Newbie Question ...

[bigdealguy]

I'd like to share my perception of DSLR vs. point and shoot and invite comment.

Current situation
I am using an Olympus SP-550UZ point and shoot with 18X optical zoom with image stabilization (no face recognition) and a decent super macro that gets me within about 2 inches of a subject. I use the manual settings quite often to get the lighting effects the way I want them. I paid $600 with memory stick and taxes.

There is one major drawback for me and that is the inability to manipulate the focal point to suit me.

For instance, if there are twigs between me and a bird, the twigs win. I have no way of turning the lens to get it to move beyond the twigs and focus on the bird, leaving the foreground twigs out of focus.

Please do not think me modest when I say that to label myself as an "amateur" is to insult many hard-working individuals who study their hobby in order to produce fine works of art.

I have found that good photographs, for me, are about composition and lighting. Finding exciting subjects is a big part of the fun as well.

Perception of DSLR
Please let me share my thoughts as if I know what I am talking about and I invite all to tell me what's wrong with my thinking.

I think the way it works is that I would pay about $800 - $900 just to get in the game and that basic equipment would not include a macro lens or a telescopic lens.

I am told that the quality of the optics is very important, so lenses for close up and telescopic would run me at least $500 apiece.

Also, there is an array of accessories such as filters, protective lenses, and I don't know what-all available.

Would a DSLR solve the problem of manually zooming past foreground objects so that I could focus on the subject that I am interested in?

Am I correct that "feature creep" (lenses and accessories, say flash stuff, etc.) would make my hobby MUCH more expensive than what I am doing now?

Also, I get the feeling that DSLR has a manual adjustment for just about every aspect of photography and I worry that I would be spending more time playing with the hardware than taking pictures. Am I mistaken?

Perhaps I should talk a DSLR owner into loaning me a camera so I can get a feel for it.

While I am not the son of a share cropper like George Jefferson, I am a man of limited means to spend on a hobby.

What parts of my perception are flawed and are there considerations I have not even thought about?

Your thoughts are welcome and I thank you in advance.

[MicWayWal]

Originally Posted by bigdealguy

There is one major drawback for me and that is the inability to manipulate the focal point to suit me.

. . . I have no way of turning the lens to get it to move beyond the twigs and focus on the bird, leaving the foreground twigs out of focus.

Tom,

Yes you do. I went online and looked at the manual for your camera and it appears you have the focus set on 'iESP', p26. This lets the camera decide entirely by itself where to focus. This is not the setting you should be using if you are wanting to get creative with your composition. You should be using spot focus. For most of my shooting situations, I set all my cameras on center spot focus and leave them there. This lets me decide where I want my camera to focus and then when it has focused I can then recompose the image to the composition I want to shoot, p.27

Here is the principle: Learn your camera. It doesn't matter what camera you can afford. Buy what you want or can afford. When you buy it, then set on a journey to learn it. Absorb that manual. The more you know about your camera and experiment with it, the less time you will spend fiddling with it while you are taking pictures. Learn when there is no pressure. Study and understand everything in the manual.

Here is another principle: A camera is not going to solve your problems. They may make things easier or faster or produce a better image, but it is not going to solve your problems. You must solve your own issues and that takes learning the camera. This was easier in the old film days because you bought cameras every 7 or 8 years. Today you may buy a new camera every 7 or 8 months with new things to learn and knobs to twist on every new camera. It can be a beat down.

Finally another principle: If you have to cheap out, and believe me even us pros have to cheap out every now and then, don't cheap out on the lens. $500 on a lens IS cheapening out. Most of my lenses range between $1,000 and $3,000. Spend the money on quality glass and optics. You are going to need it in the next few years with the next generation of chips on the way. I am still using lenses that I bought over ten years ago. Most people spend a ton on the camera and then put a $300 lens on it. That is sawing the limb off you are sitting on. Spend the money on the glass.

LEARN YOUR CAMERA. If you need to try out a new one, rent it over a weekend. By the way I have spent less on filters and accessories in the past ten years than the previous 20 years. You don't need those things anymore with Photoshop available.