Who still takes a P&S with them?

My wife has just parted company with her 300D (AI Focus driving her nuts - and no, she wont have hacked firmware) and while she waits for my 10D (as long as it takes to get my 1D MK-II) she has bought a Pro 1.

Well, I have been playing around with it and for the price it is not a bad bit of kit. But, oh dear, just like other P&S I have had in the past, the low-light noise is terrible. I'm obviously too used to the DSLR's where I can get lower noise at ISO 1600 than the Pro 1 has at ISO 50. Apart from that and a bit of PF and CA, it is OK, nothing special, just OK.

I'll be taking it on my trip to Nevada in a couple of weeks, along with my 10D (minus Big Ed and with 17-40 and 50 1.4) just to see how the two live side-by-side. I wondered how many people still carry a P&S or even find a use for one these days? Do things like the jerky EVF drive you nuts compared to your DSLR viewfinder (it does me), or are you comfortable using it? For a brand new camera it is like taking a step back a couple of years in digital cameras, to me anyway.

I only shoot at weekends and some odd special assignments, so a daily carry about isn't something I really need, but the Pro 1 may stay if I can justify keeping it in my briefcase just in case the occasion arises where I need a camera.

I just got back from 10 days in French Polynesia...where I had 3 digi cameras with me. The S400 definitely had a role to play for those occasions where I simply wanted to document something without the need for 10D size and quality. It was especially good to have on rainy days when protecting the equipment was also an issue. Also- a P&S is good for spontaneous shooting...when you don't want to make people feel like they're posing.

My G3 is always with me for my day job. It resides in a padded canvas Lowepro case under the front seat of the car. I am a structural engineer and do a lot of on-site inspections for which the G3 is ideal. Documents, not art. Shutter lag? Not a problem. Buildings stand nice and still for me. My Rebel and Mark II, with their pricey lenses, are far too valuable to be knocking about on a construction site.

Jim

I have the Canon S50 and it goes pretty much everywhere with me. I spend a fair bit of time flying on single day trips and it is ideal for fitting into my briefcase.

I got this camera because it is a 5MP and had the capability of an underwater housing. I like to snorkel and it works pretty good for that but I'm still getting the hang of it. A sample is here http://www.pbase.com/i​mage/26360039

It really is a pain to be packing most of your gear around and something small like this is very convenient and does give you decent quality photos.

My Powershot G2 is always in my briefcase. It makes beautiful 8x10's.
Scott

I recently sold my G5 to fund a Tamron 28-75 XR DI so I could have a compact lens for my 10D... I now take my 10D everywhere with me.

I too did not enjoy the noise problem and do like doing low light stuff

I must admit my S50 does more travelling than my 10D, despite the compromises it is just so portable and given its size the results in decent light can be pretty great. I just wish Canon would not put toy like features on their P&S i.e. the gimicky alternative shutter noises. Its a camera not a mobile phone.

I'm not sure I would call a Pro 1 a P&S but, I've been out a lot since getting my G5 and with a bit of patience it really can deliver very good quality - even hand-held and wide open.

Byte size: ZERO | Content warning: NOT AN IMAGE

I only bring the SD100 when size is paramount and far outweighs the lack of features, like when skiing or outings with the kids at the museum.

I use a Tamrac Velocity 7 as an everyday bag with my 10D and in it can get the body, 17-40 and 70-200, a polarizer and batteries. I bring it almost everywhere, including air travel (a weekly occurance lately), to work, to the park, etc.

I tried to use the SD100 as an everyday camera, but there were too many times when the lens wasn't long enough or the low light performance wasn't good enough. So I went back to bringing the 10D just about everywhere.

Sometimes I bring both, and give the SD100 to the kids to use. It's amazing some of the pictures from their perspective.

Rebel is my P&S

I use a 1DmkI, and got my wife a few different P&S cameras for us to use in more casual settings. We have had the A80, S1 and G3, but I got so frustrated by their slow focusing and other aspects, and the noise at high ISOs, that I just got a Digital Rebel to carry around as our P&S camera. With the kit lens or a 50mm 1.8, it's nice and light, and is way better than the other P&S cameras.

While I can't fit it in my pocket, and it does not have the silent shutter or swiveling lcd like the other cameras, its ergonomics and photo quality more than make up for this to me.

Peter

Oh I've got an old Olympus digital P&S that I sometimes use in places where I wouldn't dare take the SLR. Parties, the beach etc. etc. It might not take brilliant photos, but I wouldn't really care if it got smashed.

I've got two options now.

I went with an S400 "Elph" for the "ultraportable" option. I mena if portability is the main concern.. why go "midsized"... so I went "itsy bitsy"

However, now that my "main" system is the MkII I have turned my 10D into a more portable option.

The Batterygrip is removed, and I use either the 70-300mm DO or 50mm f/1.8...

In either case it fits in an single camera case designed for the Olympus E-10... no problems. It's all black and much smaller than the MkII.

I've still got my Canon S-100 (which was the original Digital Elph) that I bought new a few years ago.

I carry it in my kit.. It's only 2 megapixels, but takes decent pictures in a pinch. Best of all, unlike the 10D, it's tiny enough to carry anywhere..

I still carry around my S40 when out and about. It's easy to fit into a pocket and take almost anywhere. It's also the camera I handed to several strangers on my solo trip Europe. People would much rather shoot you with a point-and-shoot instead of a DSLR.

With all the equipment I carry anyway, the little G5 takes up very little extra space and provides a lot of peace of mind. It takes wonderful images.