If you are planning to buy a camera – you will inevitably be overtaken by the question, “Which camera is better DSLR or digital?”. For users of photographic equipment, this dilemma remains relevant to this day, no matter how many new, improved models appear.
To make the right choice and then not regret it, the first step is to decide your shooting needs. They will largely determine the outcome of your decision. Let’s look at the main criteria based on which you can make the right choice in the selection of equipment.
The Content of Article:
- Camera Selection Criteria
- DSLR Camera: Advantages and Disadvantages
- Digital Camera: Advantages and Disadvantages
Camera Selection Criteria
Image Quality. In our time of advanced gadgets, you can even take a good picture with a regular smartphone. Therefore, choosing the best quality is a wise decision. Good images can be obtained with a digital and an SLR camera if you compare the same price segment representatives.
Equipment Dimensions. The parameters and weight of the camera is an essential aspect that should be paid special attention to because this is the main difference between a compact and a DSLR. Are you planning on carrying a camera bag with a heavy DSLR and lens, or is a camera that fits easily into your pocket is more suitable for you? For most amateur photographers, this criterion is decisive.
The subject of Shooting. With what you mainly want to photograph, it is better to decide in advance. It will help you avoid disappointment in the properties of already purchased equipment because each camera model is created for its specific tasks. For example, a DSLR is more suitable for shooting in the dark since it will provide images at a level higher than digital.
Photo Size. Everything is pretty simple here. If you plan to enlarge your images several times (for magazines, posters, calendars, etc.), you should choose a DSLR. But if you need frames for your photo album, then a miniature digital camera will be enough.
Interest in The Process. A DSLR camera will reveal its full range of possibilities in the hands of a master. Using only automatic mode in DSLR and digital camera shooting, you will get pictures that are almost identical to each other. Therefore, an SLR camera exists for a more “advanced” level of photography.
These criteria usually help to understand the needs and give preference to one of the two camera options. But if you still do not understand which technique to make a choice, let’s take a closer look at the device of both devices.
DSLR Camera: Advantages and Disadvantages
The SLR camera has a built-in viewfinder based on a mirror. In stores, we can find double-lens and single-lens mirror devices. The mirror in them is at an angle of 45 degrees, which allows you to see in the viewfinder not a digitized image but an actual image. Light entering through the lens is reflected by a mirror and directed upward into the pentamirror, which correctly orientates the image to not turn upside down. It turns out that a distinctive feature of SLR equipment is the presence of a viewfinder.
This camera also has an additional monochrome display, huge devices; they have well-implemented access to all buttons, wheels, and other shooting controls.
The main advantage of a DSLR is, of course, a large arsenal of possibilities offered. With it, you will achieve more “complex” and high results: fireworks, sunsets, sunrises, night views – everything that looked like a sizeable incomprehensible spot of light when shooting with a digital camera or smartphone, will acquire a silhouette, shape, and natural color.
You will be able to get photos with great detail, without “flare,” noise, and other defects. Filters, functions, light settings, compositions, and other delights of DSLR cameras will become available to you. Thanks to this, you can choose the color palette of your photo, saturation, brightness, and other parameters, which will allow you to take precisely the picture as you imagine it.
In addition, you can expand the capabilities of your camera by purchasing various lenses. Do you want to get high-quality pictures of animals? A telephoto lens will help you. Do you want to take photos of insects and representatives of the microcosm? A microlens will give you that opportunity. Are you more attracted to “artistic” photography with a clear focus in the foreground? You definitely cannot do without a fixed focal length lens.
People choose a DSLR because of the high level of quality and clarity of images. With the same number of pixels, the DSLR will provide you with a photo quality that will be several levels higher than the quality of a digital camera. The reason for this is better optics and matrix.
The advantages of a DSLR also include a reasonably high shooting and focusing speed, a rich ISO range, sharpness quality, and long battery life. In addition, such devices have phase housing and pretty good ergonomics.
Having dealt with the advantages of this unit, it is worth paying attention to the disadvantages because it is better to find out about them right away so as not to be disappointed in the device later. First of all, you should pay attention to the price. Its minimum threshold is $1,000. For comparison, a relatively good compact camera can be purchased at half the price.
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Since the device for $1,500 will be the cheapest in the group of SLR photographic equipment, it certainly cannot boast of the best quality of work. To buy a mid-range camera, you will have to leave about $1,800 in the store. Owning a DSLR camera is quite an expensive pleasure, therefore, think carefully about your choice and carefully study the price features of different camera models.
The second, and no less important, the drawback is the dimensions of the SLR camera. Most entry-level devices weigh about 500 grams, while the higher class can reach a weight of 1 kilogram. Such equipment cannot be easily carried in your pocket all day, unlike a compact. It is not the best option for long journeys and hikes, where every kilogram matters a lot.
There is a third drawback to using a DSLR. It is not as apparent as the first two, but sometimes it presents a great inconvenience to the owners of this technique. Changing lenses is not a one-second process, and it is far from always possible to do it. For example, you are shooting plants and insects in a forest with a close-range lens attached to the camera, and suddenly a roe deer appears in the distance, which is about to hide behind the trees again.
Environmental conditions can prevent you from quickly changing lenses, and you will miss your only chance without capturing this beautiful animal. Replacing the lenses is not easy because you need to avoid getting dirt, dust, and moisture on the matrix as much as possible.
Digital Camera: Advantages and Disadvantages
The digital camera does not have a viewfinder. A screen is applied instead. Inexpensive compact cameras, we can find an electronic viewfinder, on which an already digitized image is visible.
Digital cameras can also have a lens-changing function. They are the main competitors of mirror devices. Due to the absence of a mirror viewfinder, such devices are significantly less in weight and volume. However, large lenses still give digital cameras a significant volume.
The advantages of compact cameras are the disadvantages of DSLRs. Low cost and petite dimensions are an undoubted advantage for them. Digital cameras are straightforward to carry. It is convenient to take them with you on trips and excursions; they will always be at hand and will allow you not to miss an exciting moment.
An important aspect is an objective comparison of compacts and DSLRs. It is hard to disagree that comparing a compact worth 500 dollars with a reflex camera for 900 dollars is not entirely fair. For a correct comparison, it is better to choose models from the same price segment. With such a comparison, the disadvantages of a digital apparatus will turn out to be much less. What is the reason?
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Expensive models of compact cameras (and $1,000 for a digital camera is quite a decent amount) are endowed with a vast selection of all kinds of functions. Of course, there are useless ones, but there are also those that significantly affect the quality of the images. In application, you will find useful functions such as:
- Manual Shooting Modes. For those who want to get original footage;
- Waterproof. An irreplaceable quality of equipment for hiking and traveling;
- Shockproof. It keeps the device working even if you accidentally drop it from your hands.
Less essential functions will be the possibility of panoramic shooting, which in practice has remained unclaimed, a compass and a GPS navigator.
The main disadvantage of a digital photographic device can be considered a weak matrix. The quality of the resulting image depends on it. Many people are still convinced that a large number of pixels are needed to obtain a high-quality image. But this is a big mistake. For a regular 10×15 photo, 3.2 megapixels are enough. Once upon a time, this amount of megapixels was the most common. Now, photography is done at 12-20 megapixels.
The second disadvantage of digital cameras is the weak optics built into them. Unfortunately, the laws of optics do not allow us to get super-quality images using the tiny lens that compact devices have. We add that the lenses on digital cameras are pretty dark, which means they have a weak aperture. It also harms the quality of the photo.
Before you go shopping, study the properties of the most common models of digital and SLR cameras, this will help you quickly navigate the store and not fall for the seller’s tricks. When considering digital devices, you should pay attention to companies such as Olympus, Pentax, Panasonic.
The best quality digital cameras are still models from Nikon and Sony. They have successfully established themselves in the market in a highly competitive environment and are in great demand. When choosing a SLR camera, pay attention to the products of Nikon and Canon. They are a combination of high quality and user-friendly design.
Conclusion: (Which Camera is Better DSLR or Digital?)
So, we found out that there is no definite answer to “Which camera is better DSLR or digital,” because each has its unique features and functions. Therefore, before choosing one of the options presented, carefully read the pros and cons of both cameras.
Be extremely objective with yourself, realistically assess your needs and capabilities. Rely on the selection criteria and find out which personally suits you best: the convenience of using a miniature digital camera with simple photographs resulting, or bulky, heavy equipment, but high-quality images as a result? Decide!
