[dugarner]

Attachment 626

Originally Posted by kaleidoscope

Thanks. Focus points?

Well, I've learned in the last couple of days I can't get a good background blur/shallow depth of field with my camera. My aperture only goes down to 2.6

I had a Fuji ZLR with a 2.8-8 lens. It was 10X zoom and I could get beautifully blurred backgrounds all the way out in focal length. Like other ladies have said, with a P&S, you can trick a smaller aperture by zooming out as far as you can. You need to take light into account since the aperture will stop down as you you zoom out, but if you're outside, it can work. Also, a tripod will help if you're zooming on a stationary object indoors. I took some of my best pictures with my P&S, and while I like the "elegance" of my dSLR, the advanced Prosumer P&S cameras (technically called ZLR [zoom lens reflex], if they have full manual controls but a fixed lens) are performing just as well, if not better than, many entry-level dSLRs with kit lenses. The game's not even anymore with specialty lenses, but you can do a whole lot with what you've got!

(Oh, none of this is to contradict Katrina's post. There really is a difference between what you can get with a P&S and a high-end dSLR, but I'm just trying to encourage you not to give up with it. You can do a lot more than you may think! Of course, "bokeh" is a hugely contested and thoroughly argued topic amongst photographers; everyone has their own feel, their own way to achieve it, and you have to work with your particular camera. That's what makes photography so personal, individual, and unique!)

This is still one of my favorite photos, even compared with all my dSLR pictures. I took it with my S5100 P&S (ZLR) at 57mm, f5. Much more narrow DOF than you'd expect with such a small aperture, but I was about 15 feet away and I zoomed in. You can have lots of fun, and accomplish a lot artistically with a P&S. Have fun with it!!! And I recommend Katrina's book, too. It is useful no matter what your equipment.