Welcome to CassBeth Photography Guide Cameras Home

Retail Center Industrial Office Park Community Center

Search Customer Service Be Part of CassBeth

Privatization is the shifting of government functions into the private sector. Privatization is also the transfer of public assets into private corporations. This started in 1980. Today there is evidence suggesting that privatization has led to systemic government shutdowns and other negative unintended consequences including serious damage to the industrial base, colleges, universities, air transportation, the FAA, and the citizens of the United States. More Information and Buy

CassBeth welcomes you to our Photography shop featuring 35mm cameras, albums, aps cameras, binoculars, books, cases bags, digital camcorders, digital cameras, drives, film, filters, flashes, frames, really cool guides, instant cameras, lens, memory cards, minox cameras, night vision, nikon, photo software, scrapbooks, slr cameras, telescopes, tripods, underwater cameras, zoom lens, and many other great items. If you can't find it here visit our really great electronics shop.

Shop Entrance 35mm-Cameras Albums Aps-Cameras Binoculars Books Cameras-Slr Cameras-Underwater Cameras Cases-Bags Digital-Camcorders Digital-Cameras Drives Film Filters Flashes Frames Glossary-Binoculars Glossary-Digital-cameras Glossary-Telescopes Guide-Binoculars Guide-Cameras Guide-Digital-cameras Guide-Telescopes Instant-Cameras Lens Memory-Cards Minox-Cameras Night-Vision Nikon Photo-Software Scrapbooks Slr-Cameras Telescopes Tripods Underwater-Cameras Zoom-Lens Point-and-Shoot Cameras Point-and-Shoot Cameras Overview APS versus 35mm Construction Focus Zoom Exposure modes Shutter and aperture priority Flash Film transport Viewfinder Special shooting modes Self-timer Date imprinting Major brands and price range Overview Point-and-shoot cameras are an apt choice for first-time camera buyers or as a backup camera for devoted SLR (single-lens reflex) camera users. They are easy to operate, often conveniently pocket-sized, and usually affordable. You don't need a lot of instruction to operate a point-and-shoot camera, nor do you need any experience to achieve great results. As the name implies, taking a photo is usually as simple as pointing the camera at your subjects and pressing the shutter button. The camera itself makes most of the decisions, such as whether a flash is necessary, what shutter speed to use, and where to focus. Although point-and-shoot cameras still cannot offer the artistic control or sharpness of SLR cameras (the "fancy" cameras with interchangeable lenses), the technology has made leaps and bounds in recent years. The results are pictures that often rival and sometimes surpass those of their bulky and costly SLR cousins. Point-and-shoots travel much easier than SLRs and often come equipped with built-in zoom lenses, light metering systems, automatic timers, date imprinting, and other special modes. While the waves of new digital cameras boast similar features to traditional point-and-shoots, digital technology cannot yet meet the quality mm or APS cameras at a similar price point. Before buying a camera, you should consider what your main photographic objectives are. If you want to exercise a great deal of artistic control over your pictures, you may be better off with an SLR model. Even though many of the latest point-and-shoots do offer some manual override controls, SLRs still offer more flexibility and produce higher-quality pictures. If your objective in buying a camera is to send pictures to friends, family, and business associates via the Internet, but you never need to print your shots, you might be better off buying a digital camera. For typical users, though, the point-and-shoot camera offers the best combination of price, performance, and ease of use. Choosing among all the different models of point-and-shoots can be confusing. Do you want the camera just to snap shots of your family and pets? Are you planning on taking pictures of landscapes and monuments as well as human subjects? How much travelling will you do with your camera? Some cameras are decidedly better than others for certain types of pictures and particular skill levels. The following guide to typical point-and-shoot camera features will help you decide which type of point-and-shoot suits your individual needs and budget. APS versus 35mm When buying a point-and-shoot camera, you first need to consider which film format best meets your needs. For years, 110 and 35mm were your two choices, with 35mm being the clearly superior format. The 110 format, along with the short-lived Kodak Disc format, is now virtually obsolete. However, in the past three years, Kodak has introduced a new, improved format called APS (Advanced Photo System). Many camera manufacturers have adopted APS and now make both APS and 35mm point-and-shoot models. APS film is smaller than 35mm filmit requires a mere 56 percent of the area that a 35mm negative uses. The small negative allows for a smaller film canister, making APS cameras the smallest and the lightest cameras on the market. Another plus for APS cameras is that loading film is absolutely foolproof. The special completely enclosed APS film canister makes it almost impossible to improperly load or accidentally expose the filmyou simply drop in the canister to begin shooting and then remove the canister when the roll is done. The canister also has handy indicators that let you know if your film is unexposed, partially exposed, completely exposed, or developed. The APS format makes it easier to get reprints as well. When you get your film back from processing, you receive an index print with thumbnails of all your photos. You also get your negatives back inside the film canister, making it harder to lose or damage them. APS cameras allow you to choose among three picture formats for each shot classic (6 by 4 inches), wide-angle (7 by 4 inches), or panoramic view. When you order reprints, you can request a different format for the reprint than what you originally used for the photofor example, if you took a classic photo, you can later reprint it as a panoramic. APS film also uses a magnetic storage system, which allows images to carry "cheat" messages for the film developer; for example, if you shot a picture in poor light, the cheat message tells your developer and he or she can try to compensate during the printing process. The greatest downside to APS cameras is that the reduced negative size results in inferior picture quality. While the effects on standard-size prints is negligible, if you enlarge APS photos to any size greater than 5 by 7 inches, the image becomes dull and grainy. Another disadvantage is that many photo labs are not equipped to develop APS film. Since many 35mm cameras offer comparable features to APS cameras, such as date imprinting and panoramic view shooting, and they tend to offer a wider array of artistic options, 35mm cameras are still the favorite pick of most seasoned snapshooters. Finding 35mm film is also much easier than finding APS film, particularly if you are traveling in a country where APS cameras have not entered the local market. Construction Most point-and-shoot cameras come in one piece and don't have removable lens caps or parts that are easy to misplace. Many models include a built-in lens cap, which can use either a "clamshell" design, which slides to the side of the lens; or a "barrier" design, which retracts at the touch of a button. On most models, opening the built-in lens cap doubles as a power switch, making it impossible to take photos when the lens cap is still on. When choosing a point-and-shoot, the main distinguishing factor to consider regarding the camera's exterior is whether you require rugged or standard construction. Some point-and-shoots are designed to be weatherproof or splashproofuseful if you plan to use the camera for outdoor adventures or at the beach. If you will primarily use the camera indoors, standard construction is probably sufficient. Focus The most basic point-and-shoots use fixed focus. Fixed-focus cameras ensure that any subject you photograph within a certain distance, usually an 8- to 12-foot range, is always in focus. Fixed-focus cameras are the least flexible and are not ideal unless you want a very inexpensive camera. Most point-and-shoots use autofocus, which electronically adjusts camera settings to focus on subjects at a wide range of distances. Unlike fixed-focus cameras, autofocus cameras enable you to focus on subjects that are a short distance away, so you can shoot close-ups. Autofocus cameras are also much better than fixed-focus cameras at taking sharp, clear pictures in low-light situations. Premium point-and-shoots often feature advanced focus modesincluding macro focus, infinity focus, and focus lockthat can give you greater artistic choice in your photos. Macro focus allows you to snap clear pictures of objects that are very close to your camera, such as individual flowers or details on a building. Infinity focus, also called landscape mode, is ideal for taking pictures of landscapes from behind glass or when close objects, such as tree branches, might confuse the camera's focus mechanisms. Focus lock lets you set your focus and then adjust your overall picture composition, permitting you to place your subjects off center to improve the composition. Zoom The most flexible point-and-shoots have built-in zoom lenses. Powerful zoom lenses are prevalent in many of the more recent camera designs. They add tremendously to the camera's usefulness, without sacrificing much in the areas of weight and size. Most zoom models have lenses that offer between 2x and 3x magnification. While zoom lenses add flexibility, they also generally add to the camera price and sometimes detract from the picture quality. Because zoom lenses have more elements (the internal pieces of glass or plastic) they cause more "flare," or stray light bouncing around inside the camera, which can muddle picture contrast and focus. The best-quality zoom lenses have aspheric elements, or rounded internal lenses, which offer reduced flare and higher picture quality. Exposure modes While many point-and-shoots offer automatic light metering and exposure compensation, some higher-end models offer exposure overrides, such as backlight adjustment. While exposure overrides can result in better shots in difficult lighting situations (for example, when you photograph a subject in front of a bright window), they generally are more confusing than helpful to point-and-shoot users. If you are a beginning photographer, your money is probably better spent on other features; however, if you're willing to experiment with exposure modes and learn what works best, they can help improve your shots. Shutter and aperture priority In addition to all-automatic modes, advanced point-and-shoot models often give you the option to choose shutter or aperture priority modes. Shutter speed determines how rapidly the shutter opens and closes, while the aperture determines how wide the shutter opens. Both shutter speed and aperture determine how much light the film must receive for proper exposure. In shutter priority mode, you can choose a fast shutter speed and the camera will adjust the aperture to get a correct exposure. Fast shutter speeds are useful for capturing subjects in motion, such as players at a sports event. In aperture priority mode, you can set the aperture to allow a greater or shallower depth of field and the camera will adjust the shutter speed to compensate. Depth of field determines how sharp your background and foreground will be the higher the aperture number, the larger your range of sharpness. High aperture numbers are good for sweeping landscapes; low aperture numbers are good for portraits because they blur the background, emphasizing your portrait subject. Be careful at high aperture numbers, however, because they will make your shutter speed slower and thus make your pictures more prone to blurriness from camera shake. If you need more creative control, the shutter and aperture priority features can be quite useful. Flash Unless you're using high-speed film and a tripod, most cameras are useless indoors without a flash. Fortunately, most point-and-shoots, even the basic ones, feature a flash that fires automatically in low-light situations. Most midrange to high-end point-and-shoots let you select different modes for the automatic flash. The most common modes are red-eye reduction, flash off, and fill-in. Red-eye reduction helps eliminate the tendency for people to have demonic red eyes in photographs. Red eye is a result of light bouncing back at the camera from subjects' retinas. When the flash operates in red-eye reduction mode, it fires twicethe first time constricts your subjects' pupils, and the second time lights the scene. Flash off mode prevents the flash from firing in inappropriate situations, such as in museums or at the theater, where flash photography is forbidden. It's also useful when you want to take night pictures of cityscapes or in sunrise/sunset situationjust be sure to set your camera on a tripod or other stable surface to avoid blurriness in these cases. Flash fill-in mode enables you to fire the flash in odd light situations, when your background is bright but your subject is in shadow, or when you photograph a person in front of a sunset. Some advanced point-and-shoots offer flash synch mode as well, which fires a flash and then leaves the shutter open for a relatively long time period. Flash synch works well for taking pictures of people in front of night scenes. Film transport Most point-and-shoots offer easy film loading (or in the case of APS cameras, drop-in loading), and many automatically advance to the first frame and then rewind at the end of a roll. All but the most basic models offer automatic film transport between shots. One nice feature to look for is midroll rewind capability, which allows you to remove a roll of film before you've shot every exposure. Midroll rewind is great if you drastically change lighting situations and need a different film speed or if you want to switch between color and black-and-white film. Viewfinder When you look through a viewfinder on a point-and-shoot camera, you're not looking through the actual camera lens. Because the viewfinder is in a slightly different place than your lens, the image you see may not be exactly the image your camera sees, especially if your subject is close. If at all possible, you should look for a camera with a viewfinder that denotes the boundaries of the picture you are actually taking (usually with lines superimposed on the viewfinder). Otherwise, you may be inadvertently cutting off your subjects' heads in your photographs. If you wear glasses, you may also want to look for a camera featuring diopter adjustment. This enables you to adjust the viewfinder to the same focus as your prescription, so you can shoot your pictures more easily. Special shooting modes High-end point-and-shoots sometimes offer special shooting modes, such as panoramic view mode or continuous shooting mode. Panoramic view mode allows you to take short and wide panoramic landscape shots with the flip of a switch. All APS cameras have panorama mode built-in; you can switch among panoramic, classic, or wide-angle shooting modes with the touch of a button (see "APS versus 35mm" above for more detail). Continuous shooting mode allows you to fire the shutter repeatedly in rapid succession with a single press of the shutter release buttonit's ideal for capturing action shots. While special shooting modes can make point-and-shoot photography more fun and creative, they're not crucial to taking good pictures. Self-timer Self-timer mode, which comes with most moderate and high-end point-and-shoots, delays the shutter from firing for a few seconds (usually 10 to 12), allowing you time to get into the picture. Many cameras also offer optional three-second remotes that allow you to activate the shutter when you are already in position. If you plan on using the self-timer often, you may want to invest in a tripod. Date imprinting Date imprinting allows you to mark your pictures with the date they were taken and often lets you also record the exact time or even the occasion where each photo was shot. Some cameras even allow you to print information on your pictures in various languages. Most models allow you to turn date imprinting off. Date printing options come standard with all APS cameras and many mid- to high-range 35mm cameras. Major brands and price range Some of the major brands that offer exceptional point-and-shoot cameras in both APS and 35mm format include Olympus, Canon, Pentax, Minolta, Nikon, and Samsung. Point-and-shoot cameras can vary remarkably in price and features. Most cameras that fall within the retail price range of $30 to $100 tend to be fixed focus and lack zoom lenses or any other special features. Midrange 35mm cameras ($100 to $200) include most preferred features, but may lack a zoom lens. The higher-end 35mm cameras ($200 and up) usually offer powerful zoom lenses and a long feature list, including more creative options. Most APS format cameras start at a retail price of at least $129 and can cost as much as $470 for top-of-the-line models. If you're going to use your camera occasionally and don't care how compact it is, you're probably better off with a lower-range camera. If you want a lightweight, rugged camera for travel, you're better off spending the extra money for the compact, splashproof construction and ease of use that you'll find in the mid- and high-range.

. CassBethVator™ Mall Floor Plan CassBeth Portal CassBeth Malls Faster Access ElizAndra FredsSpot OuterSpaceShopper GiftsToHumanity MartianShopper EarthlingsUnited Clothes & Jewelry Clothes Galore allé Fine Jewelry Shoes For All Womens Clothes Mens Clothes Kids Clothes Accessories Wazzo Old Navy - Target - Nordstrom - Lands' End - Gap - etc Other Shops Toys Games Galore Video Games Porcelain Dolls Bears Tools & Home Improvement Gardening Gourmet Cooking Sporting Goods Electronics Galore MP3 Internet Music Players DVD Players Digital Cameras to Film Camcorders VCRs CD Players Nintendo Sony Playstation Sega Office Supplies Computers Printers Scanners Software Music CDs DVD & VHS Videos Hollywoods Greatest Movies TV Shows Dr Who Videos Alien and UFO Media Red Dwarf Videos Star Trek Videos Book Store University Books College SAT Prep Books Cellular Phone Needs Photography Holiday Gifts Electric Trains BEARS Weird Surveys Travel Help & Specials Stock Investing FREE Greeting Cards Stained Glass Tiffany Stuff Limoges Collectibles Russian Collectibles Button Dolls General Cassbeth Home Shop Entrance Search Order Now Order Guide Info Kiosk Services Customer Service Join Cassbeth CassBeth Cyber mall Software Site Map

Welcome to another year of cyber shopping at CassBeth. We organize and humanize access to shopping on the entire web, like no other portal on the web. Please don't forget to tell your friends about our special place. Thanks and enjoy your visit.

110902 11/09/2002 17:10:23 0 17345 0 0

Copyright © 2000 All Rights Reserved.