Did you make a decision after reading Part 1? Yes? No problem. But there are a couple of other things to consider.

The first is … you don’t have to make a decision. Get both. Perhaps more than one of the scenarios in Part 1 applies to you. I can say with certainty that one type of camera is always more appropriate than the other based on the situation.

But you might want to consider which you carry when you go out.

Before 9/11 you could photograph buildings in a city with relatively little problem. For decades Japanese tourists had been visiting Europe and the US, with their SLR slung round their neck, and all that did was mark them as a tourist. Now, you are just as likely to be arrested.

“This could never happen in the land of freedom!” Uh-huh. Tell me what happens next time you try to take a photo of Grand Central Station in New York. One picture you might get away with. More than that and I can almost guarantee that a conversation with the police will follow. I’m not even talking about taking pictures inside. The sidewalk will do just as well.

And the police are not that well informed on photographers rights. You might be asked/told to hand over your camera (which requires a court order, unless you are arrested), or asked/told to delete any images (which is asking you to destroy your property, again wrong), or taken for a ride in the back of a police vehicle. Ever heard the popular phrase “you might beat the rap, but you won’t beat the ride”?

Now, if you took the same pictures with your cell phone or a p&s, no problem. Go figure.

They just passed a law in the UK that forbids taking photographs of the police. The police themselves are not in favor of the law. They wonder if they are supposed to arrest every tourist in London!

Amtrak police arrested a photographer for taking pictures for an Amtrak competition! Check out this Stephen Colbert video on the incident.

I won’t event start on private security guards who will try the same tricks if you photograph, from across the street, the building they are “guarding”.

Personally I would have thought that Google Maps was more of a tool if you were planning something…

Don’t panic or hyperventilate, I’m just saying be careful, ready, and polite.

Of course, along with rights, go responsibilities.

It might not be illegal to photograph a police officer making an arrest, but if you are not doing it for your newspaper, and if he politely asks you not to do it, shouldn’t you stop?

Good question. But aren’t we constantly being told that we have nothing to fear from surveillance if we aren’t doing any wrong? Doesn’t this work both ways?

I recently considered buying a p&s camera. Just for the convenience of carrying it around. Both Nikon (P6000 ) and Canon (G10 ) have models which will take RAW images (much beloved by a lot of photographers) and are considered their top-of-the-line models. Both are relatively small and don’t have large lenses to alarm the populace.

I’m still considering one.

Recently I spent the day with my toddler grand-daughter and took the opportunity to take some photos. There is no way on earth that I could have got the same shots with a p&s. Inside, low light, moving subject, constantly changing facial expressions. I was using my Nikon D2H (4.1 megapixel) with 28-70/F2.8 and 70-200/F2.8 lenses, and SB-600 flash. I was very happy with the results.

But I’m still considering that p&s for those times when I want to remember a location (that I might want to return to with better equipment), or just grab a quick shot while walking around (without having to unpack and assemble the DSLR).

TIP: If you do get a DSLR, buy the  battery grip which mounts to the bottom. It will improve the balance and handling when taking portrait-orientation shots.