The handy types and the SLR [Archive]

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nwx86

01-02-2007, 01:31 AM

There r more and more digital cameras on the market now, with more features as well as smaller in size. I would like to know the difference between these small handy cameras and the SLR's. Is the quality of the pics taken different? Why do professionals usually use SLR's?

vseehua

01-02-2007, 05:50 AM

youngyew

01-02-2007, 08:19 PM

Small body cameras are designed to be portable and user-friendly enough for the point and click crowd, and D-SLR/SLR cameras are to be handled by people who are really into photography.

These links should help you out a bit
10 Reasons NOT to buy a D-SLR (http://www.thetechlounge.com/article/312/10+Reasons+NOT+to+Buy+a+DSLR+Camera/)
10 Reasons to Buy a DSLR camera (http://www.thetechlounge.com/article/308/10+Reasons+to+Buy+a+DSLR+Camera/)
If you aren't really into photography, know not much about the advanced camera controls, and/or are not interested in gaining experience through endless experiments and learning, then DSLR is too expensive and bulky, and is not worth it. Because at the end if you are using DSLR's "automatic" option instead of using its features, it's not going to give you professional result automatically. The image quality depends on the photographer to a larger extent than the camera.

Having said that, if you are a photography enthusiast, and have learnt / will be interested to learn the manual controls, then DSLR is a good investment. The features of a 3 - 4 thousand camera is far more advanced than the two thousand cameras you will find out there. It's not only the megapixels, it's everything else, from the availability of various lenses, better sensors to fully manual control and ability to "make the background blur" etc. In other words, in a powerful hand, a DSLR will produce far better photographs than compact cameras.

So I guess whether to get a DSLR is up to the individual, and of course, your budget. :)

vseehua

01-02-2007, 08:51 PM

/target DSLR in one year :D

the only cam i have now are the crappy webcam and handphone :(

nwx86

02-02-2007, 12:53 AM

Yes, using a DSLR could be difficult especially for beginers..with all the manual functions. The links Vseehua gave do give a rough idea between the two types of cameras. Do you know any good websites for ppl to learn how to handle a DSLR?

vseehua

02-02-2007, 02:01 AM

before going straight to a DSLR, i would suggest you go buy a consumer based camera that also offers certain manual functions first... and then upgrade to a DSLR later on...

For this purpose, i would like to recommend one of the Canon Powershot A-series. It have enough functions to keep you busy for quite some time ;)

Thirdshifter

02-02-2007, 10:49 AM

Get it! DSLR would make you want to take pictures.. it's like your first car.. you sleep, eat, have sex, have more sex, drive more, eat.. you will never stop being in it.

Photography is so much more fun with the right equipment.

Point and shoot cameras are good if you only want to take pictures occasionally, but DSLR if you want to take pictures everyday.

youngyew

02-02-2007, 12:27 PM

The digital photography school's blog here (http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/) is a good site for learning tips and tricks of photography. For the details and reviews of a particular camera, you should definitely try out http://www.dpreview.com

There is also a lengthy (but very wordy) photography "course" online, which I highly recommend: http://www.morguefile.com/archive/classroom.php

p/s: Haha, Kennysia just bought a DSLR, and his hilarious review can be read here (http://www.kennysia.com/archives/2007/02/nikon_d40_dslr.php).

vseehua

03-02-2007, 11:57 AM

milniq

25-03-2010, 01:30 AM

hahax...seems that dslr is quite popular nowaday...actually i just bought 1 1 month+ ago...before you get yourself 1 dslr its better that you known more about dslr(something like shutter speed, exposure, metering...etc) cause wat make dslr different from the DC is it let you take fulll control of your camera setting...hehe...anyway its just my opinion lar...^^

whui

16-06-2010, 02:41 PM

one thing before you leap into the world of DSLR - make sure you will get the most out of it once you purchased your first DSLR. You will realize that you will want more and more - wide angle lens, fast lens, telephoto lens, good tripod, external flash (sppedlite), battery grip, remote shutter etc etc. I personally think that photography thing is just an expensive hobby. So unless you're committed in learning photography, there's no point in getting a DSLR.. especially if you just opt for the "point-and-shoot" feature in DSLRs which is a BIG waste IMO.

By the way, people always talked about what makes a compact and a DSLR different in terms of image quality.. Having a DSLR doesn't mean that you will be taking pictures like a pro.. it takes a LOT of practice. There's a saying that the difference between a pro and an amateur is only a few thousand of photographs taken. I don't know really, I am an amateur myself.

Also note that there's another sub category in DSLR.. they are either full frame body, or the cropped body. In general, cropped bodies are known as consumer level while the pro ones are full frame body. Difference? Noticeable higher ISO performance, better sensor, rugged build, weather resistance.. and once you get a full frame body, you will need to spend on good glasses to get the most out of it from such awesome cameras. Other difference is, using a full body DSLR, you can actually "see" a wider range compared to using the same lens mounted on a cropped body. Not sure "see" is the right word used. lol

youngyew

16-06-2010, 06:53 PM

Glad to see another photography enthusiast here whui. :)

I can't agree more with what you said about photography being an expensive hobby, and how you will end up spending thousands of dollars in a very short time. If you have the time (and you probably need some background knowledge about photography but you can try) read this humorous take (http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2010/05/letter-to-george.html) on why photographers splurge money on their gears and how they "could have" saved all that money.

At the end of the day, it's what whui said - if you think that having a DSLR will automatically make you better at photography, you can't be more wrong, and please give up the idea of DSLR if that's your sole reason for getting one. To venture into DSLR, you should have a good level of interest in photography, and a good means of balancing the interest and the budget required in photography (i.e. have a job or have rich parents who are happy to fund your hobby). Just to give you an idea, if you want to have a rather satisfactory overall gear, you are looking at around 10,000 ringgit. You won't have to buy all 10,000 ringgit of gears all at the beginning, and in fact I would advise you not to as you wouldn't be able to judge what you would need for your photography style. But for a decent starting set, you would need about 3-4k ringgit.

Hope this little write-up would help anyone here who's looking at getting a DSLR. :)

whui

13-07-2010, 10:59 PM

^ Thanks Youngyew :)

I have to admit the reasons I got into world of DSLR and eventually got crazy with photography is because of point-and-shoot camera which drove me crazy.. shutter lag, low ISO performance.. you name it.. I don't want to capture my once-in-a-life-time events using a crappy camera, otherwise I will feel sorry for myself 10 years from now.

Its a trend to lug around a DSLR nowadays.. in fact, DSLR is more affordable nowadays even for people who have little disposable incomes.. its funny to see most of the people have their camera's built-in flash popped up while taking pictures.. the "green box" crowd.. make sure you're not one of them.

youngyew

14-07-2010, 12:31 AM

Can't agree more with the pop-up flash comment :P