Confessions of a Compact Camera Shooter: Get Professional Quality Photos with Your Compact Camera

Chapter IX. The Zoom Lens Advantage

Way before zoom lenses were invented, photographers were zooming. They zoomed with their feet!

Today, we can still zoom with our feet—by moving toward or away from a subject to make the subject appear larger or smaller, respectively. However, the zoom lens on a compact camera offers the advantage of not having to move!

There are other benefits to using a zoom lens with the aperture control on your camera. In this chapter we'll take a look at the built-in zoom and what it can do for you.

Also remember that you can add accessory lenses—telephoto and wide-angle—to some compact cameras. But I don't recommend using them because they can degrade the image. What's more, I don't recommend the digital zoom feature in a compact camera for the same reason. Rather, take full advantage of the optical zoom ... and your feet.

Closer or Wider, It's Your Choice

When you are composing your picture, carefully think about the elements in the scene and ask yourself if each component adds to or takes away from the picture you are trying to make.

Remember, there is a big difference between taking a picture and making a picture.

Here you see three shots that were taken with my Canon G10. From top to bottom: widest setting, middle setting and maximum setting.

I like all three pictures, ...