Happy SUPER BOWL Sunday! It is an exciting weekend for Colts fans and those who live in Indiana. We happen to fit into both of those categories and are anxious to see how the game goes. Woo-hoo!!!! Go COLTS!!!
Well, I have had several of you ask me about cameras. What to buy, what to buy? Well, I’m going to share a bit of what we have experienced and used. As much as I would like to lug around our CPD camera gear to document those every day moments of the kids, I realize that is not always practical…not to mention the potential cost involved if something were to happen–yikes! So, we purchased a point & shoot that I could take with me wherever we go…the convenience of throwing it in my purse was important to me. We started out with the Nikon CoolPix Point & Shoot, I believe it was the S570–an older version of what they are making now, several years back. I wasn’t overly impressed with it at all…to be honest. Knowing what we could capture with our regular cameras and seeing what I was getting with the CoolPix…I just couldn’t do it. So, we moved on and purchased the Canon PowerShot SD980 IS. I have been quite impressed with it…for a point & shoot. The overall quality is much better than what we were getting before. Click on the camera and it will take you to the specs on B&H’s site. I would highly recommend buying any kind of photo equipment from B&H. They usually have the best pricing out there…and this PowerShot happens to have a special on it right now. 
The pictures below are straight out of the camera (sooc) with the exception of a little brightening and making them web ready…no flash. Adding the use of flash to a point & shoot can kill the shot in looks and action, as you all know. If there is a moment coming that I know I have to be quick, I turn the flash off and bump up my ISO. If you don’t know what that is…no worries. I will explain that later.
Speaking of the flash, I have been pleasantly surprised with the reaction time using the flash on the PowerShot. It is not near as slow as others I have seen…usually, that is where the difference in price comes into play. We have found that the cheaper the point & shoot the more delay it will have when using the flash.
I’ve been impressed with the sharpness I’m seeing…especially since it was cold and I wasn’t trying very hard to keep the camera still. ***I just found out that there is actually a snow setting…go figure. I guess we have plenty of snow now…we can try it out.
I’m pretty sure that the image of Claire below involved me putting the camera down at waist level and shooting up towards her. Not too bad considering I wasn’t seeing what I was getting. 
I am not partial to a certain kind of camera. No, I take that back. ;) We firmly believe in Canon and Nikon. However, that is not to say that there aren’t other great cameras out there. This is solely based on our experiences and what we have found to work best. I know that the reputation Canon and Nikon have speak for itself. We have heard many raves about the Canon PowerShot and I have to agree with what we have heard. Oh, one other thing I love on our PowerShot besides the fact that it is also a touch screen…the HD video. I have been able to catch live footage of Gabe and Claire that I would have missed had I taken the time to go and get our video camera out…an added bonus, I guess you could say.
There are lots of options when it comes to PowerShot and CoolPix (they have come a long way from when we first purchased ours) cameras. Just remember…you are going to get what you pay for. Let me know if you have any questions about a particular point & shoot and I will guide you as much as possible. By researching what is out there, you can find that a point & shoot camera has its advantages of being easily accessible (especially for traveling) and lower on the cost end.
A positive about point & shoots is convenience. We have a lot of friends who also happen to be professional photographers, as well, and there is not one that I can think of who does NOT own a point & shoot. They are nice to have around.
Stay tuned…I will be discussing DSLRs soon! I know there are lots of questions regarding this topic. ;) Point & Shooters…keep reading. Some of the information I will discuss with DSLRs can be applied, to some level, to point & shoot cameras. So much of it has to do with learning how to use the camera you have…and making it work for you.
Until next time…
Mel
by Melody Carpenter
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