The term "happy snap" comes from Edward Weston's first daybook, in relation to images he took of chickens as a young boy. Happy snap can be the style of shooting as well as the name of the camera, just like the term point and shoot. I use the term happy snap as a description of the camera many of us use for shooting where we don't feel like dragging the big rig along.

My first happy snap camera was a Nikon 35AF and it was primarily used by my wife Barbara. In fooling around with it, I discovered that very good images could be made if its controls were optimized for the capture event at hand. I've done the same control optimization with the digital happy snap I now shoot, a Canon Powershot G-1. These new entry level digital devices are compelling because of their price, performance, and the ease of dragging it around. Considering the lack of film costs, it all adds up to more picture shooting.