captured.

A good friend of mine who is a pretty good accomplished
photographer of about 30 years said that he thought its sort of
crazy/nuts to buy a big bulky camera like Canon's D20 when the kind
you can slip into your shirt pocket is all the camera you need
these days -- given Digital and all.

He said, that only about the top 3% percent, of really the best
photographers can adequately use those big lenses correctly w/ that
camera. (and)

That the smaller, carry with you everwhere, pocket size cameras are
fantastic! And that's all 97% of camera users need because they do
such a wonderful job.

And that w/ the smaller camera we would have it w/ us when we
needed it but his main point was that the smaller camera's are
really very very adequate. And he uses one very often, I've seen
his shots, very good too.

I am deeply thinking about his comments, and wanted to hear from
the troops. Take care and thank you.

--
http://www.meucciphotographic.com

 

[hunk]

He said, that only about the top 3% percent,

he is somewhat right. I guess. It must be some 97% of the people who are better off with a small and cheap point and shoot camera.

A dslr is capable of producing much better results, others will point out the differences at this moment I'm sure, butt the majority of people are better off with a p&s because they are cheap, small, light, complete, make movies, etc.

But all the guys and girls at this forum belong to the 3% he mentioned.

 

[Bobo Hodls]

I was having a great time toting around just a Sony 707 until the lens limitations got in the way.

Either it wouldn't go wide enough, or long enough, or CA or blooming got in the way of the image I was attempting. Not all the time, but enough to make me want more. There are options to overcome all of these, but at the cost of image quality.

I long for the days of a lighter bag, but I don't regret the control a DSLR offers. Nor the better quality of interchangeable lenses that I've been able to afford.

It all depends upon the goal. For many a prosumer digital is enough. For others a prosumer digital is the perfect compliment to a D/SLR. Enough is just fine, whatever one's level of enough may be.

--
...Bob, NYC

 

[Kevine310]

Sure a small Point and Shoot camera is more than enough for most people, most avid photographers and pros in this forum need more control over their images, and therefore, a SLR is the way to go. Of course a good quality point and shoot camera or even a faux "SLR" can produce very high quality images, SLRs are still the standard for most professional users. because the creative conrol you have over your iamges. I'm pretty sure that your friend has several SLRs.

Most of us do also have P&S cameras for taking snap shots of our family or on vacation, but I always use the "bulky" 20D when taking creative shots.

There are also situations where a rich amatures waste thousands of dollars on a SLR and have no IDEA how to use it!!! I once hear a guy asking why he couldn't see the images on the LCD screen but only the small viewfinder?? (he clearly is wasting his time and money and would probably get better shots from a P&S camera) At least you're doing your research before you buy!!

 

[smokey888x2]

Kevine310 wrote:
At

least you're doing your research before you buy!!

Kevine310:

Exactly true, thank you for your thorough and thoughtful response.

 

[Robert D. McGee1]

It is merely the old "Horses for Courses" situation. The pocket cameras like the S400 Canon and the like are wonderful for snapshots. They will actually do quite well with average picture taking situations. Most people will no doubt be happy with them.

The problem is, once you have produced a really nice "smooth", grainless, 13x19 or larger print (up to 20x30 or so) most regulars here will never again be satisfied with less. Let's face it, the DSLR's ARE large, ARE heavy, and they are a pain to lug around with all of the extra lenses, tripods, monopods, etc. They typically require a good bit of post processing also. BUT THEY CAN PRODUCE WONDERFUL IMAGES at most any size needed. I, for one, am held captive to that standard. I also have a smile on my face!

Dale53
http://www.pbase.com/dale53

 

[Jim McGill]

The shutter is the key to good photography. Press the shutter on a P/S and then wait till it decides when it wants to take the photo.

You want to shoot what you see in the view finder at that moment and not a few seconds lateer. That is one of the advantages of a good SLR.

Jim

Sure a small Point and Shoot camera is more than enough for most
people, most avid photographers and pros in this forum need more
control over their images, and therefore, a SLR is the way to go.
Of course a good quality point and shoot camera or even a faux
"SLR" can produce very high quality images, SLRs are still the
standard for most professional users. because the creative conrol
you have over your iamges. I'm pretty sure that your friend has
several SLRs.

Most of us do also have P&S cameras for taking snap shots of our
family or on vacation, but I always use the "bulky" 20D when taking
creative shots.
There are also situations where a rich amatures waste thousands of
dollars on a SLR and have no IDEA how to use it!!! I once hear a
guy asking why he couldn't see the images on the LCD screen but
only the small viewfinder?? (he clearly is wasting his time and
money and would probably get better shots from a P&S camera) At
least you're doing your research before you buy!!

 

[Stephen J. Mak]

For many, a P&S is fine. For many applications, P&S are fine, and in some cases superior to DSLRs. If you consider that the bulk of photos are taken as momentos of an occasion, a trip, or for some documentary purposes, a P&S is fine. They've come a long way from a film P&S.

Where you may want a DSLR (having just bought one myself in the last month) is if you want to exercise more creative control over your photographs, and you see taking pictures as more than just momentos.

I see lots of people who buy extortiately expensive lenses, mounted on ridiculously expensive bodies, and take snapshots of their kids so send to Grandma. If that's what you want to do, save your money, and get a good P&S. If you want to take photographs as a means of expression, AND you feel you've outgrown the limitations that a P&S has, get a DSLR.

Don't buy a DSLR just because you think you have to. Because you don't. I've got tons of photographs that I'm really happy with, from a creative perspective, that I took with a 2.0MP 3x Optical Zoom P&S.

However, the photos I take now, with my DSLR, are more challenging to capture.

A good friend of mine who is a pretty good accomplished
photographer of about 30 years said that he thought its sort of
crazy/nuts to buy a big bulky camera like Canon's D20 when the kind
you can slip into your shirt pocket is all the camera you need
these days -- given Digital and all.

He said, that only about the top 3% percent, of really the best
photographers can adequately use those big lenses correctly w/ that
camera. (and)

That the smaller, carry with you everwhere, pocket size cameras are
fantastic! And that's all 97% of camera users need because they do
such a wonderful job.

And that w/ the smaller camera we would have it w/ us when we
needed it but his main point was that the smaller camera's are
really very very adequate. And he uses one very often, I've seen
his shots, very good too.

I am deeply thinking about his comments, and wanted to hear from
the troops. Take care and thank you.

 

[smokey888x2]

But all the guys and girls at this forum belong to the 3% he
mentioned.

KaChing!! I got a very good laugh from that one, very good

 

[canonballs]

A good friend of mine who is a pretty good accomplished
photographer of about 30 years said that he thought its sort of
crazy/nuts to buy a big bulky camera like Canon's D20 ...

Funny, my 1st thought when getting my hands on a 20d was "How uncomfortably small!"...

--
canonballs

 

[smokey888x2]

Please, tell us the rest of the story, 'what kind' of camera have you been using then?

A good friend of mine who is a pretty good accomplished
photographer of about 30 years said that he thought its sort of
crazy/nuts to buy a big bulky camera like Canon's D20 ...

Funny, my 1st thought when getting my hands on a 20d was "How
uncomfortably small!"...

--
canonballs

 

[hunk]

for me

bigger size is better because its easier to hold still
non-lcd viewfinder is better because I can see people blink through it
I like the 10-400mm range i've got now
DOF can be much smaller, so I can isolate my subject from the background
bigger sensor = less noise = more room for extreme postprocessing
large buffer, most p&s are easy memory-saturated

shutter-response, on a slr the picture is taken only some ms after pressing the button
af and mf are much better controlable through optical viewfinder
you can attach a big flash
and you get the Canon logo embossed

 

[canonballs]

Please, tell us the rest of the story, 'what kind' of camera have
you been using then?

I suppose that's the whole point - I don't even have a DSLR background, and 20d still felt small - I have a definite feeling it would be much more comfortable to hold and operate if it were larger.

I used to have a Zenit SLR when I was much younger, and have had a P&S - sure, that one could only be desrcibed as microscopic.

--
canonballs

 

[Wild-Mike]

He said, that only about the top 3% percent, of really the best
photographers can adequately use those big lenses correctly w/ that
camera. (and)

That the smaller, carry with you everwhere, pocket size cameras are
fantastic! And that's all 97% of camera users need because they do
such a wonderful job.

And that w/ the smaller camera we would have it w/ us when we
needed it but his main point was that the smaller camera's are
really very very adequate. And he uses one very often, I've seen
his shots, very good too.

I am deeply thinking about his comments, and wanted to hear from
the troops. Take care and thank you.

You're joking, right? If it's no joke then put I'd like to put him to the test. I doubt your friend could get 80% of the shots I have at my site with a small P&S.

Regards,
Mike

--
New Gallery (in development stage) http://wnyphoto.com
Photography is just one of my hobbies

 

[Hoang Pham]

He said, that only about the top 3% percent, of really the best
photographers can adequately use those big lenses correctly w/ that
camera. (and)

That the smaller, carry with you everwhere, pocket size cameras are
fantastic! And that's all 97% of camera users need because they do
such a wonderful job.

And that w/ the smaller camera we would have it w/ us when we
needed it but his main point was that the smaller camera's are
really very very adequate. And he uses one very often, I've seen
his shots, very good too.

I am deeply thinking about his comments, and wanted to hear from
the troops. Take care and thank you.

You're joking, right? If it's no joke then put I'd like to put him
to the test. I doubt your friend could get 80% of the shots I have
at my site with a small P&S.

Regards,
Mike

--
New Gallery (in development stage) http://wnyphoto.com
Photography is just one of my hobbies

--
photoblog http://www.xanga.com/nviati

 

[Kevin Krows]

He might be right if all you shoot is sunsets. But trying doing this with a PS

1. Stop an Indy car on the finish line going 225 miles per hour.
2. Shoot a basketball game in an old high school gym.

3. Grab a shot of an eagle in flight as it swoops down and grabs a fish out of the water.

4. Catch a shot of a building being imploded from behind the safety zone (1/2 mile away).

5. Soften (blurr) the background of a picture of a mother holding her baby so your attention is only on them.

I've learned a lot on this forum. The most important lesson is that everyone has an opinion. The second most important lesson is that opinions are like a bell curve....the one's in the middle are most valued.

If your friend is as accomplished as you say I bet 30 minutes with a "20D" not "D20" would change his mind and he'd be using his shirt pocket to hold the lens cap. I know it changed my position.

As you are deep in thought, think more about what you want to accomplish. I PS is for you ... I think that's GREAT! I hope you will have the same respect for DSLR owners and what they are trying to accomplish as well.

Thanks for letting me present my side of the coin and best of luck to you!

Kevin Krows
(Canon 20D, Panasonic FZ20, and Minolta Xg (shirt pocket) owner)

A good friend of mine who is a pretty good accomplished
photographer of about 30 years said that he thought its sort of
crazy/nuts to buy a big bulky camera like Canon's D20 when the kind
you can slip into your shirt pocket is all the camera you need
these days -- given Digital and all.

He said, that only about the top 3% percent, of really the best
photographers can adequately use those big lenses correctly w/ that
camera. (and)

That the smaller, carry with you everwhere, pocket size cameras are
fantastic! And that's all 97% of camera users need because they do
such a wonderful job.

And that w/ the smaller camera we would have it w/ us when we
needed it but his main point was that the smaller camera's are
really very very adequate. And he uses one very often, I've seen
his shots, very good too.

I am deeply thinking about his comments, and wanted to hear from
the troops. Take care and thank you.

--
Kevin Krows

 

[Brian Kennedy]

He said, that only about the top 3% percent, of really the best
photographers can adequately use those big lenses correctly w/ that
camera. (and)

When you think of all of the amateur photographers and point and shooters out there, I think it's safe to say the 20D forum members (and other DSLR owners here) make up a lot less than 3%. ;-)

I say that only a little tongue in cheek. Sure, a P&S works great for most photogs, but for me and lots of others here, even the 20D sensor is a bit small. I wouldn't want to go with an even smaller sensor.

--
Brian Kennedy
http://www.briankennedy.net/

 

[PaulyOly]

A good friend of mine who is a pretty good accomplished
photographer of about 30 years said that he thought its sort of
crazy/nuts to buy a big bulky camera like Canon's D20 when the kind
you can slip into your shirt pocket is all the camera you need
these days -- given Digital and all.

I don't believe the friend said story. Either he doesn't know the differences between Dslrs and non-dslrs or you are your friend and you don't know the difference. Did you friend not use a big bulky film slr for 30+ years? For most people shutter lag is the big difference or control of dof. These are things that are lacking on the shirt pocket cameras. Of course we are talking about heresay anyway which is non-admissable in this forum. We really need to here it from your friend. You can't get every shot you need from a shirt pocket camera with a 10-60mm zoom with a sensor with a 3.6x crop factor.

He said, that only about the top 3% percent, of really the best
photographers can adequately use those big lenses correctly w/ that
camera. (and)

What big lenses? Many here don't have any big lenses. If he means only 3% could use a 600 f4L correctly then i'd agree with him. A 24-70 f2.8L is large compared to point and shoot cameras, but i know more than 3% of people can use it correctly, it's not that complicated.

That the smaller, carry with you everwhere, pocket size cameras are
fantastic! And that's all 97% of camera users need because they do
such a wonderful job.

They are fantastic if you want everything in focus, but not if you only want your subject infocus. They are fantastic if your subject isn't moving. Personally I think the shutter lag on these cameras is much longer than it could be and used to think it was this way to protect the higher end dslrs, but of course then you have sony who doesn't make dslrs so i guess it really is a limitation of having the live preview.

And that w/ the smaller camera we would have it w/ us when we
needed it but his main point was that the smaller camera's are
really very very adequate. And he uses one very often, I've seen
his shots, very good too.

That's what camera phones are for, they are fantastic.

I am deeply thinking about his comments, and wanted to hear from
the troops. Take care and thank you.

Lots of people buy a camera that is more than they need, just as many people buy a vehicle that is more than they need, like a hummer for instance, who really needs a hummer? If people get more enjoyment out of using a Dslr then there is nothing nutz/crazy about that, just like people get more enjoyment from driving a hummer. if you don't like the size of a dlsr then that is where the smaller cameras come in, but neither can do exactly the same things that the other can.

--



Narrow depth of field ahead
Use extreme caution

http://www.pbase.com/paulyoly/root