Digital Photography Basics - Digital Compacts Vs. Dslrs

The basics of digital photography are pretty much the same whether you're using a digital compact or DSLR (also referred to simply as an SLR), but there are a few important differences...

Digital Compacts

One of the biggest advantages to digital compacts is the cost. Also when you purchase a DSLR you will also need to purchase at least one lens, and if you want to take pictures from afar, you'll also need a good telephoto lens. Digital compacts come with a built in lens and often, zoom.

If you have an optical zoom on your digital compact, you can get some good quality telephoto shots too. Optical zoom is always better than digital zoom. The reason? Digital zoom works like cropping - it takes away pixels. The more you zoom with digital zoom, the lower the quality of your photograph. On the other hand, an optical zoom keeps the quality of your picture.

Some compacts produce such high quality photographs that many a pro will use them when they're out to take some quick pictures. The quality of the picture is largely dependent upon the skill of the photographer.

A digital compact has another advantage over a DSLR. Most DSLRs do not record video and those that do are sacrificing quality in other areas, while almost all digital compacts have a movie mode and LCD preview.

While digital compacts don't have as many megapixels as DSLRs, with only 5 megapixels, you can produce an 8x10 print of the type of quality you'd be proud to frame and hang on your wall or give as a gift. Finally learning the digital photography basics of a compact is easier then learning how to use a DSLR to its full advantage.

DSLRs

First to define this acronym. This is the digital version of the SLR or single lens reflex camera. DSLR's are also called SLRs but never the other way around. With the launch of the Canon Rebel and other more moderately priced DSLRs a few years ago, more photographic enthusiasts are enjoying the advantages of DSLRs.

The big advantage of the DSLR is its creativity and versatility.

For example, by adding a long telephoto lens, you can get a close up of a kid playing soccer at the other end of a football field or an osprey at the top of a tall tree without be close to them. With a DSLR, you can find a lens or filter to suit almost any photography need.

Another advantage to the DSLR is its ability to take sharp focused action photos in places with low light where a flash can't be used. The larger sensor on a DSLR allows you to do this; whereas with a compact, if you set the ISO high enough to take the shot in the dim light, it would have digital noise (sort of a multi colored grain).

If you're taking still shots, it's not an issue. The problem with Sports mode in a low light setting is that the shutter must close so fast that in spite of a larger aperture setting, there's just not enough light hitting the image sensor. The only way to compensate for it is to use a flash or a higher ISO setting.

However, there are software programs that once learned can often can work wonders in eliminating digital noise created with compacts in these settings.

Three more advantages - You can use external flash with DSLRs, which can be a huge difference, but often it's better to substitute with natural light for a better effect.

DSLRs have more megapixels than the best of the digital compacts allowing you to take (and print) really big pictures and posters in high quality. Lastly, digital cameras are slower to take photos, but DSLRs are much faster than compacts.

Remember, digital photography basics start with choosing a camera, but the quality of the photographs largely depend on the skill of the photographer. So, regardless of what type of camera you have or buy, it always pays to practice.