Hello Richard!
Like lot of things in life, the answer depends on a lot of factors. Intended purpose (publication, gallery prints, personal prints, webpages, newspapers, etc.), budget, size/weight considerations, digital or film, degree of automation desired, are all just some of the questions that need to be discussed.
As a pro, many of these things flash through my head when discussing a potential job with a client. And as with many things in life, there is/are more than one answer.
I probably can't help much with a point and shoot recommendation, as I don't own one, and have only rarely used one, usually when someone pops one in my hand and says "take our picture." Most often they don't know I'm a pro, and I usually end up looking like a boob, as the little screens on the back I find most annoying, and the time lag between pressing the shutter button and the actual capture to be even more distressing. There is no control...
Also, as a pro, I carry about $10,000 worth of gear in my regular backpack, and I only have four lenses and one body. But they are very GOOD lenses, and so I don't worry about picture quality. I even hesitate to mention that it it's Canon gear, as the possibility then arises for the inevitable debate between Nikon/Canon/whomever.
Such discussions are usually pointless. Pick one that works well for YOU, after you've made your evaluations. Tricycle gear or tail dragger? After a while, it all boils down to what you like, and what your needs are. Nothing else really matters. What I would recommend though is that you ask your friends what they have, and what they think of it.
Some questions to ask include (and I assume we are talking about a digital point 'n shoot):
1. How much lag time is there between pressing the shutter button and the actual "capture"?
2. What about battery life?
3. Does it use easily available batteries, or are they more exotic, like say a 6 volt photo battery? How long do they last?
4. What is the file size?
5. Will it capture RAW files? (This is very important if you want to be able to control your images in post-production.)
6. Is the lens an optical zoom (desirable), or a "digital zoom" (not so desirable)?
7. Do it have a built in flash?
8. Is the flash off-center from the lens? (This helps to prevent "red-eye".)
9. Will it fit in my pocket?
10. Does any editing software come with it?
11. Can I afford to lose it, if it becomes stolen or dropped?
12. What kind of media are the files written to? (I.E. compact flash cards or the smaller secure digital memory cards...)
Questions to ask yourself are:
A. How computer savvy am I?
B. How much time do I want to spend "tweaking" the files?
C. Do I have a lot of RAM in my computer? (You can't have too much, when it comes to processing lots of digital files...)
D. Do I have a color managed system? (The Apple Macintosh system excels at this...)
E. What about digital storage? Can I create a backup system, or install additional hard drives?
F. What about a printer? What is the maximum size I want to print?
G. Will I color calibrate my system?
H. Will I use a digital asset management (DAM) system? (I ask the last question only because the number of digital files you create will never decrease. And it helps to have a system in place to find the photos of Oshkosh from five years ago, without looking through every photo you've ever taken. Trust me on this one, from a guy who has created over 100,000 digital files in the last five years...)
I. Do I understand Metadata, and/or am I willing to learn about it? (This goes hand in hand with the DAM question...)
This should be enough to get you going. If you can, speak with a pro in your geographic area. It often helps to go see their "system", even if it may be badly implemented. At least you'll know how "not" to do it...
All Best,
John Slemp
www.johnslemp.com
www.aviationfineart.com
Camera Equipment
Linear Mode
