I have been reading from Reid’s blog and he and Jordan are discussing point and shoot vs. digital cameras.
I got into photography in April of 2001 when I was transferred overseas. That job took me to 26 countries over the course of 18 months. Most of my friends and family would never be able to see as much of the world as I was seeing. This led me to getting a digital camera and creating a webpage.
My first camera was a 1.3 mega-pixel (MP) Olympus D-460Z. It was a great camera for the amateur shooter. This camera was used on 10 trips throughout the world. The pictures were for the most part outstanding. Usually any problems were with the photographer. Since the D-460, I have owned 5 other cameras; Olympus 2.1 MP C2100UZ, Canon 2.1 MP Digital Elph, C-40 (US D-40) 4M, Canon SD100 3.3mp, and now the Canon EOS 300D (Digital Rebel.).
I bought the 2100 to replace the 460. I wanted a bigger through the lens (TTL) viewfinder camera. I also wanted the extra lens length afforded by the optically stabilized 10x zoom lens. This camera took great pictures, but was HUGE compared the 460. Some of the countries I visited were not the best place to be lugging a 500 dollar camera. I remember in Russia hiding the camera under my overcoat. So in March I moved into a smaller camera-my first Canon Digital Elph.
The Digital Elph took good pictures. I think the Olympus point and shoots have slightly better pictures quality. The elph is a great tiny camera about the size of a pack of smokes. This allows you to sneak it into places the 2100 could not go. I took the Elph to three countries. I ended up selling it as a package deal to a friend of mine along with my laptop. I had wanted to upgrade my current laptop and the combination made a good deal for my friend.
I was back to the 2100. It did not take long to realize that I did not like lugging it around. So I picked up a small 4MP Olympus C-40 in Malaysia.
I have since sold the Olympus and purchased two new cameras. The first was another Elph for taking to parties and such. The second was the Rebel. I wanted something that I could continually expand. The ability to change the lenses should allow me to upgrade as needed. Images from each camera can be found here.
I think the Reid at Photodude and Jordan make good points. Sometimes you want the better image enlargement capabilities of a DSLR and the portability of a point and shoot is great for cameo pictures. I am lucky in that I have both.