Can a newb and a V3 get along?

[AJones]

Well, I have been doing a fair amount of research over the last couple weeks and I have been to several stores to hold the cameras and see what feels right to me. I am also in a debate with myself over what kind of photographer I want to be. I am still currently deciding if I want a p&s to just mess around with and take some photos or if I want to get into photography and learn how to take pictures the right way. The more and more I read and learn about different aspects of photography the more I think that this would be something I would enjoy.

For a p&s I've decided to go with the p200 on its release in feb. If I decide that I might like to get in to photography and I realize that I am going to need a camera with more extensive manual controls and have since come to the conclusion that the V3 or the G6 would be more than adequate and would last me a long time.

I realize that the debate of G6 vs. V3 has been discussed on this forum but I have a specific question that I didn't seem to find the answer to. If it is not clear by now, this would be my first major camera and although I know *what* most of the functions of a camera do, it will be awhile before I learn what setting to use and when.

So to get to the point my question is this: If I decide to go with the V3, how big of a problem is it going to be for me since the camera likes to generally pick a smaller aperture? In the beginning I will be using the auto setting until I can figure out how to use the camera correctly. I want a camera to grow into but at the same time, I don't want to struggle with a camera that is beyond my capabilities and get discouraged in the process. On occasion my parents may want to use the camera as well and they would most likely need to use the auto function all of the time.

If anyone has some insight into the auto setting on the V3 and whether or not it generally produces sound photos for someone who is learning I would be most appreciative. And if the occasional G6 owner wants to try and sway my decision I am more than happy to read what you have to say. Sorry for the length of my question and thanks in advance to anyone who is able to respond.

[zero]

Well, to take care of the aperture issue, I believe, all you have to do is when you go out doors, make sure its not at F8. I think 5.6 is where the pictures come out sharp.

I don't need a camera anytime soon but I am still researching. Regarding the V3 and G6 comparison. Well, I thought I was gonna go with the V3 because it was gonna be lower priced then the G6. But then again, I compared a lot of sample pictures of both cameras and decided that I just can't go with the V3 (lower price doesn't matter). V3 pictures are noisier. And at the default sharpness level, the pictures are way too sharp. In many sample images, this sharpness was actually causing the image to lose details, especially on edges of all objects in the images. If you bring down the sharpness level, it becomes softer then what you would want.

But thats just me, some people like oversharp images, I recommend you checkout some sample images as well from this website.

Here is why I liked V3: Nice Movie Mode. Quick Auto Focus. About $100 lower then G6 (not anymore, G6 just had a $100 price drop as well). NightFraming.

Here is why I like G6: Image Quality. F2.0 lense. Flip Out LCD.

Hopefully within the next three months, Sony knocks down the price $100 more and Canon follows.

[EAP]

I am also in a debate with myself over what kind of photographer I want to be. I am still currently deciding if I want a p&s to just mess around with and take some photos or if I want to get into photography and learn how to take pictures the right way. The more and more I read and learn about different aspects of photography the more I think that this would be something I would enjoy.

With a digital camera you will fall in love with photography. I have always been a "point and shoot" photographer -- until I bought my first digital camera. Now I'm obsessed with playing around with the manual settings and a tripod. It's because a digital gives you immediate feedback and you can learn quickly. I can already see that I will need more than one camera, once I've become more experienced. :p One that is smaller and more portable, and maybe one later (perhaps the Z3) that is higher level.

Any digital camera takes some learning. But I definitely wouldn't let this hold you back from the Z3. If you like everything about it, buy it. You can start with learning the camera using auto settings, and gradually learn the more complicated settings on the camera. I've never used manual settings before, but am quickly learning to prefer them over auto settings on my Canon A95. The joy of digital is that with most photos, you can see right away if it came out right, and if not, retake the photo. Whatever you do make SURE you buy a camera that has manual settings.

[PhilR.]

So to get to the point my question is this: If I decide to go with the V3, how big of a problem is it going to be for me since the camera likes to generally pick a smaller aperture?

Why would this be a problem for you? Or more to the point - what is the problem with smaller apertures?

As long as you have the shutter speed you need, you would want smaller apertures. This gives you better depth of field. The only time a smaller aperture would be a problem is when light is low enough to force a slow shutter speed. If you happen to be in this situation, just switch over to a mode that slows shutter and widens the aperture. This would be a simple operation with the V3, and learning how to do this would just take a bit of your time and a willingness to search out the info on the many internet sites dedicated to this kind of info. The way I look at it, if you have the money to even consider purchasing a V3 or similar camera, you owe it to yourself to spend a half hour to learn how to use the functions that you paid for. The camera is not beyond your capabilities at all - in fact I think you will have fun learning how to use the more advanced functions.

PhilR.

[AJones]

The small aperture situation I was talking about was something I saw on both this site and on dpreview. It was noted that in auto mode the V3 had a problem with choosing F8 instead of a larger aperture in sunny outdoor situations that would lead to a loss in photo quality and fuzzy/soft photos.

While there is a quick remedy to this: just make sure the camera chooses a larger aperture with priority, I was hoping that some V3 owners might be able to tell me how often in their everyday shooting did they have to manually change the aperture, assuming they wanted to use the auto mode in the first place.

You can see the F8 problem I was refering to here:
Here (http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/sony/dsc_v3-review/)
About 3/4 of the way down on the review.

Granted this is not a big deal but I just wondered how often this problem occured when shooting in auto mode.