When I was about 9 my grandfather set me loose with a Ciro 35 rangefinder. He also gave me a little hand-held light meter but I became good enough to know what settings were required based on the subject, environment, and film speed I was shooting. I was taking technically good pictures within a few rolls. And back then, that was important, because not only did you pay for each shot, you had to wait for the roll to be developed before you got a chance to check.
Anyway, i can only speak for myself but I found that the ease with which one can snap a digital photo in full auto mode had largely robbed me of that skillset. Once my little Lumix LX 10 went for a swim in some canoe bilge water, I decided to take things back down a notch. I would have purchased another P&S but for less money I picked up a Nikon D3500 body. I set it up with a 50mm equivalent (35mm) fixed lens which is both compact and forces me to be more active/involved during composition. And if I can't get a good shot, well at least I spare myself the agony of deleting gigs of mediocrity.
In the canoe it lives in a "waterproof" roll-top pouch that is within reach. On portages I make it a point to liberate it otherwise I might not be bothered to use it.
Anyway, i can only speak for myself but I found that the ease with which one can snap a digital photo in full auto mode had largely robbed me of that skillset. Once my little Lumix LX 10 went for a swim in some canoe bilge water, I decided to take things back down a notch. I would have purchased another P&S but for less money I picked up a Nikon D3500 body. I set it up with a 50mm equivalent (35mm) fixed lens which is both compact and forces me to be more active/involved during composition. And if I can't get a good shot, well at least I spare myself the agony of deleting gigs of mediocrity.
In the canoe it lives in a "waterproof" roll-top pouch that is within reach. On portages I make it a point to liberate it otherwise I might not be bothered to use it.
