Got a minute to watch us beat a dead horse? GREAT! In yet another attempt at convincing you that the photographer is more important than the camera gear, we asked point-and-shoot master Meagan V. Blazier to help us put together a collection of amazing photos captured with point-and-shoot cameras.

Meagan gave us an initial list of 7, and we filled in the rest of the 15 below with some of our favorites we were able to dig up.

Suffice it to say that, even expecting to find some great work, we were still surprised at the quality of some of the photos we found. The gear behind these shots ranges in price from $100 to a max of about $600 where the Nikon Coolpix A is concerned, but even at the top end of the spectrum that is a far cry from the thousands of dollars some people think you need to spend to get great results.

Scroll down to see what we’re talking about:

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: gear does help, but a good camera does not take good pictures for you. And a cheap camera is a great way to learn the importance of composition, light, and post-processing before you start spending the big bucks.

To learn how to make the most of your point-and-shoot camera, check out these 8 top tips Meagan wrote up for us a month ago.