As I found out, this can be one
of the toughest decisions to make: What to buy? A DSLR(Digital-SLR) or a Point
and shoot?I racked my brains, squint my eyes, scathed my nose & errrr
… let us not get too much into these, and came up with a conclusion after a
lot of reading and understanding and my own interpretations.
It is just too easy to get into
this D-SLR dhamaka and later find us not really equipped to handle a D-SLR or
not finding this type to our liking.
There is no doubt that a basic point and shoot is just for a causal use
and for those who like to experiment and move on to better photography a
better camera is required. But that better camera depends upon the need
and liking and a D-SLR is not a universal solution.
*What is this D-SLR?
*Though you may forget the next
moment or do not want to know, I cannot stop myself from telling you what D-SLR
stands for: Digital SingleLens Reflex! The
history for an SLR goes way back to the days I do not know. So I am not going into
the day, or the history! Basically, a D-SLR lets you see what comes through the
lens on your view-finder(the glass through which we see what we are about to
capture). If you have not noticed, you would be surprised that the view-finder
would be missing in most basic point and shoot(or digicams) cams. The image is
displayed directly on the LCD. And on those where you do find that tiny glass
hole that has been ever present in an analog or manual camera, the image is
re-created as seen on LCD.
So, a D-SLR is for those who
want to see the image as how it comes through the lenses. These models have
detachable lenses and you can fit lenses according to the occasion or need. The
images sensors(the capturing device like our Retina) are much more sophisticated
(generally) and the functions like shutter speed and focusing will be of top
notch. Wait, did I sound like a D-SLR is the ultimate choice?
Dis-advantages of a D-SLR
First major disadvantage is that
it is way too expensive! For every type of photography, you need to fit
different lenses. Few of these lenses may be costlier than a point and shoot
camera! While this gives the best pictures you can ever imagine you should know
to use a D-SLR, as most of the operations would be manual(ofcourse there is auto,
but you do not buy an SLR for that). Also, the camera needs utmost care as the
constant removal and re-fitting of the lenses can cause dust on the sensor.
Advantages of a high-end point and shoot
- You get the image displayed on
the LCD and you can see how the image is actually formed on the Sensor.
like 10X and 12X and you don’t have to interchange the lenses every time
- Better macro capturing(images
very close, like say the letters ‘Timex’ in your watch)
There are much more … the
advantages and disadvantages but as you can see, is irrelevant. The
understanding required is that they are for different type of user. To go for a
D-SLR or a point and shoot depends on what type of user you are.
What you want *matters equally to what the cams are
If you are a journalist
capturing those stunning moments on a cricket field, you need a SLR. If you are
a wildlife lover and run behind animals to shoot them(only with your camera),
you need a SLR. To sum it up, if you are a pro, you need a SLR. For the just
photographic enthusiasts and those who can live with basic image editing on
Photoshop and basic image corrections on Picassa, it is better to settle for a point and
shoot. There are high-end point and shoot that are almost as good as SLRs, but
there are certain places where SLRs have no peer. But again one thing that is
very important is not just having a SLR, but knowing how to use it. If you are
not comfortable in knowing about ISO sensitivity, exposure, focus, shutter
speed, aperture, depth of field and all that, SLR is not for you.
The line marking the difference
between the two camera types is very thin, especially when the point and shoot
model has image quality close to SLR. Still, there is a line. Deciding on which
side of the line to be, depends on what you want out of your camera.
Smiles,
Envyram
