istillshootfilm
An Intro to Point and Shoot Cameras for Beginners
Taking up photography might be a little overwhelming at first, especially if you’re a complete beginner. Getting to know all the effects of shutter speed, aperture, understanding focal lengths and all other technical aspects of photography can take time. Not to mention carrying all the equipment usually requires a separate camera bag, which might not be what you need right now.
This is where point and shoot cameras come in.
Often designed to be as compact and as simple to use as possible, those cameras were invented to provide a decent quality camera in as small a package as possible. Fixed lenses, focal lengths and almost complete automation of picture-taking process, as well as their size (with a few notable exceptions) make them especially suited for people wanting to concentrate on the moment and not have to think about all the settings.
Although usually associated with the stereotypical tourist shooting away without thinking too much, these cameras can produce stunning results and should under no circumstances be considered “idiot-cameras”, not worthy of anyone’s attention. Some of the most prominent photographers of our time have used point-and-shoot cameras at some point. Stephen Shore, for example, who (along with William Eggleston) contributed to colour photography being recognised as a legitimate art form shot his entire legendary “American Surfaces” series using a Rollei 35 camera (by the way, if you’re not familiar with both of these gentlemen’s work, go check them out immediately!).
The simplicity of use and lack of control might be considered an advantage by some, and I do not only mean beginners. Apart from the fact that these cameras free the mind of the usual things to consider while shooting with more “advanced” cameras, they can be a great starting point at a moment of creative block. There is nothing as refreshing creatively as trying a completely different approach to what one is doing and letting go of one’s habits. Point-and-shoot cameras allow you to do just that.
Probably the most important thing to keep in mind while using one of these is to be aware of their limitations and not ask them to do what they weren’t designed to. This should not be very difficult, given that this guide focuses on models offering the bare minimum amount of control over all the settings.
As with any camera type, there are numerous sub-categories within the point-and-shoot world. Some of them do offer more control over what you are doing, others do everything for you and the only thing you have to think about is how to compose the shot and when to press the button (there aren’t that many of those very often on those cameras, either). Instead of listing 5 similar cameras and focusing only on their technical aspects (which the complete beginner will probably ignore anyway), this guide aims at providing a wide array of choices and options, with each camera allowing you to do something slightly different than others.
As such, the following list includes : two very basic and inexpensive, fully automatic point-and-shoots, two very different instant cameras, and two upper-range cameras offering a bit more control and higher quality components.
A quick side note concerning the instant cameras. Even though they do not take 35mm film, I’ve decided to include them in the point-and-shoot category since this is basically what most of these these cameras are. There are currently two major players in the instant photography field - Fuji and The Impossible Project. The former has it’s own range of "Instax" cameras and produces proprietary film, widely available in most camera stores (more details below).
The latter started as a company making their own version of Polaroid film for used Polaroid cameras and have since been evolving at a steady rate, releasing new and updated versions of their film, as well as their own camera. They offer a huge variety of film, ranging from color to duochrome to pure black and white.
They have even started manufacturing 8x10 film for large format cameras, which is quite frankly something quite amazing to be doing these days. Their film comes in fours standards, which will fit most of the polaroid cameras available on the used market right now.
That being said, let’s have a look at the cameras:
{Olympus μ[mju:]-II / Image by Morinaka / Flickr}
Perfectly fitting into our automated camera lineup, this little gem from Olympus gives you almost no control whatsoever over any of its settings. It has automatic exposure and autofocus as well as automatic ISO selection. The only two things you can (sort of) change are the flash (the camera allows you to choose from a few modes, including red-eye reduction and night fill-in flash) as well as the metering mode (spot metering is available, surprisingly). So pretty much the only thing you have to focus on (pun intended, again) is the moment and the composition. Which is not a bad thing to make you think about.
One from a series of 4 cameras, this Yashica T3 features a very nice and sharp 35mm f2.8 lens (with Zeiss T* coating, which will eliminate basically all chromatic aberrations, flare and whatnot), full automation as well as weatherproofing. A great camera for beginners.
Another interesting feature is a waist-level viewfinder situated on the top plate, allowing you to take photographs from lower angles without squatting and attracting attention.
Although technically two different cameras, I’ve decided to count them as one here, as the only difference is the focal length - the Nikon 35Ti model features a 35mm lens and the Nikon 28Ti - you guessed it - a wider, 28mm. Both of these lenses are fantastic, high quality pieces of Nikon glass, with integrated ED (low dispersion) elements. Along with Nikon’s great Matrix metering system, you’ll be well covered in many different lighting situations.
Both cameras allow for a bit more creative control by allowing you to switch from automatic to manual scale focus, for those who want to experiment with that a little. Apart from this, all the other features remain automated.
With their titanium bodies, these two are a step up in build quality - as well as price - from the previous cameras. For those of you also looking for original design, these cameras also have a very curious feature on the top plate - a pair of analogue needle gauges, which will definitely attract some attention.
