Tricking a point-and-shoot

[raicuandi]

Hello!



Yes, this picture is boring and not quite brilliant, but look what that cheapo Sony point-and-shoot would normally do:


(though this is also a bit out of focus, and camera-shaky)

I heard I'm getting about 1200 bucks from my tax-return, and I instantly thought "I'm getting a DSLR!" - no idea why, I think I only took like 3 pictures in my entire life; its just an impulse I suppose.*

And after reading the tutorials on DPS, I just can't wait to get my hands on my first DSLR! 2-3 weeks from now.

After I studied the basics for a few days (and my neuron cooled back down), I rushed to grab the family's P&S and see what I can do with that, in my small room at what is about midnight. Sadly, it will only let me set the ISO and disable the flash. So its quite useless.

Nevertheless, I experimented! I knew for a long time (even though I rarely use a camera) that you can trick a P&S's focus by locking focus on something (half-press), then simply pointing the camera to whatever I want and take my shot - it will use the old focus it locked earlier; and that made for a few cute shots. I suppose its a quite obvious one.

But then I started trying to really mess with it. Turns out that if you place a lighter in between the focus point and the camera (quite close to the camera actually), lock focus just like before (when you do that, the camera adjusts all its settings), remove the lighter and then take the shot, it... well, it does that cool thing to the colors!

ISO 100, no flash, both pictures use the exact same lighting conditions (2 average light bulbs, no natural light), its just that in the first one I tricked the camera into thinking otherwise.

This is so much fun! Before I knew it, I took 60 pictures. (and had to change like 3 freaking pairs of those damn alkaline batteries)

[angeleyes216]

Thats one of the big thing that makes a dslr camera worth the money in my opinion..NO MORE BATTERIES EVERY 10 MINUTES !!
but seriously i know you will get so much pleasure out of a dslr camera..i never thought about photography but once i got mine a whole new world opened up and then i got on dps and wow my life has changed.
If you can do this kind of photo with a cheap point and shoot then think what amazing photos you will produce with a dslr...
keep at it and hope to see lots of photos when you get it....got to love tax refund time