The jury's out

I didn't look at all three small sensor cameras, nor did I take any shots with both the ones I did look at. The handling, and the viewfinder, of the one I did play with made further investigation of alternatives pointless. It felt very much a 'real' camera. Unfortunately time was in short supply as I'd parked on the street and spent too long wandering round town taking photos - once I start it's hard to stop, especially when the sun is shining.

I did put a card in and take three shots in the shop, but wasn't able to fathom out any more than how to switch from aperture to shutter priority and alter the settings. Back home the improvement in image quality compared to my old small sensor camera was evident. More pixels and less noise (at ISO 500).

ISO 500, f2.8, 1/55th sec, 100mm (approx) equivalent

Not up to DSLR standards, but way better than I ever got from my digital 'fishing cameras'. Certainly more than good enough for web use. An A4 print of the shot above rattled off on my home printer looks good enough too. A jumped up point and shoot, perhaps, but one that operates like a camera of old and produces images which are, in ways most people are likely to use them, perfectly acceptable.

Have small cameras taken over the world? Not yet. I'll not be ditching the DSLR gear just yet, it has more features (some of which I use) and the viewfinder shows me exactly what I'll get. Then there's the look of the files. Small sensors are always going to have limitations that can't be got round. Ye cannae change the laws of physics, Jim! If you want shallow depth of field you need a large sensor. (there are those who will argue the point, but in the real world they are wrong.) For self-taken fishing trophy shots, however, a large depth of field is beneficial. And this camera has a feature that disappeared, even from film SLRs, many years ago - the ability to accept a cable or bulb release directly into the shutter release button. Such a simple physical connection thing that got replaced by electronics.

It might be a jumped up point-and-shoot compact, but it could still be more camera than I need for fishing. Then again, maybe not. I guess I'll have to take the plunge and see if it can replace a crop sensor DSLR for fishing and 'street' photography. It's the print that has convinced me. Time to lift the floorboards and dig out some cash...

No doubt the time will come when small cameras with large sensors and the features that DSLRs have today are available, and then things will change. How far away that day is remains to be seen. My guess is quite a long way off. No doubt such cameras could be made right now, but the marketing departments know that progress is better made in small steps, forcing people into multiple 'upgrades' rather than in one big leap.

On my wander round town taking photographs of odd stuff I got taken by the play of light and shadow in and around an alleyway. I rushed it, if I'm honest. Even so the composite below illustrates how curious people are when you are pointing a camera at something. It's not the first time I've noticed passers-by taking a puzzled look at my subject, but it is the first time I've captured it (I almost said, on film!).

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