Quote:
Originally Posted by sheepherder
Despite Olle's chronic CRS, his link to the G3 was thought-provoking...For ~$40, a G3 might be within my means...I'm trying to find a source for batteries...Flash cards can be bought at any drugstore nowadays, but batteries are more rare...
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I don't even know what CRS is, but I assume it's nothing positive.
Sorry that you take it that way, but you're shooting the messenger. You have pretty much maxed out your camera, that's all.
I have freelanced for a gun magazine for about 10 years, the editor is anal about good pictures so I have had to gradually work my way up from a $70 Cybershot, and I'm just telling you what I have experienced. The G3 was my first good camera, then I upgraded to a Nikon "something" and now I use the G11. The G11 and G3 are similar in features, the major difference is that the G11 has a broader range in all the adjustments you can make (higher ISO, larger pixel size, aperture settings etc). The difference between a non-adjustable and an adjustable camera is like night and day, just to be able to control the depth of field is extremely helpful when you take close-ups.
The downside to pocket cameras is that you are tied to the settings the manufacturer have picked for different conditions, and the so called manual mode is only a pick list of preset values. What you need is more adjustments, and once you have figured out what all these setting will do you will be able to take much better pictures.
IMO, you don't need to spend the money on SLR, a fixed, good quality lens (which you will normally get in any Nikon, Canon, Sony etc) is cheaper and more manageable for a beginner. I will more than likely move up to an SLR later, but it's mostly to get some more "artistic freedom". And like Don said, you don't need to go any further than to eBay to find cheap batteries and memory cards.
One added bonus is that you don't need to spend much on lighting if you have a good camera. I shoot pretty much all my pictures on the workbench, and the only lighting consists of the fluorescent ceiling lights. By using a tripod and controlling shutter speed, aperture and ISO, I can take great pictures even if the light is dim. Where a pro would add light to get nice shades and reflections, I take it away instead. I simply put towels on the photo tent and move them around until I get the desired lighting. It ends up being pretty dim, but the camera can compensate for this so I can get the same light effects, but without any expensive equipment.