Friday, August 17, 2007

Sullivan Room

This is a photo of the bar at a beautiful subterranean club near New York University (NYU) called the Sullivan Room. It looked kind of empty because it was around 11:00 PM when my friends and I arrived. The crowd did not pour in until after midnight.

I took this photo on low-speed setting without flash with my pocket size Canon Powershot A520, which I've had since March 2006. I am thinking of getting a new camera but I cannot decide on whether to buy another small compact automatic with higher mega-pixel or a bulky digital SLR camera with all the snazzy components.

What camera do you have? Any advice on what camera I should get?

17 comments:

Dijah said...

I think you should sill keep the point and shoot and buy a dSLR because at sometimes,you'll need to use a dSLR and sometimes you'll need to use a point and shoot camera.

Lavenderlady said...

dijah gave good advice. I have a Cannon 3 SI. I wanted to get the Cannon 5, but at the time my other one died, it was not yet out...and I was going through withdrawl. I would love to have all the lens, etc. etc., but I am a woman of modest means...and mine does fine for what I want.

Olivier said...

j'ai un pentax k100d. les photos d'intérieures sombres ne sont pas facile, il faudrait les prendre avec un pied, mais quand on sort, on se promène pas toujours avec son trépied (cela ferait tres bizarre en boîte de nuit ;o) )


I have a pentax k100d. the interior photographs dark ones are not easy, it would have to be taken with a foot, but when one leaves, one always does not walk with his tripod (that would make very odd out of night club ;O) )

Anonymous said...

i'm using a Sony DSC-P100 since dec 04. it's still pretty reliable considering how many times I've dropped it onto the concrete floor!!
It has a manual mode so i get to tweak around the exposure, and aperture.
I've been thinking of getting a new camera and I'm targetting dSLR next.
I often make use of make shift tripod (eg. rest the camera on a can, a railing) + timer when i need to take pics at dark places. with the timer, the camera has time to stabilize after u've pressed the shoot button.

Bob Crowe said...

Ming - this is a complicated question and the answer is subjective. I have a Canon A640 that I carry around. It's pretty good but not perfect. 10 mb resolution but ISO limited to 400. The flip-out LCD screen that you can twist around is a great feature. You will never get the range of focal length that you can with separate lenses.

I've been using Canon DSLRs for 4 or 5 years. The range of images you can make is enormously greater than with a point-and-shoot. But, as Olivier points out, they're much less portable. I'm talking about the camera itself, not a tripod. And, unless you are very self-controlled, you start to develop hardware lust. I've traded up a couple of times and I now use professional quality equipment. Gets expensive.

A suggestion if you want to get into DSLRs - try a Canon Digital Rebel Xti, a fine camera with a price in three figures. Pair it with Canon's 28 - 135 IS lens. It will cover 80% of the focal lengths you will ever need. Fast, accurate auto-focus. It has image stabilization, which is a life-saver in low light and long focal lengths. Not cheap but you won't need a bank loan.

Bob

Anne-Catherine said...

I cannot give good advice as I hve the same Canon as yours... and I am happy with it. Then it depends on your budget I suppose. What about an EOS?

Emilieee said...

I'm totally agree with Dijah. You should keep your canon and get a dslr, perhaps. You will get addicted with it after you have played with the snazzy components. :P It's hard to say which brand is the best. It's all depends on which brand you prefer to. You should study their features well and try them out yourself. Touch them and feel them. Some people would prefer Canon dslr while some would prefer nikon because of its ergonomic-friendly and etc. I'm using a Sony T9 but will shoot with a Nikon D40 when my sister is not using it. I'm addicting with it, seriously. It's totally different from the point and shoot. :D

stromsjo said...

I’m using a Sony compact as well. Started with the P1 and literally wore it out (great camera) through five years, now it’s a P93A.

Who is/was this Sullivan anyway? From the days when I had a TV I remember Dave Letterman referring to an Ed Sullivan theatre.

• Eliane • said...

I have this little one. It's great as it is small and fits in your purse. I take it everywhere. I am still a beginner but I'd like to learn more and maybe take a class. And for that you need something fancier, one that would actually require you to read the user manual and understand scary words like aperture... One day I'll be brave enough to upgrade.

www.DeltaMovies.com said...

To me...having manual control of Focus, Zoom, and F-stop is critical. Also, the ability to exchanged lense types. Basically, something that will allow you to quickly move from auto to manual would be my advice. The only way to get those awesome depth of field shots (blurry backgrounds) is with full lense focal control. We use the Nikon D-series...but, then size becomes and issue. Basically, figure out which technical control aspects you desire manual control and research until you've found the perfect math.

That cam you have takes some amazing pics though...would never let it go.

Laterz,
Brien

ps...will never forget the Sullivan Room.

Oh for the love of food! said...

Hey Ming, your camera is a gem, takes great pics,and small enough to carry anywhere without being a bother. If you want to upgrade, I think get a DSLR instead of another point and shoot as yours does wonders for that category. Then on occasions when you really want to do some serious 'shooting', you can 'lug' your new DSLR. I say 'lug' because it gets really heavy after awhile taking it with you everywhere. I'm taking both the Nikon and the Pentax on Holiday with me but will only take the Nikon out when I know I'll be doing some serious food photography on the day. The lenses that come with the Nikon is a basic one and will take really great close up shots, but I will need to invest in the more sophisticated and $$$$ lenses if I want GREAT non close up shots. THE IMPORTANT THING I"VE FOUND IS THAT WITHOUT THE MORE $$$$LENSES, BOTH THE PENTAX AND THE NIKON WILL TAKE SIMILAR QUALITY PICS IF YOU ARE NOT DOING CLOSE UP PICS! Hope this Helps!

Sunkyoung said...

I'm using my brother's sony cyber shot-T5 but sometimes it's too light to take a picture. So I'm thinking of having my own one, panasonic lumix. I was thinking of buying DSLR but it will be hard to carry it with me all the time.

thwany said...

i;ve been there!

Anonymous said...

It's so dark!
I have a very basic dig. cam Canon Powershot A530. So the pictures I capture are usually "basic" too :D

Jilly said...

Your pics are always good and personally I'm not sure I could cope with having to keep changing settings. Perhaps the time will come. I've got a Canon Ixus 850 IS - having got the real hang of night shots yet tho! I'll be interesting to know if you get a new camera and what it is.

Fabrizio Zanelli said...

Both. I use both. A Sony P200 (and cell phone too) that I always take with me and a Nikon D200 I use twice or three time per month (to build a portfolio).

What I suggest? Both kind of camera.

Unknown said...

wow, time passes so fast! it's time to get another camera!

I was quite tempted to get the Sony Alpha dSLR, but I am sure it will be sitting at home most of the time, my pocket camera is in my pocket everyday!

the Olympus DSLR offers live view like a compact unlike the rest which you have to look at the view finder. i am also tempted by it.