Professionals say “make the picture” instead of “take a picture” for a reason. That reason is that photographer (any good photographer, both amateur and pro) sees the image he wants to produce long before he pushes his camera’s buttons. Making the picture (as opposed to taking a picture) is a process, that involves pushing that button only as a final stage. There is a lot of thinking, preparations and other things going on before the magic button is pushed.

Taking a picture – notice the difference between ‘a’ and ‘the’ in each phrase – on the other hand, involves having a camera and being able to push the button. Other than that there’s not much to it. Taking a picture could take just as long as it needed to pull the camera out of the bag and shoot. Not much thought is given, that’s how people get those horrible vacation shots with lamp poles and tree branches growing out of their heads, strange things and people in the frame and other so-called artifacts.

Photographers who make pictures are trying to envision what they want to see as a result. They think first – then shoot. If you give at least a little thought before pushing that button – the image may come out so much better, that you will be proud of yourself that you did. No matter what camera you are using – it’s the person who holds it that matters.

Don’t just shoot – give it a little thought.

I am selling my trusty but not rusty Fujifilm S2 Pro along with some extras. It’s a very robust and great camera. I had it for several years, but used it mostly in studio (since I have Nikon D70s to take with me). If you check Amazon.com the S2 Pro goes for over $600. Most people use it for wedding and studio photography, since it produces much better, brighter and more vibrant colors than any rival camera.

If you need to see long specs, sample images, reviews and so on – there is no better place then DPReview.com page on Fuji S2 Pro.

Short specs:

• Brand Name: Fuji
• Model: Fine Pix S2 Pro
• Optical Sensor Resolution: 6.2 MP Fujifilm SuperCCD III
• Optical zoom: 3
• Optical Sensor Size: 15.5 x 23.0mm
• Included Flash Type: Pop-up flash
• Red-eye reduction: Y
• Display: LCD display
• Display Technology: TFT active matrix
• Display Size: 1.8 inches
• Light Sensitivity: ISO 100 – ISO 1600
• Image types: JPEG, TIFF, Fujifilm RAW (RAF)
• Viewfinder Type: Optical
• Audio Input: Microphone
• Width: 5.6 inches
• Depth: 3.1 inches
• Height: 5.2 inches
• Weight: 1.8 pounds

Things you need to know about this camera:

• it has it’s own Fujifilm SuperCCD III sensor (see picture above) that gets better colors then Nikon or Canon cameras
• its auto focus is a bit slow, so it will be a bad idea to use this camera to shoot sports
• it takes standard Nikon F-mount lens
• it was built from Nikon N80 body with the mechanical film parts replaced by electronics, so the camera looks and feels like N80 (I have N80 too, so I can confirm that firsthand)
• because it was build from N80 body it uses two types of batteries at the same time: 4 AA batteries (in the bottom cartridge) and 2 CR123 batteries in the grip. They power different parts of equipment, so the indicator on top LCD screen shows the status of grip batteries while the indicator on the back panel screen reports on the status of bottom tray elements.

Since the camera has been with me for at least two moves I promise I will not bother to look for box, software and other stuff, whatever titles you can find online these days will probably be light years ahead of what you would have had on a CD that ships with the camera.

What comes in selling package:

• camera body (if you only want the body – ask me, I’ll be happy to sell the body only)
• Sigma Aspherical 28 – 105 D lens with cap and hood
• camera strap
• 340MB IBM Microdrive
• 4 Ni-MH rechargeable batteries
• charger for Ni-MH elements
• 2 SureFire CR123 batteries (non-rechargeable)

Contact me for pricing via comments.

UPDATE 1: Pictures of the camera are available under the cut!

As you can see – I didn’t use any professional photo equipment. Canon PowerShot A720 IS 8.0 Megapixel Compact Digital Camera was all I had at the moment, so that’s what I have used. It’s relatively inexpensive (if you follow the affiliate link above you’ll see the whole kit for a nifty less-then-$300 price), yet provides amazing results. In addition to 8 mega pixels (which I don’t really care about at all) you get image stabilization, which is much more important, especially when shooting with such a small camera.

One good thing about today’s so-called “snow photo shoot” is that there weren’t too many people. So I could take my time and wait for a good moment to push the button. I often notice that people tend to look weird at you when you take pictures. Obviously, you can disregard that, just make sure you are not shooting someone else’s private property.

I wasn’t always successful in avoiding snowflakes hitting camera lens. That’s why I always carry a cloth to wipe camera lens if they get soiled by accidental touch of hand, snow or rain. If you own a SLR camera it’s almost mandatory to protect lens with UV-filter. Owners of small digital cameras can avoid this small but yet additional cost to their equipment.

If you have made pictures during today’s snowstorm – get in touch.

So if I take good pictures – my pictures will be extremely good even if I take them with cheap single-use camera.

If my images are lousy – they will remain lousy even if I buy the most expensive camera on the market today. The lousiness will, however, be visible much better since it would be produced by a better camera.

So one you understand that single issue that haunts amateur photographers since the inception of the photography – you will understand that no matter how much money you spend on the cameras and equipment – your pictures will not be any better. That is – if you will stop learning how to take better pictures. If you inclined to spend money on this hobby – spend on something beneficial, like photography courses, light technique workshops or just find a local photographer who might need help and assist for free.

For example – let’s say you have one of the Canon’s best pocket digital camera – Canon PowerShot A570IS 7.1MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom. The camera itself isn’t a marvel, although I do like this series. However, try to approach taking pictures with this camera just as you would approach taking pictures with prosumer DSLR, like Nikon D40.

Think image composition, not the buttons on the camera – and let me know if it helped!

Another reason why I use the Canons is that the camera I have right now is my third pocket Canon camera and I am willing to stick to it. Perhaps I am just too used to this brand. Canon A series cameras usually have good internal processor that gets your images just right. Since I tend to buy “prosumer” models, they have a lot of controls to play with, which is fun.

Additionally, Canons use regular AA-size batteries, which makes it easier to keep to one type of power source. All those weirdly shaped proprietary rechargeable batteries are a bad idea. Unless, ofcourse, you want the camera to be as small as possible.

Currently I am using Canon PowerShot A720 IS and I have found this offering on Amazon for Canon PowerShot A720IS 8MP Digital Camera + 2GB Deluxe Accessory Kit for a very low price. Plus the actual vendor behind it has pretty good record on eBay, so check it out.