As much as I love my DSLR, it is a bit clunky to lug around all the time. Sometimes it's nice to just have a little pocket camera, that I can whip out and have fun with. I think, I've said it before, but shooting for fun is one of the most inspiring things to do. It carries over into "real" photography.
Anyway, I went out and bought myself a little cheapo point and shoot camera. It was a Nikon L11. Not the latest model, but cheap, and I figured it had to at least be better than a cameraphone. All things considered, I could still get a cameraphone for cheaper than this low budget investment, and this was a Nikon after all, a respected brand, so could I be so wrong in expecting mediocre quality? Yes, I could. And I was. When it comes to digital cameras, it really is a bad idea to settle for less.
The image above is an example of a snapshot, taken with my Nikon L11. Believe it or not, this is one of the successful photos. At least it's somewhat sharp (at this resolution). Of course, the automatic white balance sucks greasy monkey balls, it's noisy as hell and I had to be propped up and holding my breath, to avoid camera shake.
I've shot with this camera for a few months now, and I find myself using it less and less, simply because the results are so disappointing most of the time. It's at the point now, where I just don't take it with me anymore. I'd rather be using my Holga, to be honest. So, if you're thinking about buying yourself a point and shoot, don't do what I did. Or you'll end up having to do, what I have to do now, namely buy another one a little later. And I am thinking, the next one I get will be a Canon, like my DSLR. I have seen their newer point and shoots, and they seem to kick ass.
Rasmus Rasmussen is on loan from iStockphoto, where he is part of the image inspection team.
