What do you tell your P&S friends?

Actually, I tell people that my DSLR is harder to use for snapshots than their P&S, but that if I'm willing to work at it I can get better results in most situations.

If they are actually interested (vs. yanking my chain) I can elaborate on limited DOF, isolating subjects and low light abilities.

My Mom wants a new camera, and I'm steering her towards an S3 IS or the Sony H5. She has owned 35mm SLR in the past (including manual gear in the 70's) and I know she is not really willing to work with the hassles now. A nice 12X zoom, usable ISO 400 and something not too big, heavy and expensive is right for her at this point. There is nothing wrong with P&S digital cameras for some folks.

On the other hand......I went back and looked at a lot of shots I took with my 35mm Canon P&S in the 90's and they are pretty good. Better than what I get with my 5MP Fujifilm P&S in fact.

Focus speed! I missed many pictures with my G2 that I wouldn't have with my 5D. Start up and focus is virtually immediate where as the G2 was lethargic!

When asked the question from somebody who is genuinely curious my reply usually goes like this "It is my hobbie that I choose to invest in. I can make money with it from time to time as it affords me more control over cheaper cameras. What do you spend your extra time and money doing?". They seem to understand one or more parts of it.

However if they still persist with the question then I use the quote similar to:

Hermeto wrote in post #2741891
I just tell them that I have small penis and I have to compensate for that somehow..
They usually show lots of understanding..

ROTFLMAO

I guess that's what people that have a "Bigma" use for an excuse! Especially when shooting at 500!

mwt wrote in post #2747168
My favorite is when they pick up my camera and try to use the LCD screen to focus the shot

When I tell them they have to use the viewfinder they sometimes think their P&S is superior because the can use the screen to focus

Hey get one of these and they might respect you more!
from usa.canon.com
One of the landmark functions of the EOS-1D Mark III Digital SLR is the introduction of a Live View shooting mode, tweaked to meet the needs of professional shooters. Photographers who use point-and-shoot digital cameras are familiar with looking at the LCD screen on the back of the camera to compose their images.

I will admit that too me seems like a great new feature!

My other answer is:

I was shooting my two grand-daughters; they were standing up on the opposite of a double bed, horsing around. With my "trusty" Canon A95, I focused and pressed the shutter.

After a "bit" of time, the flash and shutter fired; I got a really great shot of the seven year old, the three year old (a bit if a clown) had plenty of time to duck behind the bed.

That was pretty well the end of the A95 for me. And the entire family knows why. When I take a picture of both girls, I want them both in the picture.

If anybody else asks, they get the story too.

Because my family is my world and deserves to have their picture taken with the very best, and because my memory sucks and I deserve to see the very best pictures of my family!

If you have the opportunity, compare you photos to their photos. Yes- they will have some quality stuff, but not like yours.