[OT] Cameras (was Re: Why is Python popular, while Lisp and Scheme aren't?)

[Fernando Pérez]

Eddie Corns wrote:

> A modern point'n'shoot will allow you to do many of the
> things real professionals do (I hope so anyway I'm about to buy one!) but
> not
> the most extreme.  Likewise there are things Scheme can do that would be
> crazy
> to try in Python.  Perhaps I'm being optimistic about the capabilities of
> modern p'n's cameras but my impression is most of us wouldn't really want to
> venture much outside what they can do - so they don't get in the way.

P&S cameras are ok, but their _control_ is fairly limited to none. Some (like 
the Oly Stylus Epic) have excellent optics, others have crappy optics (pretty 
much all zoom cameras, you just can't make a decent zoom of that size, 
physics gets in the way). 

If you just want convenience for 4x6 prints from negative, a P&S is fine. But 
even a basic SLR like a Canon Rebel is about as easy to use as a  P&S, while 
allowing you to 'go manual' when you feel like it. What you can't do with a 
P&S is to set manually the aperture or speed to what _you_ want, you have to 
let the camera decide what it thinks is best.

I learned the techical side of photo taking like that (making _interesting_ 
pictures is a different story :). I bought a Pentax ZX-5N and used it in auto 
modes at the beginning, paying attention to the decisions made by the camera. 
Then I started experimenting by changing things a bit. These days I never use 
it in full auto, except when I'm in a big hurry or need to give it to someone 
else.

Cheers,

f.

ps. The above doesn't quite apply to 'prosumer' digital P&S like the Canon 
G2/G3. Because the sensor is so small, those cameras actually have decent 
zooms. And they also have all the manual controls typical of an SLR. That's 
because it's the only way the companies can sell to the market who wants 
manual control but can't afford a 2k-8k true digital SLR.