You see, it’s a given that there are limitations to the “point and shoot” grade of cameras.  You simply don’t have the same degree of flexibility – no changing out lenses, a smaller sensor, more inherent noise, etc., etc. etc.  Yet, when you take an SLR, there’s a lot more gear involved, even if you “go light”.  At a minimum, you’re likely to have a camera body, a lens, a flash, and a tripod.  So, which do you do?  Thankfully, with the advancement of the “P&S” grade cameras, the differences between SLR’s and the “P&S” category has narrowed substantially.

So, the question becomes:  which P&S is a good alternative for the SLR when you just want to take something and go, yet still have the malleability to capture the kind of images you want?  Now, if you ask ten different photographers this same question, you will likely get ten different sets of cameras in varying degrees of priorities.  That being said, a short list of high-end P&S cameras is always helpful to consider.  Here’s the short list I picked:

There were some others I considered including a few from Panasonic, Sony, and Olympus, but in looking at the specs of those, all had an interchangeable lens feature, which makes them more SLR-like than most P&S counterparts, so I removed them from consideration.  Here’s the criteria I am using to consider cameras for inclusion in a P&S review section:

1.  True point and shoot design (no interchangeable lenses)

2.  Cost should be less than the entry level SLR for that vendor

3.  Raw or sRaw capacity is probably going to be a requirement…most high end P&S cameras I’ve seen have this feature.

These are of course, just subjective takes on which P&S cameras stand head and shoulders above the rest, and the criteria to classify ones for inclusion as “true P&S cameras”.  As they come through the doors, I’ll share thoughts and feedback with you, but for the time being, I’d also like to hear what others think of these selections.

Can a P&S really stand toe to toe with an SLR?  Is it even worth looking at?  What about the cameras themselves?  Are there others that you wish were included?  Do you own any of these?  What have your own thoughts and experiences been?  Sound off in the comments, and I’ll see what I can to do add others to this roster for upcoming review!  In the meantime, happy shooting, and we’ll be back tomorrow!

To me, the idea screamed “blog post”!  So, I decided to go for it.  I went through every major SLR on the market today and cherry-picked my favorite features from each camera.  It took a while (there’s a lot out there), but I kept on plugging at it for a few days.  Finally, I’ve completed the list, and here’s my “perfect camera” wish list:

1. Full Frame Sensor – It seems the market is trending this way, and while the added zoom on a crop sensor can be nice, I’d love to see my 10-22 on a full frame body!
2. EF-S support – This is Canon-specific, but because of my 10-22 and 18-55, I would really love to get that super wide angle on a full frame without vignetting or fisheye distortion…I know, the impossible dream, but hey, it’s not like such a camera will ever really exist, so I may as well dream, right?
3. Low Light Performance – Think Nikon here – they’re beating the pants off pretty much everyone in the market with their low light sensitivity and handling.
4. ISO handling – the fact that you can shoot at ISO 102400 is pretty amazing, but the noise is crazy.  Sure, I’ll take the high ISO, but at least let me make decent prints from it.  This kind of ties into the low light performance, but since it’s a separate spec, why not…
5. Multi-card compatibility – Lately more cameras are supporting the CF and the SD format cards, but mine currently does not support the latter, so, it’s on my list!

That’s it?  Of course not, but do you really want me to list ALL the features I want to see in my dream camera in ONE SUPER LONG POST?  Of course not!  I wouldn’t want to read that either, no matter who wrote it!  So, I’m saving the other segments for another day soon (hint, hint, hint)!  I’m not even sure this is my “Top Five”, but it could be close.  I dunno, is it worth it doing a “top five” features list?  Would you?  Also consider this:  what is your dream camera?  What are the must have features for you?  How much would you pay to have them all under one hood?  I know it’d be a pretty penny, but think about how useful and how long it would last you…!  Sound off in the comments with your favorite features!

Don’t forget, the March Flickr Giveaway is underway where you can win a Cheetah Stand, so make sure you enter your favorite WILD pic today!

Basically, Adobe has worked with various camera vendors to get the ACR to approximate the same colors that are shown in the vendor proprietary software (Digital Photo Professional for Canon and Capture NX for Nikon, and a whole host of others.)  Matt did a great job of showing how close it gets while even still in beta.  I was convinced enough to go ahead and download the plugin to use in CS3.  Fair warning though, you do need at least ACR version 4.5 or higher to use these profiles (I have 4.6 installed).  Since my bodies are Canon-specific my interface may look a little different, but thought I’d share the screenshot of what it looks like for me:

My thoughts are that the Camera Landscape beta is the closest to what DPP shows.  Since it’s all happening in camera raw, as Matt stated, it just gives you a better starting point with less editing to get to your final results.  I really can’t wait to see how this develops and moves out of beta.  Just hope that Adobe sees fit to release the final shipping version for CS3 owners as well as CS4.  What about others – has anyone else installed this?  How do your pictures look?  Are they close to your vendor software?  Feel free to jump in with the comments!

In other news for Friday, this is the last day to participate in the economy-photography poll from the sidebar.  You RSS readers – stop in and vote, we’re trying to break 30, and only have until midnight!  Other than that, it’s been a great day – I even got some cool shots of the dog after our walk with the sunlight glistening in her eyes.

I’ll leave with my favorite What the Duck of the Week.  Happy shooting and we’ll see you back here again on Monday – have a great weekend!

So, what happened that was funny this week? Well, anyone that follows photography found out about the newest additions to the Canon and Nikon line-ups.  Canon announced the 50D, and Nikon announced the D90 on the heels of Canon.  While this may just seem to be news and events, what’s funnt about this is that there have been rumors about the next bodies that each would be releasing for a long time now, and most were resigned to waiting until Photokina to hear the news.  So, it’s funny because apparently even Canon and Nikon couldn’t wait – the marketing monsters of each company likely wanted to get a jump on things and get the word and buzz out.  I just find it funny because here is yet another example (in my mind) of the tail wagging the dog.

That could just be me though.  Was it wise to make these announcements ahead of Photokina?  Will there be an economic upside to doing so?  Should the respective companies have waited?  Aside from the gear hounds and photo freaks, does anyone else really care about 10 MP versus 15 MP and a 920,000dpi resolution LCD?  Moreoever, should marketing be the driving force behind companies or should they just release product announcements when completed and let the consumers decide whether the gear is worth getting excited about?  In my mind, the gear should be able to speak for itself.  If it’s good, people will like it, and if it’s crap, people won’t.  Can it be that simple?  What do you think  Tell me in the comments!

In the meantime, happy shooting, enjoy the weekend and we’ll see you back here on Monday.  Oh yea, continue to watch those apertures!

I’ll leave you with my favorite WTD comic from this last week:

What the Duck