Digital vs. film camera

[Venturous Randy]

For years I used a Cannon AE-1 film camera that I have from 24mm to 405mm lenses. I took a lot of pictures and felt I had a great deal of control of the pictures I took. Now, I have an L110 Nikon digital that takes good pictures, but even with all the different settings the camera has, I feel I have very little control of the camera. It also frustrates me that the camera does not always respond instantly to when I push the button. I must admit that I like the immediate view of the taken picture and the ability to load the picture on my computer and view it and send it around the world very quickly and the ability to delete the picture without burning film. But, I am still not happy with the general use if the Nikon.

I hate to kind of "dumb down" on my photographs, but that seems to be the trend on many of the digitals. Do others also have this problem?

RandyA

[FreezyRider]

This is a case of "getting what you pay for" in the digital world. Even though your L110 is a great point and shoot camera, it isn't a true SLR camera. The higher end Nikons such as the D3100 series are SLRs. You don't get the shutter delay with them, you can pretty much push that button as fast as you want and it will fire every time.

My son, who did some semi-professional photography for awhile, had a Nikon digital SLR and it was amazing what that camera could do. Of course, he paid $700 for just the camera body....and it was used.

[LilBeaver]

This is a case of "getting what you pay for" in the digital world. Even though your L110 is a great point and shoot camera, it isn't a true SLR camera. The higher end Nikons such as the D3100 series are SLRs. You don't get the shutter delay with them, you can pretty much push that button as fast as you want and it will fire every time.

...

 

Agreed, BUT you should still be able to take some good pictures with that camera. It has been a while since I have done any 'serious' photography, but I used to shoot pictures for a newspaper. In that couple of years I learned a great deal about cameras, lenses, film and their digital counterparts. In fact, in mid 2002 I was able to talk the newspaper I worked for into buying a Nikon D1H with 3 additional lenses. Total ranked in somewhere around $10k. Yee-haw. That was one heck of an amazing camera. I used it for just under 1 year and I took literally thousands of pictures with that beast. Even after all of that time and all of those photos passed, I could do a lot with that camera but I just started to scratch the surface as to what its capabilities really were.

 

I guess the moral of the story here is that I wouldn't be so quick to 'judge' your camera as there could be a set of features or whatever that you have not stumbled onto.

The delay on the digital camera is likely from the autofocus, light balance and a few of the other 'automatic' thing-a-ma-jigs that happen as you press the button. I know on the D1H you could adjust all of that stuff. Heck, even on my 'point and shoot' Olympus (that is 5 or 6 years old) I can adjust that kind of stuff.

 

As far as 'dumbing your photos down' it sure does seem that the default settings on newer digital cameras have auto everything. If you decide to turn much of that jazz off you are almost certain to speed up the delay between the pressing of the 'shutter release' and actually snapping your photo.

 

Best of luck to you!

[Flyinfool]

You could always get a Cannon digital body and still be able to use all of the lenses and other stuff that you already have. You will find that there is not much difference between the new digital body and your old film body.

[Mike G in SC]

Try faster flash memory.

Everytime I buy a new point & shoot (for me or a gift), they have always come out with faster SD memory chips.

 

This may speed up your time between shots if you get the latest speed memory (?).

 

Mike G in SC

[Freebird]

I agree that if you want full control like you had on your old Canon film camera, you will simply have to move to a full SLR. My son and my wife both have Nikon SLR cameras and both have just about any settings that you can imagine.

 

Now when I use either of their cameras, I just put them on Auto and shoot. That's all I need to know.

[GAWildKat]

Hubby just bought a Canon rebel t2i EOS 550D camera body with a 18-135mm lens.

he loves it. I would suggest you find a local old school camera shop and visit, discuss your complaints and needs with a new camera and see if they can match a new camera to your needs.

 

To give you an idea what he has...here you go. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/680673-REG/Canon_4462B005_Canon_EOS_Rebel_T2i.html