Several months ago I decided to find out exactly what I could do with a point and shoot camera, in this case my Canon G16, as my primary camera.
I usually carry a SLR, currently the Canon 7D Mark II, with either the Canon 24mm-105mm or Canon 24mm – 70mm in my bag for everyday, and the Canon 100mm – 400mm for nature and wildlife. For the summer, I left it home and carried the G16. The experiment ended the beginning of September after three months.
The results: The Canon G16 worked beautifully for street photography, and a lot of travel photography. For me it did not work as well for nature photography, but my nature photography is usually of things that move (birds, etc.) not necessarily things that stand still (landscapes). Most of my blog photographs for the past few months were taken with the G16 and I was pleased with the quality.
I am used to working in RAW, so I set it for RAW. I suspect the same results could be had with large JPEG but I wanted to use the format with which I am familiar. I did miss shots I might have had with the SLR, but manged better shots in crowds or on the street, as everyone has a phone camera or point and shoot and they do not attract the notice that the SLR does. As I became more familiar with the camera, I learned to adjust the settings, shooting modes, etc. more accurately. I also learned to move and adjust me, getting closer or another angle to work with the camera and lens. Knowing your camera with its strengths and limitations is one of the most important photographic skills you can have. I loved it for travel. It worked well and since most of my travel this year involved cities and events rather than nature destinations this camera’s strengths worked for me.
In conclusion, my SLR goes with me for most of my work, but the G16 will be my workhorse for future travel photography.
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