The most likely scenario is that many new users will seldom use the manual mode IF the option is there to use automatic. If, on the other hand, one has no "automatic" option that eliminates the choice.

I know people who buy DSLR and never adventure beyond using them in automatic everything mode which means they are not much more than a point and shoot or camera phone but bigger and more expensive, bulkier etc. Of course, they look impressive and one can buy additional lenses but will probably still be used on automatic everything as a point and shoot.

Buy something like a Pentax K1000 film camera which can not be used as a point and shoot and for which the basics of aperture, shutter speed, depth of field and ASA must be learned in order to use it. One must adjust shutter speed, aperture or both in order to get the correct exposure and wanted depth of field. Then, in a couple years get an entry level DSLR.

It's there, just above the "Full Button" - or as some to prone to call it (The shutter release button)

Are there any "Point and Shoot" / "Pocket Cameras" that use something other than half button focusing? I have just recently discovered "Back Button Focusing" for my Canon T3i on Utube. I do not believe there was any mention of it in the manual. What a relief.

For some of us who are chronologically advantaged, or just do not have sufficient control of our fingers, holding the shutter button half way down to focus without sometimes having it go all the way down can be a hit and miss challenge.

Are there any "Point and Shoot" cameras that offer back button focusing or some other means of focusing? I remember the "Good Old Days" with film cameras and split image focusing. Kinda sorta makes me wish some modern cameras would offer the same option.

I am in the process of shooting my first roll of Black and White that I have shot in many years. (KodaK 400TX)
I was going to send the roll into MPIX but I noticed on their web site that they do not do "True Black and White". I never knew until today there there are differences and that "C-41" is not a "True Black and White" and that is the only "Black and White" that they process. Soooo, the question is; can someone recommend a lab that processes true Black and White and prints on Black and white paper. Since I am taking the time to shoot Black and White, I want to know the results are processed by someone who uses the proper developer and paper.

As far as an appreciation of art in concerned that is of course to a great extent a matter of taste. But I can say that understanding art, is not unlike understanding the differences between fine wines. It requires education, experience, and an appreciation for subtlety. That mindset is similar to what is needed to understand what separates a great photograph from a mediocre one, the ability to see past the obvious.[/quote]

I take photos, both digital and pretty soon - B&W film (again after many years) also. I also make wine as a hobbyist and post retirement I worked a couple years at a commercial winery. Now, I just make wine from my backyard vineyard which gives me about 55 gallons a year - enough for me and wife and friends and very few family members.

As in photography (experts - snobs) , there are "Wine Experts - Snobs" who let people tell them what they should like and not like and use all kinds of descriptors in comparing wine to herbs and spices, many of which, they have never tasted in their entire life.

In summary, my philosophy is you drink the wine you like regardless of the "Experts" and you take pictures you like - Regardless of the experts. I could expound a great deal on wine snobbery, but I will spare readers my diatribe. I am not saying to ignore those who have more experience in tasting or taking picture - learn what you wish from them if it makes sense to you, but do not let them rule your life and enjoyment

[quote=srt101fan]Periodically we see comments here re the value of black & white photography in a color world.

Timely topic. I have recently rediscovered my old Pentax K-1000 camera stored away in a drawer. I got it out, replaced the battery and ordered a telephoto lens for $20. I plan to do some B&W shooting with it just for fun - which is why I shoot in the first place.

I am not going to abandon my DSLR but I think there are certain photos that do look better in B&W. There are times when color can mask emotions and attention is drawn to the colors instead of the emotions the picture is intended to portray.

One other interesting truth(IMHO), is that your prints will probably exist a lot longer than your digital photos. Digital is way to easy to be lost, corrupted by failed computes or files and lost in the shuffle of thousands of pictures that in a way are just too darn easy to shoot and store and never looked at again.

I spent two years of my life, between the years 1967 to 1970, in the Army in Vietnam in areas ranging from near the DMZ to the Mekong Delta. When someone says "Thank you for your service". I thank them but I am tempted to say that "My service to my country" did not occur until AFTER I came back and then spoke out against the war. I am so very glad that Ken Burns made his documentary.

I know this will get a lot of replies and maybe not encouraging ones - but - how about a 35mm film camera and a dark room setup. No better way to learn photography and it would be something not many kids have. You can get decent 35mm film cameras for $100 to $200. It is a lot of fun developing your own pictures. More thought would go into composing shots and not just shooting tons of pictures and hoping for the best. Kinda sorta like learning to shoot and marksmanship with a single shot rifle instead of an assault rifle.

What, in your view, is "The Real Thing"

I am far from being an expert on terminology. My first experiences with photography was in Vietnam in 1967 where, believe me nor not, we actually had a darkroom at a base called Dong Tam in the Mekong Delta. Wish I had kept my negatives. Now, all I have left are the images in my mind - which can be a bad thing.

I think that perhaps there is a kinda sort gray area between "Point and Shoot" and cameras that allow adjustments as there is a gray area between purist "Photography and Art."

After buying a couple new lenses for my DSLR, I have re-discovered my older Canon S-110. I have discovered how rediculously very easy - and fast - it is to change F stop or shutter speed and ISO; so in effect, I can walk around and kinda sorta use it as a point and shoot BUT with the option of very easily and very fast, changing setting(s). I did not realize this when I first bought the camera but finally got around to reading the manual.

Now, I am going to go back and play with my old Pentax K-1000 and find some film and play around a little with it. It may be a collectors item some day.

One day, a couple years ago, I was doing some shooting in Harpers Ferry, WV which is near where I live. There was an old timer there shooting with an old, I guess, plate camera with a tripod and hood. I was curious as to what he was shooting and asked him. He seemed annoyed but pointed out the very old glass in some of the windows that had a wavy distortion. I would never have noticed this had I not seen him shooting with an "Antique" and asking questions. He said he refuses to go digital.

Soooo, I guess the whole lesson is that it is not now how big the pencil, but how you write with it that counts. :-)

So, perhaps, going back to the original posters questions; perhaps buy an old film camera and learn that way first.

I guess the take-away is that the good photographers have a photographer's "Eye" for the potential photo - and or - take a heck of a lot of pictures which is easy today but was not easy in the past with plates and or film.

Darn, in a way I wish you had not posted that. Now I want one even though I really don't need one right now. Good information, though. Thanks

[quote=mikeroetex]Why buy a P&S? They already have one, it's called a cell phone!

Cell phones are taking some might fine pictures now days and if one does nothing but shoot in automatic mode they are good for that purpose. Don't know of any though that allow you to adjust shutter speed and aperture or take pictures in "Raw" format - the things one should know in order to advance in photography. IMHO, one does not need an expensive camera to learn the basics. Cameras such as the Canon S 110 and other similar cameras allow these settings to be changed on the fly VERY easily and FAST and without going through a complex menu system. Don't get me wrong, I also own a DSLR with several lenses but not very convenient to carry around. The link below shows what can be done with a camera such as the Canon S-110.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/catoctin_vigneron/albums/72157691305941420

Think twice about giving them the keys to your car :-)
I doubt an expensive DSLR would have lasted much longer.

After thinking about the subject the OP posted, the best camera is the one that would be used. The best for those who already a little bit familiar with photography may not be used by a newby