Help for the Point & Shoot Photogs

[renodesertfox]

Howdy Campateers,
Okay so you don't have a fancy golly-gee-wizz-bang-do everything digital single-lens reflex camera(DSLR). I got a P&S camera. Someday when I get a big fancy check I'll get one of dslrs but until then that's all I got so the photos I share can't be done any better. Well, my answer is wrong-o, they can be done better!!

Invest a few dollars, well under $50 for a filter holder for P&S camera. The holders run about 20 clams and the filters themselves run about another 20 clams. For starters there is only one filter that every photog should have: a circular polarizer.

Polarizing filter tips
The polarizing filter is one of the most useful filters for outdoor photography. It should really be in every serious photographer's camera bag.
Polarizing filters exist for most camera types, from medium format to digital point and shoot cameras. Autofocus SLRs (like the ones I use) need circular polarizers but so does a P&S camera too. In these, the front side rotates which enables the user to see the effect gradually appear in the viewfinder.

Polarizing filter effects

The polarizing filter has one main effect: it eliminates reflection from non metal surfaces. It is effective on:

Skies
By eliminating the reflection of light on the tiny water droplets present in the atmosphere the polarizer brings more saturated and slighly darker skies. However this does not work from any angle. You will generally be able to assess the effect visually, especially with a SLR camera, but keep in mind that it works best with the sun at 90° from your position. With the sun in front, a polarizing filter will have no effect.

Water and reflective surfaces
By eliminating reflections, the polarizing filter will tend to make water and other reflective surfaces more transparent. The effect will also vary depending on the angle to the reflective surface. If you place your camera very low above a river, the effect will be very limited. If you shoot from a bridge above it, the water will look totally transparent.

Colors
The polarizing filter also reduces reflection from other surfaces such as foliage and thus makes their colors look more intense. It also tends to make shadow areas darker.

Light absorption
The main side-effect of the polarizing filter is that it absorbs 1.5 stop of light. Thus if you shoot at 1/180th of a second and then add the filter, you will find yourself at 1/60th of a second. This happens whatever the orientation for a circular polarizer. This does not make a polarizing filter quite usable in low light or indoors but has some interesting uses as pointed out next buy a cheap tripod...Wal-mart has 'em for $20. This will enable you to use your P&S camera in lower light levels and forces you to slow and compose your picture. There, see better pics! And that's the truth!

Where: http://www.amazon.com through this site camping forums. just search "filters for P&S Cameras."
Good Luck and remember a photo you take is just practice for the next one. Just like my motto for camping!

[Waterfowler84]

Thank you lots for providing the link. This is something I will be adding to my cam bag very soon. Thanks for the info as well, I had no idea there were filters available for these types of cameras.

[jpurdy]

thanks for this info.

[jpurdy]

thanks for this info!!!

[renodesertfox]

More Photo Tips

You don't have to have a fancy camera with special features for these techniques to work. They'll work for pretty much every digital camera. If you have a camera with more advanced features - even a digital SLR - these tips will still help you take better pictures. Everything that applies to a point-and-shoot camera also applies to fancier cameras and even film cameras. So everyone can learn from this article!


Read Your Manual!
The first rule is the most obvious and also one that many of us ignore. Read the manual! If you don't read the manual that comes with your camera, how will you know how it works? It's nice to pick up a brand new camera and take good pictures without reading the manual. But the manual will always tell you something about your camera that you wouldn't discover on your own. So give it at least one good read. And keep it handy. If you have any problems, consult the manual to see if it has the answers.

[renodesertfox]

Image Size & Quality

Most point-and-shoot cameras ship from the factory set to capture low-quality images. This allows the puny card they all come with to capture a few images. Before you get serious about taking photos, your best bet is both to set the image resolution (the number of pixels your camera captures) to the maximum and to do the same for the image-quality setting. This will make your images much larger and better-looking—especially if you print. Still, you'll need a larger memory card than the one that came with your camera. With the low price of digital film cards these days, you should probably buy two so that you have a spare in case something goes wrong or you accidentally leave one in your computer. Another quick tip: Be sure to check how many high-quality images will fit on your card before you go on a trip. It is amazing how many people I've run into in remote locations who were moaning because they didn't have enough flash cards to capture all the images they want to keep of their trip of a lifetime.:eek:

[Bigdog57]

It is amazing how many people I've run into in remote locations who were moaning because they didn't have enough flash cards to capture all the images they want to keep of their trip of a lifetime.:eek:

Been there, done that! I was at a local Airshow, and filled my camera's memory and still had lots of great shots to go! Bummer! :(

I carry TWO digital camers - used to carry two SLR's, both bodies were-Pentax-lens compatible. But that gets HEAVY!
I like the digital world too, as I can save all the pics without having to process and print them all. I like havingthe freedom of doing my own processing. Factoring in photo-paper and ink costs, it isn't necessarily cheaper than having prints made from film - but it is more versatile!