Smile Shutter? Give Me A Break

All I want is a cheap digital camera to take traveling with me when I go to Argentina at the start of next year. My sister took a Sony Cybershot camera when she went on holiday and the photos she produced were brilliant, so clean and colourful. I can't afford anything that expensive so I have been trying to scour internet review sites for more informed opinions. Most of the review sites I come across are crammed with the kind of information that I find completely useless. I don't know what the hell a smile shutter is and no one ever bothers to elaborate. All I know is that it doesn't mean that the camera automatically takes a picture when the subject smiles because one could be stupid enough to invent something that ridiculous...could they?

The megapixels, the megapixels and the megapixels are always what you hear people boast about when they get a new camera. After reading as many techie reviews as I could on the net I have learned that unless you're going to crop your photo into oblivion, then the megapixels really don't make that much difference to the average photo taker. This is especially relevant for today's generation who keep most of their photographs on their laptops or just post them on Facebook. Not many people will ever get a big cropped print of their picture and big un-cropped prints apparently look so similar that the human eye can't tell any real difference, according to a test run by The New York Times tech writer David Pogue.

When I took photography A-level at college we learned how to use SLR (single lens reflex) cameras. I bought a 30 year old SLR from a Kodak shop and learned how to put in and wind up my own film. I really enjoyed the times you would get it right with the photograph after successfully steering it through the developing process. Removing the film in complete darkness so as not to damage the image, putting it in the correct mix of developing liquid and then hanging it up to dry was delicate and time consuming but so worth while for the resulting image at the end. When we were offered a choice between using digital or traditional photography to do our final projects, I chose digital. It was a choice I don't regret although I do miss the old school romance of the SLR.

I have decided upon trying to find a second hand digital SLR on the internet as I just can't be bothered with tech shops and assistants raving about the 2.5 - 3.5 steps anti-shake performance and dual anti dust systems. I'm not going to fall for all that salesman nonsense, all I need to know is if it can take a nice picture. Is that really so complicated?

By: David John Martin-11606

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