Giving up on Digital for a while.

[sam_cooke]

Well, after a week of playing with my Canon S45, I am returning it and

will be waiting a while before getting back to digital. As much as I

do like what digital has to offer, I simply could not handle some of

the limitations and the mindset required to work in digital right now.

The biggest problem I found was that almost every snapshot I took of

family and friends had red eye problems. In three years of using my

Elan7 I have never had red eye once. To go into paint shop pro and fix

red eye is just not something I want to be doing, at least not as

often as I had to this past week.

Another issue was simply the difficulty of getting shots of my kids

playing basketball and indoor soccer during their lessons. Even though

the gym is well lit, you just can't get exposure that lets you take

hand held shots or a fast enough exposure to freeze the action even at

ISO 400.

Clearly using (and still learning to use) a good SLR has spoiled me

and using a small digital like the S45 just does not cut it. I went

for the S45 so I could get into digital and save up for the likes of

the D10. But after this experience I think I am better off just

putting the money spent on the S45 towards my D10 fund. Or I just

might wait for an affordable full frame digital in the D10 price

range, so I don't end up having to buy a super wide.

 

So for now I will keep shooting with my trusty Elan7 which I have

never had problems with and it takes wonderful pictures, even though

it does not have the conveniences of digital.

[paq]

I felt the EXACT same way after trying to buy a number of digital cameras. The non-slr ones always had weird noise problems, longer shutter speeds, and just bad quality compared to anything i could get out of my SLR film camera.

 

I will say, though, that I changed all that when i bought a digital rebel. it's just awesome and i think if you save for the d10, if you're accustomed to the elan7, you'll be pleasantly pleased. I know i am just swapping over to a rebel digital.

 

So, i just wanted to let you know i feel your pain and there is hope. I was just happy the rebel digital came in a price range that is close to some upper level digicams.

[oskar_ojala]

Well a digital P&S is a different animal than a DSLR. Maybe it's best for you to aim for a DSLR, it all depends on what you do and how you want to work.

[brian_diaz]

I went throught the same process. I had a Sony DSC S85 for about 2 months before I sold it and put the proceeds towards a Canon 10D. I can't describe my elation when I finally got the DSLR. Everything that I disliked about my digicam was corrected, and everything that made me want to shoot digitally over film was covered, too.

 

What we've both learned the hard way is that you just can't compare a film SLR to a digital P&S. Don't consider yourself spoiled by the SLR. Consider yourself enlightened. It'll make you feel better.

[erb_duchenne]

Well... two different worlds. Let me put it the other way round. It may look more ridiculous;

 

"I just bought a film P&S. I can't believe it!!! Can't change lenses, red eye, having to finish 36 shots, wasting the last 3, only to have to wait till the next day for the film to be developed to see the results. They tell me I can scan the photos, correct the red eye on the computer, then re-print the corrected image. But I won't be doing that. I guess I'm spoilt having gotten used to my DSLR."

[kook]

Hi!

 

You're giving up on digital but I'm giving up on my trusty EOS 30 (Elan 7)! This is my story: I have been using SLRs for 15 years and they have been doing everything I wanted except for the fact they were big and getting final pictures was a quite long and painful process (painful because sometimes labs can destroy everything). Some weeks ago I bought Canon G3 to try this new digital world. I took it outside, did a lot of pictures and believe me! - they were REALLY TERRIBLE!!! But I was stubborn: I read the whole manual (210 pages) and all advice and tips I found in the Internet. My next photo shooting was acceptable but I knew that it is possible to get better results (I saw so many beautiful pictures on the net taken with this camera). So I read all that stuff again and again and then practiced it. I can't say I know all about this camera but now I know enough to enjoy it. Flexible LCD screen is fantastic! The camera is small, light and I can have my pics without "help" from labs and it is so convenient!!! I am satisfied even with the subjects which at the beginning seemed to be impossible to shoot (fast motion pics). I had to learn some trics to overcome slow AF but it was possible! This is why I am going to sell my old gear. I don't want to prove that digital is better etc. but I want to tell that it is completely DIFFERENT! and it takes time to learn it.

[navarra]

What were you expecting? You bought a COMPACT camera, and you compare it to an SRL. The red eye problem comes from the position of the flash, it has nothing to do with digital, and compact film cameras have the same problem. Now I'm not saying the problems aren't there (you didn't even mention how bad the ISO400 noise is on the S45) but if you want a small camera you get some drawbacks.

 

Most of my pictures in my portfolio are taken with an S40. I don't say they are any good, but sure they don't have great technical problems. Hope you'll find the best camera for your needs soon!

 

Simone

[sam_cooke]

Well, I never said that I expected miracles from a compact camera. I knew it would have limits and compromises. Still the experience just isn't quite what I had hoped. Also please remember here in Canada, the prices are considerably higher (please don't tell me to buy on-line, I like to support local merchants for some stuff and I don't mean the Best Buy's). My plan has always been to get a DSLR as soon as I can afford one. The S45 was meant to tie me over until I could. Now I know I need one sooner then later and saving the money by returning the S45 will make the happen, well, sooner. Finally (this is only my personal opinion), I am not much into having to touch up photos to minimize grain or remove red eye using photohsop or whatever. If I set the proper exposure (off course there is composition etc), I expect the picture should come out good and that's it. I don't want to think, "Ok, now I have to go into photoshop and see which photos out of the hundreds I took I need to touch up". I just want to shoot, view and decide which ones to print.

I just though that I would be ok with the S45 and it's limitations, but unfortunately am not. Not that it's not a good camera or anything like that. Also, I know that owning a SLR digital or otherwise does not make me a better photogrpaher or anything. I am still working on that. Also please note I am not some film fanatic against digital. I was just hoping there would be less post processing and it seems DSLRs will be more in tune with that. I do definitely want to go digital. It will just have to be a little longer then I was hoping.

[mark_kolanowski]

Sam ,Its obvious that you enjoy both the control and images that your Elan gives you. This will carry over into the DSLR you will end up with. And even that camera will have other " quirks " to overcome just as I have to deal with the differences in using an F100 or S2. 1.5 mag factor, 1/125 synch, slower auto focus , narrower exposure latitude,small dim viewfinder, vs built in flash , change ISO/white balance on the fly, instant gratification of seeing a great image or deleteing a poor one without it costing me $0.50 a pop. Its all about choosing the tool that works for you under a given set of shooting conditions and understanding the limiting factors of each. The first thing I learned about using my Stylus Epic ( film NPZ) and S30 (Digital) was to turn the flash off 90% of the time, the other 10% .... for "party pix " the subjects eyes were red anyway! :) But I did and continue to make some good images that captured available light moments with a small pocket camera that was with me when I wanted to make photos. Without lugging around a full SLR/DSLR rig. If possible keep your S45 and learn to use it to its full potential ... Its a fine little camera. Alot of what you learn with the S45 will carry over into your DSLR image making . Mark

[paulr]

Hi Sam,

 

I carry a Leica M6 and also a Nikon D100 as a precursor to the future. Use

your SLR's and digitals in manual. To much auto this and auto that.

 

I think your last sentence says it all. Thats why the Leica is my primary

camera.

[robert_roaldi1]

I have just a short comment about your last sentence. You mentioned "convenience" of digital. I don't think it's more convenient it's just that you trade one "convenience" for another.

 

I use both film and digital. There is no doubt that it's sometimes very handy to download the 3 pics I took earlier in the day if I need to print them in a hurry. But spending hours looking at a monitor when I've taken dozens of pictures, after working all day at a computer, is not a fun evening. In large numbers, I prefer looking at a handful of prints or slides.

[greg s]

My main camera is a DSLR, but I use a P&S when appropriate as well. Flash photography with the P&S generally would not fit into its use, though for close up macro type shots it has worked out quite well. Mostly the P&S is used for those macros and for casual vacation type snapshots, where it proves itself to be an invaluable asset.

 

I just xfer the shots to my PC, choose the best, do a quick PS adjust, upload what I want over the net to the lab, and get excellent prints for 31 cents each. Love it! :)

[navarra]

Sam, usually images coming out of a DSRL need to be adjusted before printing. I won't go into technical details, but usually digital images look softer than you would expect so you need to open them up in pshop and use the Unsharp Mask filter to make them look better. Compact digicams have in-camera software that sharpens the images, but if you want the best quality you don't want an automated software to mess with your images.

Canon cameras tend to give a "neutral" looking color as well. If you want your pictures to have more saturation and contrast, you need to do that in photoshop as well. Again this process can be automated in-camera, but again you don't want your camera to choose how your colors will look like.

I retouch 100% of the images I'm going to print. Be it only a minor unsharp mask or curves adjustment, but 300D images (or 10D) need to be retouched. Not to say that you might start to shoot RAW (wich I still consider useless but most people don't) wich means even more post-processing.

That's just to say that if you really don't want to spend time on the computer elaborating images you might still feel disappointed by a dslr.

 

Simone

[digitmstr]

None, and I mean absolutely ZERO of what you have experienced is a product of "DIGITAL". That is to say: red eye is NOT a digital issue, low light photography is NOT a digital issue.

 

1) you are comparing a P&S (and not even a good one at that) with an SRL. You should know better.

 

2) Have you taken the time to LEARN the S45?

 

3) Did you look at the features of the S45 BEFORE purchasing it and made sure it would work for the things you ask it to do?

 

Red eye is function of flash. SOme cameras have a RED EYE Reduction (which is nothing more than a pre-flash which is meant to shrink the pupils thereby reducing the red eye effect.). This applies to film as well. You can use that feature OR change the angle...OR get a G2 which allows the use of HOT SHOE accessories.

 

Low light is an issue with film as well. Had you been using a 400 ASA film would it have been different? Of course not - if the meter says the shutter speed will be 1/5 sec. @ f/2.5 with 400 asa, that's it. Not much you can do about it. How would that change with film? Again, you would have to use a 1600 (or 3200) setting which the S43 doesn't offer. How is that a DIGITAL issue?

 

That's like saying: I am giving up film because I can't see the results right away and I can't post-process like I can with my 10D...not much sense and not a FAIR statement either.

 

You need to get a 10D. In the mean time you CANNOT and SHOULD not excpect a P&S to give you the same options/features as an SRL/DSRL.

[leonard_richmond7]

What a laugh! Apparently you didn't read any reviews of this camera or think about what it's good at and not good at before spending several hundred dollars to buy it! I can not imagine being so cavalier with my money.

 

Did you even look at the f-stop of the lens before you bought the camera? f/2.8-4.9. So you're shooting your kids sports at the long end of the zoom, 105 mm equivalent, at f/4.9, and not getting enough light at ISO 400? If you'd read the test reports, you'd have known that Canon's ISOs on the Powershot digital cameras is wrong. That ISO 400 is REALLY 640-800. So what are you going to use with your film camera? ISO 800 film won't be any faster, and a not too expensive zoom isn't going to be any faster - you'll still be stuck. Sure, there are f/2.8 zooms, but they cost a LOT more than the S45 camera, and certainly won't fit in your shirt pocket like the S45. (Of course, you do have ISO 3200 B&W available with film, if that's what you're thinking.)

 

As for the red-eye, others have mentioned that a pocket camera with built-in flash that close to the lens, whether it's film or digital, will ALL do the same thing. It's just physics. But somehow you thought that Canon was above the laws of physics and could magically not get red-eye...

 

Begging to differ with Giampiero's comment, the S45 is an excellent P&S. Check the reviews at www.imaging-resource.com or www.dpreview.com yourself. Or take my word for it. I have the S30 and am EXTREMELY happy with. Of course, I knew the shortcomings of a pocket camera that bother you (f/4.9 at telephoto end of zoom and flash close to lens) and work around it. Worth it to me for an excellent camera that fits in my shirt pocket.

 

Oh, don't get me wrong. I'm aching to get a DSLR also - just was disappointed enough in the dumbing down Canon did to the Digital Rebel with the flash's FEC and FEL to make me want to wait for something better in that regard. Meanwhile, I continue to get lots of excellent pictures from a P&S, which continues to amaze me.