What is point and shoot?

[rmoody44]

I see this type of camera mentioned alot on this board.

I'm not sure what that means exactly. It is just a non-slr or dslr camera? Or does it mean non digital.

We have a Canon EOS digital Rebel (2003 version) and an Olympus, digital C-5000. I know the Canon is a dslr but is my other camera considered a point and shoot or just a plain digital camera?

Thanks

 

[Anewman]

I see this type of camera mentioned alot on this board.

I'm not sure what that means exactly. It is just a non-slr or dslr camera? Or does it mean non digital.

We have a Canon EOS digital Rebel (2003 version) and an Olympus, digital C-5000. I know the Canon is a dslr but is my other camera considered a point and shoot or just a plain digital camera?

Thanks

Both are "digital cameras"
The Rebel is a DSLR.
The C5000 is a Point and shoot.
There are some "bridge" cameras(digital) that dont exactly fit in either catagory.

The term "point and shoot" is not exclusive to digital cameras, it has been used for decades in reference to some film cameras as well.

EDIT= forgot to answer you main question.

The term is pretty literal. It means a basic camera that one could pick up and use with out knowing much about photography(such as exposure).

 

[rmoody44]

Thank you.

 

[Kelly Grannell]

also, point-and-shoot is a remnant term from the fixed-focus camera days where the camera lens focus is locked all the time (there is no focusing at all).

Nowadays, all cameras are poin-focuslock-and-shoot.

Refer to Lesson 2: Focusing on Learn Photography - The Kelly Way somewhere on this forum page.

 

[jaycat]

Point and shoot can also refer to cameras without many different settings. No extras in other words.