I get lot’s of emails from the readers of Your Photo Tips and I welcome every single one of them. I try my best to answer every email I get and it really helps to keep me enlightened by what you guys are wondering about the world of photography.

Recently I received three different emails all asking the same question:

Do I really need to get a DSLR to get better photos?

The short answer is no, and yes, or rather, it depends (not very short I know but that’s how it is).

There are many different ways to measure what exactly “better photos” mean. Most teaching photographers would easily argue that the most important component to becoming a better photographer is learning how to utilize your eye not your camera.

I would agree with that sentiment very much, up to a point.

untitled

The truth is that as a beginning photographer it is absolutely more important to learn how to compose, light, and expose an image with whatever camera you can get your hands on. In fact, there are many wonderful professional art photographers who are making a great living utilizing plastic lens toy cameras like Holgas or Dianas.

But there does come a point in a photographer’s progression where a camera can begin to limit one’s ability to capture the image your looking for. That’s when an upgrade may be in order.

First, let us take a look at some of the pros and cons of compact cameras and DSLRs. Keep in mind that these are generalizations about the categories and due to the super fast paced wonderful world of technology the lines are getting more blurry as we move ahead in advancement.

The compact point and shoot camera

sahaja girls

Pros

Light weight and portable point and shoot cameras or compact cameras are perfect for the beginner photographer who wishes to capture everyday moments. These are great for taking on vacation, perfect for parents and grandparents, and work great as light weight companions for professional photographers and avid amateurs as well. They fit easily into backpacks, purses or even front shirt pockets! Everyone should own a good point and shoot camera even the pros because the worst camera to have is the one you left at home!

Most compact cameras these days offer larger LCD view finder which helps in composing images, fumbling through menus, and viewing your wonderful captures.

Many point and shoot cameras have a video function which can be really great for many different scenarios where a still image may not be able to tell the whole story.

Cons

The lenses in compact point and shoot cameras have gotten much better in the last few years and you should expect that trend to continue, however it is important to note that there are very limited focal lengths involved. You can’t change a lens on a point and shoot so you really have to be aware of that when shopping around.

Low light performance can suffer due to the smaller sensors built into these pint sized cameras. Images taken with high ISOs can suffer from excessive digital noise.

Battery life on point and shoots won’t last as long because they tend to use AA batteries and the built in flashes on most models will really drain the juice.

While some compact cameras now have the ability to capture images in RAW format, most still do not offer this option. I would suggest ensuring that your point and shoot camera does shoot in RAW because the ability to fine tune during post processing shouldn’t be overlooked.

DSLRs

Commitment

Pros

The ability to change lenses is arguably the best reason to own a DSLR. This option alone offers flexibility in terms of focal length, speed, and quality of glass. Most of the larger manufacturers such as Canon, Nikon, Sony, Olympus, etc, offer dozens of lenses to choose from allowing photographers the latitude to tackle many different types of assignments.

Larger image sensors allow for better performance in low light situations. It isn’t uncommon to get great printable images at ISO 800 and beyond depending on camera manufacturer.

Hot shoe capabilities allow for the use of external flash units removing the threat of red eye. The integration of technologies such as TTL allow for more creative control and on the fly adjustments.

Advanced optics from camera manufacturers and third party companies allow for a competing market. Competition is good as zoom lenses become lighter and more compact, fast lenses become cheaper and more advanced, Image Stabilizers get better, and images come out sharper.

Bigger images make bigger prints.

Cons

Price is probably the biggest hurdle when considering upgrading to a DSLR. You have the cost of the camera body, additional lenses, external flashes, bigger camera bags, etc.

Bigger images mean bigger files. This sort of fits right along with price as hard drive space becomes an issue and extra hard drives become a requirement.

Loyalty is key when choosing a DSLR because of the price of switching. Camera lens mounts do not work across all platforms and neither do many accessories with proprietary issues.

Big, bulky, and heavy means that sometimes you could be without your DSLR. You can’t capture spur of the moment images when you don’t have your camera around.

Conclusion

This is the part where you draw your own conclusion really. You have to decide which way the scales tip. Light and compact or big and flexible.

What are the pros and cons of your camera?

Photographs:

untitled by the_wolf_brigade of The mediation of life.

sahaja girls by yulia.lia find her on myspace.

Commitment by Vamsi K H illindala of My Musings.

This post was done with the help of our flickr group forum.  Join the discusion today!

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