Shoot with a zoom lens close to the bars at about F5.6. If you are using a DSLR with a APS sensor it needs to be at least at 85mm which would compute to 135mm. Most point and shoot digital cameras have much longer tele focal lengths but you can't adjust the aperture.

If you are happy with the images that you are getting with the camera, that is all that counts. I have a Rebel Xt that I shoot with every day and I get great images with it. I also have a 20D that I have been shooting with since 2005 and it is still going strong. I also have a 5D which I love. Invest in the best "glass" that you can afford. That's what counts.

I like the pictures. I also owned a Canon AE-1. It took great pictures as long as I took the time to set the exposure. If you can afford to get a DSLR get one because you can do so much in post production. Plus by getting instant feedback from the LCD your photography will improve in leaps and bounds.

I prefer Canon cameras and that is what I know about. I would check into the Rebel T2i, T1i. My daughter has the T1i and she loves it. She moved up from a Canon G5. If you are going to really get involved in photography you need a DSLR because you can change and upgrade your lenses.

I have done basically anything I could do to make ends meet. I have been doing weddings for over twenty years. I have helped photographers do proms, homecomings, senior pictures, pre-schools, you name it. If you have the luxury to specialize that is great. I did whatever assignment that I was given.

I am a retired police sgt. also and used to keep a camera in the trunk of the car and take pictures of some crime scenes and help the ETs take pictures of crime scenes be cause many of them weren't really trained very well with the cameras. One of the most important tools that you have in evidence recovery is photos of the crime scene and I used to be shocked of the little time devoted to photography in the academy for the evidence technicians.

Set your focus points to the center focus point. You can go into the custom functions and do this. When you are taking a picture decide what you want in focus. If you want everything in focus you need to set the aperture to normally about F8 and focus on the closest object in the picture while holding the shutter button half way down. Recompose when the picture is composed the way that you want it. Take the picture. Make sure that your shutter speed is at least 1/60th of a second. Sometimes you can confuse camera shake with out of focus pictures.

The first thing to consider when you buy any camera is what are you going to be using it for and what is your budget. The two most popular pro DSLRs are Nikon D3s and the Canon 1Ds III and the 1D III. The cheapest of these starts at $5,000. Many professional photographers use the Canon 5D MkII, $2,400 and the Nikon D700 about $3.000. Three of these cameras are full frame sensors. What is important is the quality of the lenses that you put on the bodies. What you are paying for in a professional camera is a very sturdy body. It is not doing much more than a prosumer digital camera. It will just take the wear and tear of regular use better.

I have always set the focal points on my camera to the center focal point. I have done that since I have had an auto-focus camera. I focus on the closest object in the picture, hold the shutter button half way down, recompose until I have the picture composed the way I want it, and then take the picture. This way I never have an out of focus picture. Most people who rely on the numerous focus points in the camera are going to have far more out of focus pictures that by using the above technique which most advanced photographers use. Never let the camera decide what you want in focus or wht the proper exposure is. The camera does not know what you want the photograph to look like. It was much simpler with manual focus cameras because you paid attention to what was in focus when you looked in the viewfinder.

I have been taking pictures of all kinds since I was 8 years old. I still make mistakes even though I take some type of image everyday. I take photos professionally which only means that I get paid for doing it. Use your camera everyday. Read everything you can get your hands on. Hang out with other photographers and get their input. The greatest tool that photography students have this day is digital cameras because you have instant feedback and you can take as many pictures as you would like at absolutely no cost. Read the book that came with your camera at least twice. Know your camera. I learned photography after years of using a 35mm by taking pictures with a Polaroid 600SE that gave me instant feedback on the good and the bad. Good luck to you!!!

I think that the only problem may be the size of the sensor of the point and shoot camera. The more you magnify the image the more distortion you have. The Canon 5DMkII has a full frame sensor so if you magnified the image at a low ISO say 100 you would have very little distortion. The 7D has very good noise reduction and has a sensor 15.5x22.5mm and thus give very good images when magnified. I have never used any point and shoot that has that big of magnification ratio so I am just theorizing. It would also depend on the size of the prints that you would be making.