I was telling him it would take a lot of hard work, from which there is no escape if one wishes to be an artist in any medium. Musicians practice constantly; most photographers do not practice enough. The siren-call of the hobby obscures the necessary exactions of art. It is easy to take a photograph, but it is harder to make a masterpiece in photography than in any other art medium. (Ansel Adams --)
Back in the old days, when people used film, I did so too. I shot a lot of film (both black and white and color) in my beloved screw mount SLR Pentax (which I no longer have) , and later played a bit with 4x5 on my view camera. Also, I have strangely acquired three Minolta SRT101 cameras and a collection of lenses, two as gifts, the third in a thrift store (for under $10.00 and with a 28mm lens). I have yet to take a single photo with these fine Minoltas though, and likely never will. With the advent of the 20th century and (with the notable exception of 4x5 cameras) the passing of film technology into the dim and distant past, I have now turned my attention to digital photography exclusively.
When I began these pages, I was still clicking away with a tiny little
Canon S200 and had taken something over 4000 pictures with it.
Point and shoot cameras definitely have their place.
In particular, a camera in your hand is worth two
in the bush (or sitting at home).
That little camera pleased me so much, that I found myself pondering the purchase of a digital SLR and ultimately (in early 2006) settled on the Canon EOS 20D. You may find this link instructive if you are making a decision about the purchase of a digital camera. On the other hand, a few years have passed since I made this choice, and the Canon EOS 50D is now on the scene. The 20D has held its own quite well though.
The following links will take you to the information I have been accumulating that pertain to digital photography with my 20D:
Uncle Tom's Digital Photography Info / tom@mmto.org