Did You Still Use Your P&S Compact Ever?

[Ribber]

For those that moved up to a DSLR from a P&S or compact camera, do
you find any use for the Compact now or has it become an unused
relic?

Still keeping a set of batteries charged for my S1. It's loads of fun to shoot with, and my girlfriend doesn't go into convulsions trying to take a picture with it (she won't even touch the XTi in green box mode :\). Point. Shoot. Gotta love it!

--
I wanna be an amateur when I grow up.

 

[BobT]

I'm interested in this post as well. I have a 300D and several lenses that I find I'm using more and more over my P&S anymore. But my P&S is a Sony H-2 which, when the hood is attached, is close to the size of the DSLR. Much lighter in weight though. The H-2 still requires a camera bag, and still doesn't fit into any pocket.

So right now I'm torn between keeping it, or selling it to purchase another lens for the DSLR.
Any advice?
Thanks
Bob

 

[jpiano]

I bought an Olympus SP-350 8mpix p&s camera to suppliment my 5D and my Xti. Each has it's advantages and each it's drawbacks. I use the little Oly when I hike and ride my mountian bike. It's always clipped to my belt and I can remove it and take a photo all with one hand, return it to my belt while holding my bike with my other hand. I don't even know it's there until I need it. It takes great pictures and requires little PP as compared to the Canons. It has great scene modes which require little thought to get great photos. I know enough to know when to override the auto settings, but don't have to do it very often. I use my Canons almost always in AV and Manual modes and when I am doing serious photography for hire. There are just too many occasions where I don't want to expose my Canons to the risks involved. I also have an Olympus E-20N which stays in my car trunk and it also takes wonderful pictures, even if it is slow by today's standards.

 

[ziggy25]

I dont have one but im actually planning to get one.

I recently bought a 400D. Its a great camera but there are situations where i find that the image that is produced is not guaranteed to be perfect. This is not because of the camera but because im still learning how to use it.

I've decided to get a P&S to compliment the 400d. I will probably use it to learn how to use the 400d. Im planning to use the Auto feature on the P&S and replicate the settings on the 400d. The Auto feature on the 400d is a bit unreliable. It doesnt really produce the type of quality that is produced on P&S on Auto.

 

[Joe Photo Lover]

I have the Canon Xt and I took my my Canon G3 with me to Las Vegas back in 2005. That may be the last time I used it. I took just two still shots with the G3 but I did take a couple of nice little video clips like the water show at the Bellagio. It did a nice job and captured the music which accompanied the show. Nice memories and the camera also gave me the peace of mind of knowing that I had a backup camera if I needed one.

The main reasons I don't use my two P&S cameras anymore are poor performance at above 100 ISO, and both slow start up times and intolerable shutter response as compared to DSLR's.

 

[NJOceanView]

Michael Reichmann at The Luminous Landscape makes a great case for why he sometimes uses his S3 P&S instead of his Canon SLRs, and reading his articulation on his site expresses the issue very well. I keep my P&S for similar occasions, but I have to say that I do lug my camera and three lenses with me almost all the time. If the right photo op comes along, I really need the SLR.

 

[Ladehaug]

I was using the Canon S40 before I got the 300D back in june 2004. I 'forgot' the S40 for about one year, and then had a small session with it again. But it was both slow to operate and gave pretty inferiour results compared to the 300D. Later I just gave it away to my family, since their first digital P&S suddenly stopped working. Sure, the 300D is big compared to a small P&S, but I usually don't feel limited because of the size. The fast focusing and great IQ definately makes the choice easy to me. I have the camera strap and usually carry it around my neck or shoulder. Sometimes I bring the camera bag, which is also quite handy and relatively small (room for camera, flash, one additional lens, extra CF and battery). The bag has both a decent hand strap and a shoulder strap, so it's quite convenient really. Photography is such a passion to me, and I always shoot RAW for best IQ/colors and have a streamlined workflow for postprocessing, so all in all I don't mind dragging the equipment with me.

--
Geir

 

[Drebeler]

I finally bought some new NiMHs and 15 minute charger for my old
Nikon 990 yesterday and had a ball with it today taking "movies"
and macro shots with it (took a long time to figure out how it worked
again tho....).

I like that "not squeezed against my face/glasses" arms length
shot and the live LCD viewfinder. I realised how many times I wished
I had a 'moving-type' photo if even a crappy little 40 second movie
from the 990 of something sometimes... versus only a still image.

Shooting macro with the Coolpix's is nuts.

Shooting again with the 990 also reinforced how much better a DSLR is too.
It's fun to try out and use other cameras.

(15 min's to recharge 4 AA NiMH's?! Used to take almost 2 hours!)
Drebeler.
=================

I just aquired an XTi and don't think I'll be using my Canon A70
camera much anymore. My first inclination was to keep it for
who knows when it might come in handy, but I also wonder if it will
become another one of those things that I don't want to throw
out/give away/sell, but will wind up never using again.

For those that moved up to a DSLR from a P&S or compact camera, do
you find any use for the Compact now or has it become an unused
relic?

 

[ValveTubeHead]

I use my p&s at work almost daily for documentation of bio experiments...use to haul in my dslr and lenses, but it became just too inconvenient. I use my two dslrs on weekends, or whenever I want absolute best image quality. I'd be sunk without my little casio ex-z750, it takes fantastic snapshots:



--
'...you shouldn't let poets lie to you.' Björk Guðmundsdóttir

 

[Drebeler]

I use my p&s at work almost daily for documentation of bio
experiments...use to haul in my dslr and lenses, but it became just
too inconvenient. I use my two dslrs on weekends, or whenever I
want absolute best image quality. I'd be sunk without my little
casio ex-z750, it takes fantastic snapshots:

Thats one heck of a bio experiment, TubeHead!
Nice shot. Nice car. Nice n' California warm looking.

Drebeler

 

[ghpoty]

P&S even give me more better shots than the DSLR. Check this page, all close-up portrait are from IXUS 800 IS.
http://www.photos-of-the-year.com/articles/nanning/

--
http://www.photography-blog.com/

 

[Howard J Yune]

Since I got my Rebel XT in March 2005, that camera has been IT for me - haven't owned any other. Now, I routinely bring the camera bag to work to be ready to shoot on a moment's notice, or when my assignment is far enough away that the regular photogs won't bother.

But now I wonder... should I buy a good point-and-shoot for certain situations? I'm thinking of two - purely social occasions (out with friends at a restaurant or bar, say) and those times when you're off-duty and not expecting to work... but news breaks in front of you. My Domke bag is now quite stuffed and therefore heavy (I stack the kit lens and Thrifty Fifty atop each other now), and it occurs to me... what about having a Fuji F20 or F30 as a backup? Those are the only ones I'll consider, on account of their high-ISO capabilities.

If I had an F20 stashed in the glove box, would I be that much quicker on the draw in an emergency? If I carried it instead of the XT and my Sigma 30mm f/1.4, would my friends be that much more relaxed? Whatever answers I can expect to these questions will help me decide whether to pull the trigger on that.

Please feel free with your suggestions.

Thanks,
Howard

 

[Justme]

I just aquired an XTi and don't think I'll be using my Canon A70
camera much anymore. My first inclination was to keep it for
who knows when it might come in handy, but I also wonder if it will
become another one of those things that I don't want to throw
out/give away/sell, but will wind up never using again.

For those that moved up to a DSLR from a P&S or compact camera, do
you find any use for the Compact now or has it become an unused
relic?

There is a time and a place for a P&S. Can't drag a DSLR around everywhere. A DSLR with big lens can be obtrusive at times. A P&S like a S400 or F30 remains out of the way and "invisible" until I'm ready to use it.

I lost my S400 some time ago but here is a gallery of images I wouldn't have gotten otherwise because my DSLR would have been at home.
http://www.pbase.com/golfpic/canon_s400_gallery

A P&S makes for a ready macro cam:
http://www.pbase.com/golfpic/image/76874600

--

I know you mean well but please do not embed my images into the forum. Thanks for respecting that.
http://www.pbase.com/golfpic/some_recent_shots

 

[Language Lab]

But now I wonder... should I buy a good point-and-shoot for
certain situations? I'm thinking of two - purely social occasions
(out with friends at a restaurant or bar, say) and those times when
you're off-duty and not expecting to work... but news breaks in
front of you. My Domke bag is now quite stuffed and therefore heavy
(I stack the kit lens and Thrifty Fifty atop each other now), and
it occurs to me... what about having a Fuji F20 or F30 as a backup?
Those are the only ones I'll consider, on account of their high-ISO
capabilities.

I bought the F10 as a companion to my DSLR and have now upgraded to the F31. Yes, for the social occasions when you can put it in your pocket and pull it out when you suddenly see something worth shooting, it is just great. I have done this time and again. Recently, at a wedding, I met a lot of old friends and when the groom came to our table, I asked for a group photo and got some great ones - with and without flash.

I would suggest the F31 as it does have some advantages over the F20 and F30. At high ISO the F31 is a bit more noisy than the F30 but it retains more detail (other F31 users have attested to this) probably because there is less noise removal done in-camera. After noise removal in software, the F31 shots look to me still better than the high ISO shots straight from the F30.

Also, the F31 handles highlights better and tends less to blow them out. Colour is less vivid than other P&S cameras but resembles those from the XT or XTi. And, believe it or not, I find that auto white balance with the F31 under certain conditions indoors is better than the auto white balance of the XTi.

The F31 also has a text mode that is great as a portable scanner or document copier that you can keep in your pocket. I have not tested it yet as I only read about it in the Fuji forum last night. The results are truly sharp and clear, even at ISO 1600!

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1012&message=22787178

Have a look at this review comparing the F31fd to the F40fd:

http://dc.watch.impress.co.jp/cda/review/2007/04/10/6004.html

 

[Khizhiy]

I use two my Canon A95's for stereo photography and on a lot of occasions when the light weight is more important then the image quality. Good for documentaries. And no shutter means noiseless operation (candids) and almost unlimited "milage" (take as many shots as you like).
Then, my wife often takes the Canons when she needs a camera.

The other reason to keep the A95's is sad: my Nikon D70 is away from me for repair. It will take a month more, the serviceman said.

sergei

 

[PicPocket]

I tried to use it a few times and was irritated by not getting out of picture review by half pressing shutter. Then putting it to my eye just to realize how funny that looks. Trying to control my shot in AV mode and what not

But It was a nice camera afterall. So, Yes, it still finds one use. And thats to capture shots of my 400D













Not bad for still providing that service

--
PicPocket
http://pictures.ashish-pragya.com

 

[XTIGuy]

I think I recently forfeited my old A60. The CCD was starting to go, or so I thought after reading about how Canon was going to cover the repair under warranty. I sent the camera in to their third party repair facility. Turns out the CCD is fine but my cable from the CCD is the culprit. $75.- to fix it so I say no way I'll come by and pick it up next time I'm in town. They said they hold it for 30 days. That was a couple of months ago.

I do remember using it a few times after getting the XTi and can comment on how painfully slow it was. And how poor the pics are after viewing my XTi shots. Even if I had it here, working perfectly, I'd probably never ever use it for those reasons.

Cheers!

--
http://londonshutter.photoblog.com

Canon XTi, Canon Elan II (still playing with film), Holga 120 and a dog.

 

[Coffeegirl]

It is great when you aren't in a 'photographic' mood and just need to take snaps to record memories. Or when you know the location wont be ideal and produce top notch shots but for whatever reason you need to take photos. I can think of so many times where I have used the P&S over the SLR, mostly for things that require fast photo taking, challenging conditions, convenience, obligatory memory recording and a host of other circumstances.

This week is one such example, I need to take a photograph for someone inside a store at the mall but I'll be shopping and busy doing other things -- I just need the snap and be gone so the P&S will be thrown into my handbag for the day. That is probably an extreme circumstance and not an everyday thing but there have been so many little things I have needed to take photos of that dont need to be photographic masterpieces created with an SLR, but rather just need to be taken with minimal inconvenience.

--
Michelle

 

[johneb2]

Still use my p&s when skiing. It is a heck of a lot easier to ski with a p&s in the pocket than a DSLR in a backpack! John E B

 

[polizonte]

but I prefer how my my XTi handles "on land".