...the style is a Film Noir with a Selective Desaturation Twist... and a Comic Book High Contrast effect thrown in for good measure...
Anyway, the "Semi-Black and White Style" is called Selective Desaturation in the film world and typically revolves around highlighting one color in a 'scene' (At least in photography). Stylistically, it works excellently in comic books and hopefully in this movie as well...
...more expensive software and 'niche' software aren't typically going to be carried at Big Bix retail stores, since most of the people that are going to shop with them aren't interested in plopping down $600 on a photo editing software package.
At most, they may plink down $250, but most likely will go home with the "Ph0t0 M4st3r 2.3" software for $9.99 in the 'Value Software' bin.
Ancient re-runs of the Lawrence Welk show run EVERYDAY on cable TV, at least in the Detroit market. I see it just about everytime I start surfing through the channels.
Tolerence only provides a breeding ground for negative feelings towards other people. Accepting the fact that other people choose to live differently and then respecting that fact is far better then simply 'tolerating' the fact that other people choose to live differently.
...the only way to truly stop these terrorists from being able to plot out the destruction of the modern world is to destroy the modern world and our open society ourselves.
Of course, that would be playing directly into the hands of the terrorists and will give them exactly what they are looking for.
Truly, honestly, the only way to defeat these terrorists is not to combat them directly, (I am not saying we should cease efforts to stop them) but to combat them indirectly by taking away their power. We need to fight global ignorance, we need to teach acceptance of one another's differences, we need to learn how to respect one another, from the heads of every nation to the most downtrodden of people on this planet.
Of course, I honestly doubt that our species is ready, willing or even capable of doing that in this day and age. Perhaps one day we will and what I have said won't seem like some impossible dream.
...we need to get rid of the entirety of the Internet. It's the only way to save the world from the dark forces of terrorists that want to meet in 'dark alleys' and plot the destruction of the modern world.
After that, we should destroy cell phones, especially the ones that have 'no contract' that can be picked up at a local drugstore, used for a week and then be tossed away.
Our Modern world has just made it to easy for those 'evil ones' to communicate about destroying us. We should foil all their plots by going back to pre-80's technology levels. That will show them!
...the find was based upon a statement made by a scientist that hadn't seen all of the remains and only heard descriptions of one being have been found.
The last I heard, the remains, of which there are enough parts to conclude that there were more then two such 'hobbits' in that cave, have been locked away and will remain so for some time. How can they know there were more then one you say? Well, it's simple, there was either one three jawed 'Hobbit' or there were three seperate beings all of the same size and shape.
At least that is what I have heard regarding this story.
Frankly automobile are not my keenest interests but I think the "Corbin Sparrow" is probably next of kin to the European "Smart" or "Twingo" minicars. While offering relative safety in comparision to a normal car, these retail at least over here starting at EUR 18,000 and have a "mileage" of 5l / 100Km which is only slightly better than a recent normal car.
Thanks for providing something that I could actually look up. The "Twingo" you mention is similar to the new Chevy Aveo, a sub-compact car. The Corbin Sparrow is a one seater, three-wheeled vehicle clasified as a Motorcycle. These are exceptionally different designs and vehicle philosophies. The Sparrow is designed for the comfort, safety and high efficiency that a commuter vehicle, in my opinion, should have.
The Sparrow is an electric vehicle, with a limited range. However, Corbin also designed a slightly more expensive model built around a very beefy motorcycle engine. Beefy enough to push the 'Merlin' to well beyond average highway speeds and still obtain exceptional mileage. I seem to recall it being up near or over 50 miles per gallon, which for American vehicles is very high mileage.
As far as the mini-cars are concerned, they are on sale on Europe too (EUR 10,000 - 13,000) and the local Automobile Association proved these vehicles to be death-traps. I might add, due to the design constraints for reduced weight they are mostly made of cheap plastic wherever the engineers could get away with replacing a steel/metal part with a cheaper one and they do not whatsoever offer the comfort of a "real" car. As much as it may come to a surprise, but these low-cost, low-mileage vehicles also conform to the prevailing perception that eco-friendliness must come at the expense of comfort. Instead now is the time to focus on preserving/increasing levels of automotive comfort _AND_ switching to alternative carriers (not necessarily sources) of energy such as hydrogen.
I don't believe that we are talking about the same thing here. Do you have a link to the Mini-Cars that are available in Europe? Are they vastly different in design from the Corbin Sparrow, that I did provide a link to?
From what I have seen of the Corbin Sparrow, at more then one International Auto Show exhibition, if you drive one of them you are surrounded by a safety frame, much like the safety frames used in professional racing automobiles, such as NASCAR vehicles. The body itself is made up of composite materials that are lightweight, yet as strong if not stronger then their steel counterparts. I understand that this provides an impressive occupant safety that is similar to standard automobiles.
However, as I remarked before, I wouldn't want to be the only commuter driving one of them to and from the office. Even while they are designed with comfort, driver protection and efficiency in mind, I would rather not be hit by some moron who barely checks blind spots before swerving lanes.
But again, as in my previous post, would it not make sense to specifically allow for throwing garbage on the ground in the sound knowledge that within a very short time this piece of garbage will have been collected and maybe even recycled? The city of Detroit could do it, though it would mean they would have to provide a meaningful service to its population.
This, my friend, is a laughable suggestion. This would waste far more resources then having trash/recycling receptacles placed at appropriate locations to be later collected by refuse/recycler teams/machines. What would you do about the trash that would blow around and 'evade' attempts at quick and easy collection? You get the same thing that we have today, cities that look filthy with people who don't give a darn about how the place they live and work looks.
As for the first paragraph you provided, your heavy bias has closed your mind to the "fresh new open-minded technological and sociological ideas and concepts" that many "eco-friendly" yet also realistic people may offer up. In the original poster's statement, I didn't see any demands for personal sacrifice or that people *must* give in and toe some "eco-socialist" line. What was said was one person's opinion about what was needed.
The thing with opinions and ideas about how to get from point A to point B is that they will be adjusted, they will be looked at realistically and they will be altered to better suit the majority of people. However, going immediately on the attack doesn't readily provide an opportunity for a meeting of the minds and the subsequent reasoned alteration of any idea or opinion.
That's a great way to empower your side of the story, not. Declare anyone who suggests a list of methods that greater society could consider a 'Tree-hugger' only declares your personal bias.
Forcing everybody on a train with set schedules and set destinations is communist.
Again, you aren't really bolstering your side of the story by choosing one offered suggestion and then labeling the person a communist. There was a handful of offered options, that granted aren't necesarily something that everyone would be interested in. However, there were more options presented then just trains.
Personally, I don't know if I would go for the train thing so much myself. What I would love to look into would be those high mileage 'mini-cars' from Corbin. They have/had some models built around a motorcycle engine and offer up all the luxury of a regular automobile, minus the ability to cary 4 to 8 humans at one time. Unfortunately, they are so pricey as to elminate themselves from the marketplace, by virtue of costing over $10k to own one.
With viable, inexpensive options, such as 'commuter cars' like the Corbin vehicle, commuter trains among many other options of conveyence our nation really could save tremendous costs on fuel consumption as well as greatly lessen the environmental impact of everyone driving monstrous SUVs for one small person. (In my area I can't drive anywhere without seeing more SUVs then any other type of vehicle. It's just part of living in a relatively affluent area.)
SUVs could be relegated to weekend family trips or when the whole family goes out places. Yeah it's some utopian idea, so it probably won't happen, it's still just an idea I am not asking or telling anyone to do that. However, if those mini-cars were very affordable and I could be assured that there would be more people then just myself on the road in one, I would hop in one everyday for work.
As to throwing garbage on the ground, maybe we should look into improving and streamlining the process of getting it removed FROM THE GROUND before putting up a waste-basket every 200 feet or so or even making people take their garbage home.
It's funny you would say this. I live in Detroit and have had the opportunity to spend time across the Detroit River in Windsor. Now, in Detroit you undoubtably see garbage and filth tossed around everywhere, even in the mostly clean "New Downtown Center" with trash receptacles being a rare site. However, once you cross over into Canada you see clean streets with Trash Receptacles, not only at every street corner but also several additional locations between street corners and they aren't even bolted to the ground! (At least the last time I was there they weren't.)
Anyway, tossing away trash is a society/cultural upbringing thing. If you parents teach not to give a crap about how places look, then that's how you treat places. If everyone around you treats places like crap, that attitude only grows and festers like a cancer.
Japan is one of the worlds most space constrained countries and cities in the west will adopt japanese traffic solutions such as stacking multiple stories of roads on top of another or moving stores, amusements and even offices below the ground.
That's Japan. They do that because they have no choice. There simply isn't any room. This is the United Stats, we won't be out of room in the forseeable future.
Can you imagine what will happen to the first politician or two who suggests such a course of action? They will be laughed out of office and things will continue as usual.
In the US, people move farther from City Centers to get away from the congestion, only to create even more congestion in areas that were never prepared for such a mas influx people. The only thing that is a societal change, that won't likely happen in our lifetime.
...are we discussing this on a web-site that has over a million registered users that has tens to hundreds of thousands of page views every single day?
How Secret can this really be?
It wasn't announced publicly through all the news stations? I don't recall cameras at ATMs being announced publicly either...
It is there in order to protect us. Let's say the next UniBomber started using these Kiosks, would you rather that person be able to stay anonymous for years upon years and commit more acts of violence through the mail or would you rather that person's face be plastered all over the country after one such piece of mail was delivered?
If humanity didn't create the psychotic nutjobs that were capable of these acts, I would be seriously questioning the need for such cameras. Unfortunately, there are some seriously messed up people out there that would/could use those kiosks to perpetrate terrible acts of violence, ala the Unibomber.
Having those cameras at those kiosks doesn't chew into my personal liberty, those cameras won't interrupt my ability to use those kiosks, they won't disallow me from sending anything through them that I wish to send through them, they won't spring out black ops agents ready to probe every orifice of my body. All they do is provide a method to track someone that used the kiosk to commit criminal acts.
I spent time using Canon's SLR Technology education web-site and also read through the book. I also picked up one of those $5 pocket books filled with tips.
I still have much more to learn, in order to master the camera. However, at this time I am currently good enough to take a decent number of images.
Name a Point and Shoot gives you the capability to go from a focal length of 24mm all the way out to 1200mm?...
I am waiting....
I am still waiting. You can't find one can you?
Anyway, aside from that capability DSLRs, like standard SLRs have far more capabilities then the run of mill P&S camera.
I do not know of any P&S Camera, digital or otherwise, that provides you with the capability of taking extra long exposures, which are perfect for taking lightning storm images among other types of shots.
Yeah, there is a heft and feel thing that makes things more comfortable for longtime SLR owners. That form factor also allows for the backwards compatibility of a significant amount of equipment that a photographer may have collected over the years.
Sure, the actual body could be little more then the size of a deck of cards, but that would likely cause a significant issues with leveraging the cost savings of using existing pro-sumer and Professional camera equipment.
Were you using Authentic Canon Ink or 'Authentic Genuine' Cloned Canon Ink? There is a significant difference, the only other thing I can think of is that something in your dorm room interacted with the ink...
Those Pro-sumer Cameras with the EVF have a noticeable Frames Per Second issue in comparison with what you can see in true real time with a SLR and your own eye.
They are also incapable of showing you exactly what you are looking at. The technology simply doesn't exist that will provide you with the same image quality on those teeny-tiny LCDs in those EVFs that you are capable of seeing with your natural eye.
Those differences can make or break an image. Real photographers, people that have been shooting film for ages, can look through a veiwfinder and quickly tell if the Automatic Metering system isn't up to snuff or needs to be adjusted to match the effect they are looking for. That simply can't be done with those EVFs and might never be possible to achieve with those.
I don't believe the mirror would be or is more expensive then an equal image quality mini/micro LCD would cost.
There is a simple test that you can perform. Pick up a Pro-sumer Digital Camera with an EVF and hold it up to your face and have a friend swiftly walk by in front of you. At the same time, swiftly track your friend's movement. My understanding is that you will see some 'herky-jerky' action on the EVF.
Do the same thing with any SLR, digital or otherwise, you will not see that 'herky-jerky' action, unless you have something seriously wrong with your eyes and their connection to your brain.
If you are concerned about mirror shake, that is incredibly negligable and is less noticable then the 'shake' caused by depressing the shutter button on any camera. First, you can eliminate the shutter button shake, by using a tripod and a remote shutter release cable or IR unit. Secondly, most DSLRs and SLRs have a 'Mirror Lock' feature that will swing the mirror up out of the way before engaging the shutter.
The only time you really need those features is when you are looking to create large format prints of landscapes and or protrait/studio shots. FOr everyday photography the tripod and your hand or the tripod and the remote shutter release are excellent options, which aren't usually available on most P&S Cameras, BTW...
I use Canon original Inks and from what I have read their Ink Formula is designed to withstand UV light for a significant period of time, for Archival purposes. I can quote the actual period of time right now, because I am not interested in hunting down the blurb on their web-site.
All I know is that I have images I printed out over a year ago that look just as good to me now as they did back then.
...then a DSLR is definately not for you. At this moment, I am unable to conceive of a way to explain the difference, as it is far more then just aestetics or being able to say, "I got a DSLR!"
I would use the analogy of "What's the point of building your own PC when you can buy one much cheaper from Wal-Mart?" Sure, there's performance differences, sure there's the ability to more easily exchange components for different performance. However, there's still a little bit more to the difference between a Digital P&S and a DSLR camera.
I know that Digital SLRs have much larger image capturing sensors then P&S Digital Cameras have and thus are capable of capturing better quality pixels, which equates to much better final images.
I know that DSLRs can have a variety of focal length lenses installed on them providing upwards of 1200mm focal lengths. At the same time, there are simply snap-on kits that will mutliply the focal length of P&S Cameras, but they will get you nowhere near the Focal length and f-stop of the interchangeable lenses on the DSLR.
I own a Canon i550 which is a great printer for printing out my own images. I have printed out dozens of images on that printer and have only had a few minor problems here and there, such as banding which comes from 'dirty' print heads, which is cleared up after performing a 'deep clean' on the print heads.
I have taken a disk of images to the local print shop and they do end up looking better when you hold them right up to your face and scrutinize them. However, when you put both on a wall and stand back at a normal viewing distance you can't really tell any difference on at least up to 5x7 images. (I have yet to print out anything larger at a print shop.)
To obtain decent 5x7 images. Not professional grade images, but decent images nonetheless. The only thing that would hold you back from good 5x7 capable shots is lighting.
I have an older model 2.1mp camera and with the proper lighting, I can obtain some very nice low-noise images that are great for printing at 5x7. They are good enough that I can hang them in my home and get compliments on them.
If you are looking for larger prints or professional quality shots, I wouldnt' hit anything less then 5 megapixels and even then, I would go higher by picking up a Digital SLR camera.
The Digital SLRs have larger sensors then the Prosumer and "Point and Shoot" cameras, thus providing higher quality pixels which equate to better images then higher Megapixel Prosumer cameras.
When I picked up my Digital Rebel (EOS 300D), I had no idea what the term SLR meant (Single-Lense Reflex BTW). What I did know was that I wanted to own and learn how to use a higher end camera with more versatility then the camera that I had.
I knew going into it that there would be much to learn and that if I stuck to it, I would be able to take some excellent images. Perhaps well enough to do some photography on the side for some extra dough in a semi to actually professional capacity.
Slashdot Mirror
...the style is a Film Noir with a Selective Desaturation Twist... and a Comic Book High Contrast effect thrown in for good measure...
Anyway, the "Semi-Black and White Style" is called Selective Desaturation in the film world and typically revolves around highlighting one color in a 'scene' (At least in photography). Stylistically, it works excellently in comic books and hopefully in this movie as well...
I don't know, allow me to contact the Office of Homeland Security and inform them about this device and find out...
(Just kidding)
At most, they may plink down $250, but most likely will go home with the "Ph0t0 M4st3r 2.3" software for $9.99 in the 'Value Software' bin.
Ancient re-runs of the Lawrence Welk show run EVERYDAY on cable TV, at least in the Detroit market. I see it just about everytime I start surfing through the channels.
Lawrence Welk won't be fading away anytime soon.
Tolerence only provides a breeding ground for negative feelings towards other people. Accepting the fact that other people choose to live differently and then respecting that fact is far better then simply 'tolerating' the fact that other people choose to live differently.
The difference is very subtle.
Of course, that would be playing directly into the hands of the terrorists and will give them exactly what they are looking for.
Truly, honestly, the only way to defeat these terrorists is not to combat them directly, (I am not saying we should cease efforts to stop them) but to combat them indirectly by taking away their power. We need to fight global ignorance, we need to teach acceptance of one another's differences, we need to learn how to respect one another, from the heads of every nation to the most downtrodden of people on this planet.
Of course, I honestly doubt that our species is ready, willing or even capable of doing that in this day and age. Perhaps one day we will and what I have said won't seem like some impossible dream.
After that, we should destroy cell phones, especially the ones that have 'no contract' that can be picked up at a local drugstore, used for a week and then be tossed away.
Our Modern world has just made it to easy for those 'evil ones' to communicate about destroying us. We should foil all their plots by going back to pre-80's technology levels. That will show them!
The last I heard, the remains, of which there are enough parts to conclude that there were more then two such 'hobbits' in that cave, have been locked away and will remain so for some time. How can they know there were more then one you say? Well, it's simple, there was either one three jawed 'Hobbit' or there were three seperate beings all of the same size and shape.
At least that is what I have heard regarding this story.
Thanks for providing something that I could actually look up. The "Twingo" you mention is similar to the new Chevy Aveo, a sub-compact car. The Corbin Sparrow is a one seater, three-wheeled vehicle clasified as a Motorcycle. These are exceptionally different designs and vehicle philosophies. The Sparrow is designed for the comfort, safety and high efficiency that a commuter vehicle, in my opinion, should have.
The Sparrow is an electric vehicle, with a limited range. However, Corbin also designed a slightly more expensive model built around a very beefy motorcycle engine. Beefy enough to push the 'Merlin' to well beyond average highway speeds and still obtain exceptional mileage. I seem to recall it being up near or over 50 miles per gallon, which for American vehicles is very high mileage.
As far as the mini-cars are concerned, they are on sale on Europe too (EUR 10,000 - 13,000) and the local Automobile Association proved these vehicles to be death-traps. I might add, due to the design constraints for reduced weight they are mostly made of cheap plastic wherever the engineers could get away with replacing a steel/metal part with a cheaper one and they do not whatsoever offer the comfort of a "real" car. As much as it may come to a surprise, but these low-cost, low-mileage vehicles also conform to the prevailing perception that eco-friendliness must come at the expense of comfort. Instead now is the time to focus on preserving/increasing levels of automotive comfort _AND_ switching to alternative carriers (not necessarily sources) of energy such as hydrogen.
I don't believe that we are talking about the same thing here. Do you have a link to the Mini-Cars that are available in Europe? Are they vastly different in design from the Corbin Sparrow, that I did provide a link to?
From what I have seen of the Corbin Sparrow, at more then one International Auto Show exhibition, if you drive one of them you are surrounded by a safety frame, much like the safety frames used in professional racing automobiles, such as NASCAR vehicles. The body itself is made up of composite materials that are lightweight, yet as strong if not stronger then their steel counterparts. I understand that this provides an impressive occupant safety that is similar to standard automobiles.
However, as I remarked before, I wouldn't want to be the only commuter driving one of them to and from the office. Even while they are designed with comfort, driver protection and efficiency in mind, I would rather not be hit by some moron who barely checks blind spots before swerving lanes.
But again, as in my previous post, would it not make sense to specifically allow for throwing garbage on the ground in the sound knowledge that within a very short time this piece of garbage will have been collected and maybe even recycled? The city of Detroit could do it, though it would mean they would have to provide a meaningful service to its population.
This, my friend, is a laughable suggestion. This would waste far more resources then having trash/recycling receptacles placed at appropriate locations to be later collected by refuse/recycler teams/machines. What would you do about the trash that would blow around and 'evade' attempts at quick and easy collection? You get the same thing that we have today, cities that look filthy with people who don't give a darn about how the place they live and work looks.
As for the first paragraph you provided, your heavy bias has closed your mind to the "fresh new open-minded technological and sociological ideas and concepts" that many "eco-friendly" yet also realistic people may offer up. In the original poster's statement, I didn't see any demands for personal sacrifice or that people *must* give in and toe some "eco-socialist" line. What was said was one person's opinion about what was needed.
The thing with opinions and ideas about how to get from point A to point B is that they will be adjusted, they will be looked at realistically and they will be altered to better suit the majority of people. However, going immediately on the attack doesn't readily provide an opportunity for a meeting of the minds and the subsequent reasoned alteration of any idea or opinion.
That's a great way to empower your side of the story, not. Declare anyone who suggests a list of methods that greater society could consider a 'Tree-hugger' only declares your personal bias.
Forcing everybody on a train with set schedules and set destinations is communist.
Again, you aren't really bolstering your side of the story by choosing one offered suggestion and then labeling the person a communist. There was a handful of offered options, that granted aren't necesarily something that everyone would be interested in. However, there were more options presented then just trains.
Personally, I don't know if I would go for the train thing so much myself. What I would love to look into would be those high mileage 'mini-cars' from Corbin. They have/had some models built around a motorcycle engine and offer up all the luxury of a regular automobile, minus the ability to cary 4 to 8 humans at one time. Unfortunately, they are so pricey as to elminate themselves from the marketplace, by virtue of costing over $10k to own one.
For more information check here
With viable, inexpensive options, such as 'commuter cars' like the Corbin vehicle, commuter trains among many other options of conveyence our nation really could save tremendous costs on fuel consumption as well as greatly lessen the environmental impact of everyone driving monstrous SUVs for one small person. (In my area I can't drive anywhere without seeing more SUVs then any other type of vehicle. It's just part of living in a relatively affluent area.)
SUVs could be relegated to weekend family trips or when the whole family goes out places. Yeah it's some utopian idea, so it probably won't happen, it's still just an idea I am not asking or telling anyone to do that. However, if those mini-cars were very affordable and I could be assured that there would be more people then just myself on the road in one, I would hop in one everyday for work.
As to throwing garbage on the ground, maybe we should look into improving and streamlining the process of getting it removed FROM THE GROUND before putting up a waste-basket every 200 feet or so or even making people take their garbage home.
It's funny you would say this. I live in Detroit and have had the opportunity to spend time across the Detroit River in Windsor. Now, in Detroit you undoubtably see garbage and filth tossed around everywhere, even in the mostly clean "New Downtown Center" with trash receptacles being a rare site. However, once you cross over into Canada you see clean streets with Trash Receptacles, not only at every street corner but also several additional locations between street corners and they aren't even bolted to the ground! (At least the last time I was there they weren't.)
Anyway, tossing away trash is a society/cultural upbringing thing. If you parents teach not to give a crap about how places look, then that's how you treat places. If everyone around you treats places like crap, that attitude only grows and festers like a cancer.
Japan is one of the worlds most space constrained countries and cities in the west will adopt japanese traffic solutions such as stacking multiple stories of roads on top of another or moving stores, amusements and even offices below the ground.
That's Japan. They do that because they have no choice. There simply isn't any room. This is the United Stats, we won't be out of room in the forseeable future.
Can you imagine what will happen to the first politician or two who suggests such a course of action? They will be laughed out of office and things will continue as usual.
In the US, people move farther from City Centers to get away from the congestion, only to create even more congestion in areas that were never prepared for such a mas influx people. The only thing that is a societal change, that won't likely happen in our lifetime.
How Secret can this really be?
It wasn't announced publicly through all the news stations? I don't recall cameras at ATMs being announced publicly either...
As we know it, there has been no major nuclear war exchange between the United States and Russia.
As we know it, there are major US and Russian cities that millions of people live within.
As we know it, there is a global marketplace through which to exchange goods, services and ideas.
As we know it, there is no nuclear fallout.
If there were such an exchange, life as we know it, would most certainly change. Humanity as we know it would also change.
It is there in order to protect us. Let's say the next UniBomber started using these Kiosks, would you rather that person be able to stay anonymous for years upon years and commit more acts of violence through the mail or would you rather that person's face be plastered all over the country after one such piece of mail was delivered?
If humanity didn't create the psychotic nutjobs that were capable of these acts, I would be seriously questioning the need for such cameras. Unfortunately, there are some seriously messed up people out there that would/could use those kiosks to perpetrate terrible acts of violence, ala the Unibomber.
Having those cameras at those kiosks doesn't chew into my personal liberty, those cameras won't interrupt my ability to use those kiosks, they won't disallow me from sending anything through them that I wish to send through them, they won't spring out black ops agents ready to probe every orifice of my body. All they do is provide a method to track someone that used the kiosk to commit criminal acts.
...my Linux Servers then.
Well, so much for being able to have a quickly searchable index of files and on my servers and Linux running laptop.
I spent time using Canon's SLR Technology education web-site and also read through the book. I also picked up one of those $5 pocket books filled with tips.
I still have much more to learn, in order to master the camera. However, at this time I am currently good enough to take a decent number of images.
Name a Point and Shoot gives you the capability to go from a focal length of 24mm all the way out to 1200mm? ...
...
I am waiting.
I am still waiting. You can't find one can you?
Anyway, aside from that capability DSLRs, like standard SLRs have far more capabilities then the run of mill P&S camera.
I do not know of any P&S Camera, digital or otherwise, that provides you with the capability of taking extra long exposures, which are perfect for taking lightning storm images among other types of shots.
Yeah, there is a heft and feel thing that makes things more comfortable for longtime SLR owners. That form factor also allows for the backwards compatibility of a significant amount of equipment that a photographer may have collected over the years.
Sure, the actual body could be little more then the size of a deck of cards, but that would likely cause a significant issues with leveraging the cost savings of using existing pro-sumer and Professional camera equipment.
Were you using Authentic Canon Ink or 'Authentic Genuine' Cloned Canon Ink? There is a significant difference, the only other thing I can think of is that something in your dorm room interacted with the ink...
Those Pro-sumer Cameras with the EVF have a noticeable Frames Per Second issue in comparison with what you can see in true real time with a SLR and your own eye.
They are also incapable of showing you exactly what you are looking at. The technology simply doesn't exist that will provide you with the same image quality on those teeny-tiny LCDs in those EVFs that you are capable of seeing with your natural eye.
Those differences can make or break an image. Real photographers, people that have been shooting film for ages, can look through a veiwfinder and quickly tell if the Automatic Metering system isn't up to snuff or needs to be adjusted to match the effect they are looking for. That simply can't be done with those EVFs and might never be possible to achieve with those.
I don't believe the mirror would be or is more expensive then an equal image quality mini/micro LCD would cost.
There is a simple test that you can perform. Pick up a Pro-sumer Digital Camera with an EVF and hold it up to your face and have a friend swiftly walk by in front of you. At the same time, swiftly track your friend's movement. My understanding is that you will see some 'herky-jerky' action on the EVF.
Do the same thing with any SLR, digital or otherwise, you will not see that 'herky-jerky' action, unless you have something seriously wrong with your eyes and their connection to your brain.
If you are concerned about mirror shake, that is incredibly negligable and is less noticable then the 'shake' caused by depressing the shutter button on any camera. First, you can eliminate the shutter button shake, by using a tripod and a remote shutter release cable or IR unit. Secondly, most DSLRs and SLRs have a 'Mirror Lock' feature that will swing the mirror up out of the way before engaging the shutter.
The only time you really need those features is when you are looking to create large format prints of landscapes and or protrait/studio shots. FOr everyday photography the tripod and your hand or the tripod and the remote shutter release are excellent options, which aren't usually available on most P&S Cameras, BTW...
What do you mean by 'Fades' quickly?
I use Canon original Inks and from what I have read their Ink Formula is designed to withstand UV light for a significant period of time, for Archival purposes. I can quote the actual period of time right now, because I am not interested in hunting down the blurb on their web-site.
All I know is that I have images I printed out over a year ago that look just as good to me now as they did back then.
I would use the analogy of "What's the point of building your own PC when you can buy one much cheaper from Wal-Mart?" Sure, there's performance differences, sure there's the ability to more easily exchange components for different performance. However, there's still a little bit more to the difference between a Digital P&S and a DSLR camera.
I know that Digital SLRs have much larger image capturing sensors then P&S Digital Cameras have and thus are capable of capturing better quality pixels, which equates to much better final images.
I know that DSLRs can have a variety of focal length lenses installed on them providing upwards of 1200mm focal lengths. At the same time, there are simply snap-on kits that will mutliply the focal length of P&S Cameras, but they will get you nowhere near the Focal length and f-stop of the interchangeable lenses on the DSLR.
I own a Canon i550 which is a great printer for printing out my own images. I have printed out dozens of images on that printer and have only had a few minor problems here and there, such as banding which comes from 'dirty' print heads, which is cleared up after performing a 'deep clean' on the print heads.
I have taken a disk of images to the local print shop and they do end up looking better when you hold them right up to your face and scrutinize them. However, when you put both on a wall and stand back at a normal viewing distance you can't really tell any difference on at least up to 5x7 images. (I have yet to print out anything larger at a print shop.)
To obtain decent 5x7 images. Not professional grade images, but decent images nonetheless. The only thing that would hold you back from good 5x7 capable shots is lighting.
I have an older model 2.1mp camera and with the proper lighting, I can obtain some very nice low-noise images that are great for printing at 5x7. They are good enough that I can hang them in my home and get compliments on them.
If you are looking for larger prints or professional quality shots, I wouldnt' hit anything less then 5 megapixels and even then, I would go higher by picking up a Digital SLR camera.
The Digital SLRs have larger sensors then the Prosumer and "Point and Shoot" cameras, thus providing higher quality pixels which equate to better images then higher Megapixel Prosumer cameras.
When I picked up my Digital Rebel (EOS 300D), I had no idea what the term SLR meant (Single-Lense Reflex BTW). What I did know was that I wanted to own and learn how to use a higher end camera with more versatility then the camera that I had.
I knew going into it that there would be much to learn and that if I stuck to it, I would be able to take some excellent images. Perhaps well enough to do some photography on the side for some extra dough in a semi to actually professional capacity.