Best camera for light use?
 

Reginald P. Smithers III, Esq. wrote:
Eisboch wrote:
"Reginald P. Smithers III, Esq." wrote in message
...

D.Duck wrote:

With Digital cameras your image sensor can burn out or get enough bad
pixels that you will want to replace them, but I have never heard
anyone who replaced a camera due to this problem.

No, but it may account for why a digital camera becomes "obsolete"
faster.
The CCD or CMOS sensors are under constant improvement, and not just
in terms of the number of pixels or resolution. Efficiency of
converting light to electrical energy, power drain, sensitivity, etc.

Sorta analogous to new or improved film types developed for older,
film based cameras.

Eisboch


You are absolutely correct, but if you are happy with the quality of
your old camera, when a new improved camera comes out, it does not mean
you have to upgrade. You will continue to get the same quality you have
come to love and enjoy. ;)

We buy a new camera when we loose the old one.

Computers are always upgrading their CPU's, video cards etc. It seems
that the state of the art computer is replaced with a new state of the
art computer every 30 days, but I only replace my computer when it will
no longer do what I want. I probably get a new computer every 5 yrs or so.

I have owned 4 personal computers in the last 20 years. I do not buy a
new one until the old one dies. I did replace a motherboard, CPU and
video card to enable a game I had purchased to work acceptably.

At work it is a new one every three years. Ass soon as it is depreciated
the old one is off to asset recovery and the new one takes its place.
The need for this is due to crappy programming by MS and those who write
programs for MS and the need for increased amounts of memory to run
these sloppy programs.

Best camera for light use?
 

On Nov 28, 11:17*am, "Reginald P. Smithers III, Esq."
wrote:

I am thinking about buying this Nikon P80 as my compact camera. *It not
only has the LCD screen, but an eyepiece so you can hold it the same as
a SLR and see your composition in bright light. *It is not as tiny as
most compact cameras, but it is easy to carry, even if it is bulky in
your pants pocket.

http://www.nikonusa.com/Find-Your-Ni...era/26114/...- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

My wife has a Nikon Coolpix, not sure which model, and it's a damned
fine compact camera. I had a Fujifilm compact that just sucked! The
processor lag was just horrific. I took a lot of blurry shots because
of it. The nikon coolpix doesn't have that lag.

Best camera for light use?
 

On Nov 28, 11:57*am, Tim wrote:
On Nov 28, 9:52*am, wrote:





On Nov 28, 10:35*am, "Reginald P. Smithers III, Esq."

wrote:
D.Duck wrote:
"Reginald P. Smithers III, Esq." wrote in message
m...
Don White wrote:
Wife wants to upgrade from my 3 yr old HP R707 compact digital camera.
This camera works fine...although the original battery doesn't seem to
hold its charge as long anymore while sitting *on the shelf.
Costco just happens to have a super price $270.00 CDN
for its popular Canon A650 IS *compact.
I also see the Nikon D40 on sale here with lens at just under $500.00.
I can't justify the higher end SLRs...especially when they seem be be
somewhat obsolete every three or four years
*vs the old manual film SLRs that were still fine after 20-25 years .My
usage these days is more snapshot than trying to be artistic...although I
do like to do justice to scenery.
The D40 is a great simple to use camera, that can be used in it's auto
settings or allow you to manually adjust all settings.

It is light weight and you and your wife will absolutely be pleased with
the quality.

As far as the "obsolete" factor. *The digital cameras will only be
obsolete, if you want the new and improved features of the newer improved
digital cameras. *If you are pleased with the camera, you can expect over
100,000 photos from the D40. *A digital camera will have an expectant
average life similar to the average film cameras.

Just curious. *What is the *wear out* mechanism in a digital camera?

The shutter and mirror mechanisms are a problem with both digital and
film. *It needs to flip up to take the photo, but not allow any light
through when it is in the down position. *They can lock up or lose there
ability to close completely and not allow any light to pass through. My
wife had an old film camera that the foam around the mirror (to block
the light in the down position), dried up and needed to be replaced. *It
was not worth the expense to repair.

With Digital cameras your image sensor can burn out or get enough bad
pixels that you will want to replace them, but I have never heard anyone
who replaced a camera due to this problem.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

My best 35mm was a Pentax, believe it or not. That thing had more
dents in it than you could imagine and still worked fine. I was hiking
one time and had swung it around my back because I was climbing some
rocks, thing slung around and hit the rocks hard. Didn't hurt it a bit.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Mine was a Yashica TL-Super. Very simple. just your basic apature and
film settings, timer, and had a non digital light meter in the
viewfinder. It got a lot of abuse too. I dropped it onto a concrete
floor from about 10 ft. once. it seemed to look and work fine. But the
viewfinder was now dropped on one edge. in otherwords, what you saw in
the viewer was now tilted. Oh well... It till worked great.I don't use
it anymore but am not afraid to. It was and still is a great camera.

Then I graduated up to a Minolta x-700. It had a lot of gadgets that
were inovative but for me they were unnecessary.

To me , the simpler the better. I suppose.

I think that's why Tom blamed me for being a "Luddite"- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Well, I'll tell you, that Pentax took a lot and kept on ticking, too.
Then I graduated to another Pentax (thinking toughness) that was
electronic, so that you had aperture and shutter priority. That didn't
last nearly as long as my old one.

Best camera for light use?
 

On Fri, 28 Nov 2008 11:17:34 -0500, "Reginald P. Smithers III, Esq."
wrote:

Don White wrote:
"Reginald P. Smithers III, Esq." wrote in message
...
Don White wrote:
Wife wants to upgrade from my 3 yr old HP R707 compact digital camera.
This camera works fine...although the original battery doesn't seem to
hold its charge as long anymore while sitting on the shelf.
Costco just happens to have a super price $270.00 CDN
for its popular Canon A650 IS compact.
I also see the Nikon D40 on sale here with lens at just under $500.00.
I can't justify the higher end SLRs...especially when they seem be be
somewhat obsolete every three or four years
vs the old manual film SLRs that were still fine after 20-25 years .My
usage these days is more snapshot than trying to be artistic...although I
do like to do justice to scenery.
The D40 is a great simple to use camera, that can be used in it's auto
settings or allow you to manually adjust all settings.

It is light weight and you and your wife will absolutely be pleased with
the quality.

As far as the "obsolete" factor. The digital cameras will only be
obsolete, if you want the new and improved features of the newer improved
digital cameras. If you are pleased with the camera, you can expect over
100,000 photos from the D40. A digital camera will have an expectant
average life similar to the average film cameras.


The big thing about the SLRs vs the compact cameras is the size of the
processer.
I saw an illustration where the D40s processor looked like a 35mm slide
compared to an old 110 frame equaling a compact.
Dramatic difference!
Another concern...I really like to control shutter speed, F stop and focus
manually. ( re my Minolta SRT200 manual film SLR)
I'll have to go to a real camera store and find out what the Canon compacts
can do.



There are some compact cameras that do allow you to manually adjust your
shutter speed, aperture, focus and other numerous other settings you did
not have on your film camera, it is still a trade off on compact vs
DSLR. I personally find it very difficult to see the compact LCD screen
in the sun, I (and probably all people) find the small compact camera
impossible to hold steady at slow shutter speeds. You are holding the
camera away from you instead of using your arms and head to stabilize
the camera. On the other hand, the compact cameras fit in a pocket or
purse easily. Many photobugs own both, just so they always carry a
camera and never miss a shot. If you think about it, the best camera is
the one you have with you.

I am thinking about buying this Nikon P80 as my compact camera. It not
only has the LCD screen, but an eyepiece so you can hold it the same as
a SLR and see your composition in bright light. It is not as tiny as
most compact cameras, but it is easy to carry, even if it is bulky in
your pants pocket.

http://www.nikonusa.com/Find-Your-Ni...OLPIX-P80.html

Have you tried out the P80 at all? I'm thinking of a new pocket camera for
my wife. If you try this one out, or buy it, let me know what you think.
Please.
--
John H

*Have a Super Christmas and a Spectacular New Year!*

Best camera for light use?
 

JohnH wrote:
On Fri, 28 Nov 2008 11:17:34 -0500, "Reginald P. Smithers III, Esq."
wrote:

Don White wrote:
"Reginald P. Smithers III, Esq." wrote in message
...
Don White wrote:
Wife wants to upgrade from my 3 yr old HP R707 compact digital camera.
This camera works fine...although the original battery doesn't seem to
hold its charge as long anymore while sitting on the shelf.
Costco just happens to have a super price $270.00 CDN
for its popular Canon A650 IS compact.
I also see the Nikon D40 on sale here with lens at just under $500.00.
I can't justify the higher end SLRs...especially when they seem be be
somewhat obsolete every three or four years
vs the old manual film SLRs that were still fine after 20-25 years .My
usage these days is more snapshot than trying to be artistic...although I
do like to do justice to scenery.
The D40 is a great simple to use camera, that can be used in it's auto
settings or allow you to manually adjust all settings.

It is light weight and you and your wife will absolutely be pleased with
the quality.

As far as the "obsolete" factor. The digital cameras will only be
obsolete, if you want the new and improved features of the newer improved
digital cameras. If you are pleased with the camera, you can expect over
100,000 photos from the D40. A digital camera will have an expectant
average life similar to the average film cameras.

The big thing about the SLRs vs the compact cameras is the size of the
processer.
I saw an illustration where the D40s processor looked like a 35mm slide
compared to an old 110 frame equaling a compact.
Dramatic difference!
Another concern...I really like to control shutter speed, F stop and focus
manually. ( re my Minolta SRT200 manual film SLR)
I'll have to go to a real camera store and find out what the Canon compacts
can do.


There are some compact cameras that do allow you to manually adjust your
shutter speed, aperture, focus and other numerous other settings you did
not have on your film camera, it is still a trade off on compact vs
DSLR. I personally find it very difficult to see the compact LCD screen
in the sun, I (and probably all people) find the small compact camera
impossible to hold steady at slow shutter speeds. You are holding the
camera away from you instead of using your arms and head to stabilize
the camera. On the other hand, the compact cameras fit in a pocket or
purse easily. Many photobugs own both, just so they always carry a
camera and never miss a shot. If you think about it, the best camera is
the one you have with you.

I am thinking about buying this Nikon P80 as my compact camera. It not
only has the LCD screen, but an eyepiece so you can hold it the same as
a SLR and see your composition in bright light. It is not as tiny as
most compact cameras, but it is easy to carry, even if it is bulky in
your pants pocket.

http://www.nikonusa.com/Find-Your-Ni...OLPIX-P80.html

Have you tried out the P80 at all? I'm thinking of a new pocket camera for
my wife. If you try this one out, or buy it, let me know what you think.
Please.
--
John H

*Have a Super Christmas and a Spectacular New Year!*

Someone at the Eastern Sierra workshop had one, and I played with it
some. For me, it is the only compact camera, that I have enjoyed using.
It feels and operates like a DSLR. I am often asked to take a photo
of a couple, and if they have a point and shot, I ask them to set it up
the way they want, and all I do is compose and click the button. If all
you want is a P&S, the compact cameras are easy. If you actually want
to use manual functions, the ease of use can be vary drastically between
cameras.

Best camera for light use?
 

On Fri, 28 Nov 2008 13:59:04 -0500, "Reginald P. Smithers III, Esq."
wrote:

JohnH wrote:
On Fri, 28 Nov 2008 11:17:34 -0500, "Reginald P. Smithers III, Esq."
wrote:

Don White wrote:
"Reginald P. Smithers III, Esq." wrote in message
...
Don White wrote:
Wife wants to upgrade from my 3 yr old HP R707 compact digital camera.
This camera works fine...although the original battery doesn't seem to
hold its charge as long anymore while sitting on the shelf.
Costco just happens to have a super price $270.00 CDN
for its popular Canon A650 IS compact.
I also see the Nikon D40 on sale here with lens at just under $500.00.
I can't justify the higher end SLRs...especially when they seem be be
somewhat obsolete every three or four years
vs the old manual film SLRs that were still fine after 20-25 years .My
usage these days is more snapshot than trying to be artistic...although I
do like to do justice to scenery.
The D40 is a great simple to use camera, that can be used in it's auto
settings or allow you to manually adjust all settings.

It is light weight and you and your wife will absolutely be pleased with
the quality.

As far as the "obsolete" factor. The digital cameras will only be
obsolete, if you want the new and improved features of the newer improved
digital cameras. If you are pleased with the camera, you can expect over
100,000 photos from the D40. A digital camera will have an expectant
average life similar to the average film cameras.

The big thing about the SLRs vs the compact cameras is the size of the
processer.
I saw an illustration where the D40s processor looked like a 35mm slide
compared to an old 110 frame equaling a compact.
Dramatic difference!
Another concern...I really like to control shutter speed, F stop and focus
manually. ( re my Minolta SRT200 manual film SLR)
I'll have to go to a real camera store and find out what the Canon compacts
can do.


There are some compact cameras that do allow you to manually adjust your
shutter speed, aperture, focus and other numerous other settings you did
not have on your film camera, it is still a trade off on compact vs
DSLR. I personally find it very difficult to see the compact LCD screen
in the sun, I (and probably all people) find the small compact camera
impossible to hold steady at slow shutter speeds. You are holding the
camera away from you instead of using your arms and head to stabilize
the camera. On the other hand, the compact cameras fit in a pocket or
purse easily. Many photobugs own both, just so they always carry a
camera and never miss a shot. If you think about it, the best camera is
the one you have with you.

I am thinking about buying this Nikon P80 as my compact camera. It not
only has the LCD screen, but an eyepiece so you can hold it the same as
a SLR and see your composition in bright light. It is not as tiny as
most compact cameras, but it is easy to carry, even if it is bulky in
your pants pocket.

http://www.nikonusa.com/Find-Your-Ni...OLPIX-P80.html

Have you tried out the P80 at all? I'm thinking of a new pocket camera for
my wife. If you try this one out, or buy it, let me know what you think.
Please.
--
John H

*Have a Super Christmas and a Spectacular New Year!*

Someone at the Eastern Sierra workshop had one, and I played with it
some. For me, it is the only compact camera, that I have enjoyed using.
It feels and operates like a DSLR. I am often asked to take a photo
of a couple, and if they have a point and shot, I ask them to set it up
the way they want, and all I do is compose and click the button. If all
you want is a P&S, the compact cameras are easy. If you actually want
to use manual functions, the ease of use can be vary drastically between
cameras.

Thanks. I'll take my wife to the store and have her check it out. I got her
a small one about a year ago, and she doesn't like it. We'll give this one
a try.
--
John H

*Have a Super Christmas and a Spectacular New Year!*

Best camera for light use?
 

Reginald P. Smithers III, Esq. wrote:
JohnH wrote:
On Fri, 28 Nov 2008 11:17:34 -0500, "Reginald P. Smithers III, Esq."
wrote:

Don White wrote:
"Reginald P. Smithers III, Esq." wrote in
message ...
Don White wrote:
Wife wants to upgrade from my 3 yr old HP R707 compact digital
camera.
This camera works fine...although the original battery doesn't
seem to hold its charge as long anymore while sitting on the shelf.
Costco just happens to have a super price $270.00 CDN
for its popular Canon A650 IS compact.
I also see the Nikon D40 on sale here with lens at just under
$500.00.
I can't justify the higher end SLRs...especially when they seem be
be somewhat obsolete every three or four years
vs the old manual film SLRs that were still fine after 20-25
years .My usage these days is more snapshot than trying to be
artistic...although I do like to do justice to scenery.
The D40 is a great simple to use camera, that can be used in it's
auto settings or allow you to manually adjust all settings.

It is light weight and you and your wife will absolutely be pleased
with the quality.

As far as the "obsolete" factor. The digital cameras will only be
obsolete, if you want the new and improved features of the newer
improved digital cameras. If you are pleased with the camera, you
can expect over 100,000 photos from the D40. A digital camera will
have an expectant average life similar to the average film cameras.

The big thing about the SLRs vs the compact cameras is the size of
the processer.
I saw an illustration where the D40s processor looked like a 35mm
slide compared to an old 110 frame equaling a compact.
Dramatic difference!
Another concern...I really like to control shutter speed, F stop
and focus manually. ( re my Minolta SRT200 manual film SLR)
I'll have to go to a real camera store and find out what the Canon
compacts can do.

There are some compact cameras that do allow you to manually adjust
your shutter speed, aperture, focus and other numerous other settings
you did not have on your film camera, it is still a trade off on
compact vs DSLR. I personally find it very difficult to see the
compact LCD screen in the sun, I (and probably all people) find the
small compact camera impossible to hold steady at slow shutter
speeds. You are holding the camera away from you instead of using
your arms and head to stabilize the camera. On the other hand, the
compact cameras fit in a pocket or purse easily. Many photobugs own
both, just so they always carry a camera and never miss a shot. If
you think about it, the best camera is the one you have with you.

I am thinking about buying this Nikon P80 as my compact camera. It
not only has the LCD screen, but an eyepiece so you can hold it the
same as a SLR and see your composition in bright light. It is not as
tiny as most compact cameras, but it is easy to carry, even if it is
bulky in your pants pocket.

http://www.nikonusa.com/Find-Your-Ni...OLPIX-P80.html


Have you tried out the P80 at all? I'm thinking of a new pocket camera
for
my wife. If you try this one out, or buy it, let me know what you think.
Please.
--
John H

*Have a Super Christmas and a Spectacular New Year!*

Someone at the Eastern Sierra workshop had one, and I played with it
some. For me, it is the only compact camera, that I have enjoyed using.
It feels and operates like a DSLR. I am often asked to take a photo of
a couple, and if they have a point and shot, I ask them to set it up the
way they want, and all I do is compose and click the button. If all you
want is a P&S, the compact cameras are easy. If you actually want to
use manual functions, the ease of use can be vary drastically between
cameras.


I'd go for one of these:

http://www.shutterbug.com/equipmentr...06voigtlander/

Best camera for light use?
 

Reginald P. Smithers III, Esq. wrote:
D.Duck wrote:
"Reginald P. Smithers III, Esq." wrote in message
...
Don White wrote:
Wife wants to upgrade from my 3 yr old HP R707 compact digital camera.
This camera works fine...although the original battery doesn't seem
to hold its charge as long anymore while sitting on the shelf.
Costco just happens to have a super price $270.00 CDN
for its popular Canon A650 IS compact.
I also see the Nikon D40 on sale here with lens at just under $500.00.
I can't justify the higher end SLRs...especially when they seem be
be somewhat obsolete every three or four years
vs the old manual film SLRs that were still fine after 20-25 years
.My usage these days is more snapshot than trying to be
artistic...although I do like to do justice to scenery.
The D40 is a great simple to use camera, that can be used in it's
auto settings or allow you to manually adjust all settings.

It is light weight and you and your wife will absolutely be pleased
with the quality.

As far as the "obsolete" factor. The digital cameras will only be
obsolete, if you want the new and improved features of the newer
improved digital cameras. If you are pleased with the camera, you
can expect over 100,000 photos from the D40. A digital camera will
have an expectant average life similar to the average film cameras.


Just curious. What is the *wear out* mechanism in a digital camera?


The shutter and mirror mechanisms are a problem with both digital and
film. It needs to flip up to take the photo, but not allow any light
through when it is in the down position. They can lock up or lose there
ability to close completely and not allow any light to pass through. My
wife had an old film camera that the foam around the mirror (to block
the light in the down position), dried up and needed to be replaced. It
was not worth the expense to repair.

With Digital cameras your image sensor can burn out or get enough bad
pixels that you will want to replace them, but I have never heard anyone
who replaced a camera due to this problem.

I have a Cannon A7 that had the sensor wash out. The camera was 3 yrs
old at the time. Turns out it was a known problem and Canon replaced the
image sensor for free. Turn around time was 1 week. I was very
impressed. We went on a trip last month and I forgot my camera. I picked
up a Canon 470. Turns out it is a very nice camera for casual snapshot
takers like myself and the wife.

Best camera for light use?
 

On Fri, 28 Nov 2008 14:48:46 -0500, Boater wrote:

Reginald P. Smithers III, Esq. wrote:
JohnH wrote:
On Fri, 28 Nov 2008 11:17:34 -0500, "Reginald P. Smithers III, Esq."
wrote:

Don White wrote:
"Reginald P. Smithers III, Esq." wrote in
message ...
Don White wrote:
Wife wants to upgrade from my 3 yr old HP R707 compact digital
camera.
This camera works fine...although the original battery doesn't
seem to hold its charge as long anymore while sitting on the shelf.
Costco just happens to have a super price $270.00 CDN
for its popular Canon A650 IS compact.
I also see the Nikon D40 on sale here with lens at just under
$500.00.
I can't justify the higher end SLRs...especially when they seem be
be somewhat obsolete every three or four years
vs the old manual film SLRs that were still fine after 20-25
years .My usage these days is more snapshot than trying to be
artistic...although I do like to do justice to scenery.
The D40 is a great simple to use camera, that can be used in it's
auto settings or allow you to manually adjust all settings.

It is light weight and you and your wife will absolutely be pleased
with the quality.

As far as the "obsolete" factor. The digital cameras will only be
obsolete, if you want the new and improved features of the newer
improved digital cameras. If you are pleased with the camera, you
can expect over 100,000 photos from the D40. A digital camera will
have an expectant average life similar to the average film cameras.

The big thing about the SLRs vs the compact cameras is the size of
the processer.
I saw an illustration where the D40s processor looked like a 35mm
slide compared to an old 110 frame equaling a compact.
Dramatic difference!
Another concern...I really like to control shutter speed, F stop
and focus manually. ( re my Minolta SRT200 manual film SLR)
I'll have to go to a real camera store and find out what the Canon
compacts can do.

There are some compact cameras that do allow you to manually adjust
your shutter speed, aperture, focus and other numerous other settings
you did not have on your film camera, it is still a trade off on
compact vs DSLR. I personally find it very difficult to see the
compact LCD screen in the sun, I (and probably all people) find the
small compact camera impossible to hold steady at slow shutter
speeds. You are holding the camera away from you instead of using
your arms and head to stabilize the camera. On the other hand, the
compact cameras fit in a pocket or purse easily. Many photobugs own
both, just so they always carry a camera and never miss a shot. If
you think about it, the best camera is the one you have with you.

I am thinking about buying this Nikon P80 as my compact camera. It
not only has the LCD screen, but an eyepiece so you can hold it the
same as a SLR and see your composition in bright light. It is not as
tiny as most compact cameras, but it is easy to carry, even if it is
bulky in your pants pocket.

http://www.nikonusa.com/Find-Your-Ni...OLPIX-P80.html


Have you tried out the P80 at all? I'm thinking of a new pocket camera
for
my wife. If you try this one out, or buy it, let me know what you think.
Please.
--
John H

*Have a Super Christmas and a Spectacular New Year!*

Someone at the Eastern Sierra workshop had one, and I played with it
some. For me, it is the only compact camera, that I have enjoyed using.
It feels and operates like a DSLR. I am often asked to take a photo of
a couple, and if they have a point and shot, I ask them to set it up the
way they want, and all I do is compose and click the button. If all you
want is a P&S, the compact cameras are easy. If you actually want to
use manual functions, the ease of use can be vary drastically between
cameras.


I'd go for one of these:

http://www.shutterbug.com/equipmentr...06voigtlander/

I doubt if my wife would get much joy out of one of those. Now she's got
her own laptop and is pushing for a baby printer to take on scrapbooking
trips.

I can understand your use of 35mm, but its no longer for us.

Thanks, though.
--
John H

*Have a Super Christmas and a Spectacular New Year!*

Best camera for light use?
 

Boater wrote:
Reginald P. Smithers III, Esq. wrote:
JohnH wrote:
On Fri, 28 Nov 2008 11:17:34 -0500, "Reginald P. Smithers III, Esq."
wrote:

Don White wrote:
"Reginald P. Smithers III, Esq." wrote in
message ...
Don White wrote:
Wife wants to upgrade from my 3 yr old HP R707 compact digital
camera.
This camera works fine...although the original battery doesn't
seem to hold its charge as long anymore while sitting on the shelf.
Costco just happens to have a super price $270.00 CDN
for its popular Canon A650 IS compact.
I also see the Nikon D40 on sale here with lens at just under
$500.00.
I can't justify the higher end SLRs...especially when they seem
be be somewhat obsolete every three or four years
vs the old manual film SLRs that were still fine after 20-25
years .My usage these days is more snapshot than trying to be
artistic...although I do like to do justice to scenery.
The D40 is a great simple to use camera, that can be used in it's
auto settings or allow you to manually adjust all settings.

It is light weight and you and your wife will absolutely be
pleased with the quality.

As far as the "obsolete" factor. The digital cameras will only be
obsolete, if you want the new and improved features of the newer
improved digital cameras. If you are pleased with the camera, you
can expect over 100,000 photos from the D40. A digital camera
will have an expectant average life similar to the average film
cameras.

The big thing about the SLRs vs the compact cameras is the size of
the processer.
I saw an illustration where the D40s processor looked like a 35mm
slide compared to an old 110 frame equaling a compact.
Dramatic difference!
Another concern...I really like to control shutter speed, F stop
and focus manually. ( re my Minolta SRT200 manual film SLR)
I'll have to go to a real camera store and find out what the Canon
compacts can do.

There are some compact cameras that do allow you to manually adjust
your shutter speed, aperture, focus and other numerous other
settings you did not have on your film camera, it is still a trade
off on compact vs DSLR. I personally find it very difficult to see
the compact LCD screen in the sun, I (and probably all people) find
the small compact camera impossible to hold steady at slow shutter
speeds. You are holding the camera away from you instead of using
your arms and head to stabilize the camera. On the other hand, the
compact cameras fit in a pocket or purse easily. Many photobugs own
both, just so they always carry a camera and never miss a shot. If
you think about it, the best camera is the one you have with you.

I am thinking about buying this Nikon P80 as my compact camera. It
not only has the LCD screen, but an eyepiece so you can hold it the
same as a SLR and see your composition in bright light. It is not
as tiny as most compact cameras, but it is easy to carry, even if it
is bulky in your pants pocket.

http://www.nikonusa.com/Find-Your-Ni...OLPIX-P80.html


Have you tried out the P80 at all? I'm thinking of a new pocket
camera for
my wife. If you try this one out, or buy it, let me know what you think.
Please.
--
John H

*Have a Super Christmas and a Spectacular New Year!*

Someone at the Eastern Sierra workshop had one, and I played with it
some. For me, it is the only compact camera, that I have enjoyed
using. It feels and operates like a DSLR. I am often asked to take a
photo of a couple, and if they have a point and shot, I ask them to
set it up the way they want, and all I do is compose and click the
button. If all you want is a P&S, the compact cameras are easy. If
you actually want to use manual functions, the ease of use can be vary
drastically between cameras.


I'd go for one of these:

http://www.shutterbug.com/equipmentr...06voigtlander/

I like the idea of a rangefinder, but at this time, I am not interested
in film.