Tech Monday: Why carry a compact camera?

I’m working on my next Kelby Training class entitled, “Learning to See Photographically”. This is the class i’ve always wanted to build and teach. I have been inspired by the work of many photographers, and one great book, Developing the Creative Edge in Photography, by Bert Eifer.
This book, my copy is filled with highlights and written notes, was a major factor in helping me organize my plan to attempt to become a really good photographer. I’ve taken information from that book, and added some form books by Freeman Patterson, and Tony Sweet to try and construct an outline to base this new class on.

I think the biggest problem I’ve had as a photographer is over-complicating everything. I think it takes age and experience to sort out those issues, and I’ve got plenty of both. My desire is to pass on my sheer enthusiasm and excitement about photography to those I get the chance to share with.
One of the greatest discoveries for me was actually forced on me. Working for Nikon as a tech rep we get a big shipment of new Coolpix cameras a couple of times a year. In the early years with Nikon I would open one or two and try it and put it back in the box frustrated and never use it again. The problem was that early on the shutter lag made it impossible to capture an exact moment and the over all quality of the images fell short of my more familiar DSLRs. Over the years very steady improvements have been made and last year when the P7000 came out it turned out to me the camera I had been waiting for. I found it to operate almost as fluidly as my big Single Lens Reflexes and it made stunningly beautiful images. Then I tried the P300, much the same camera in a smaller package and the S9100 once again very similar but with a super long range zoom reaching all the way out to 450 mm.

I love all these little guys but the P300 has become my take everywhere camera, let me explain why and what a small pocket camera can do for you. Before I get complaints form friends that bought a P7000 on the basis of my rave reviews, I still use it and love it and still have a P7000
of my own, but the P300 works better for me for several reasons which I will explain shortly.

When do I use a small pocket size camera? All the time! I carry a P300 almost everywhere I go because it is truly very small and easy to have with you. Any camera that you do not have with you can’t make images. The P300 is small enough to actually fit in your breast pocket or on a very small holster on your belt.

Why the P300 over the P7000? I love them both, but the P300 has a maximum aperture of f 1.8 which is huge when you want to shoot in low light without flash, which describes a lot of what I shoot with it. It also has a zoom range of 24 mm (yes I said 24 mm) to 100 mm. I would love a little more on the long end, but having 24 mm wide angle makes up for it. If I really wanted more
focal length on the long end I would take the S9100 which goes out to 450 mm!!!!! it also goes to 25 mm very nearly a 24 mm. It is slightly larger than the P300 but not much more so.

What is the advantage of the smaller Coolpix cameras? 1. You always have it with you, so no missed shots. 2. It does not intimidate people you want to make a photograph of. I’m finding most people don’t care it all if you “snap” and image with your “little” camera. Pull out a cinder block size camera and watch how people react. Using the LCD panel on the back ( sure which they tilted ), it’s not hard to shoot way over your head or low to the ground, and you will get shots you would miss with a big DSLR.

What features do you like about them? I love the scanning Panno feature, just set it for easy panorama and shoot an image (either 180 or 360 degrees) and the camera stitches it together and does a fantastic job. All three cameras shoot Hi Definition Video, the P300 and S9100 shoot 1080p with stereo sound recording and the video looks fantastic. The 720p from the looks very good too. The P7000 is ruggedly made and the 28 mm – 200 mm zoom range is nearly perfect, would be perfect if it slipped back to 24 mm. The lens though is super sharp with ED glass.

Which to choose??????? I use the P300 as my everyday always have it with me camera. I use the P7000 when I want to do more precise work and need the extra reach. I would also use the S9100 but I can’t get it out of Sherelene’s purse without her noticing……..

The bottom line is this, photography is about capturing those special moments and those things that really excite us. If you don’t have a camera with you, you can’t make the photograph. Now that the Coolpix cameras have, come of age, I can tackle almost any shot and know I can get a very usable image, maybe even a great one! The thing I love the most is the images below, would never have been captured if I hadn’t had one of my little buddies with me.

Happy shooting, and God bless,

the pilgrim

My Coolpix Gallery

I slipped it out of her purse!