Canon PowerShot A3100IS 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD priced at $173. Photo Credit: Canon

March 14, 2010, (Sawf News) - Am I better off buying a Point-and-Shoot (PS) camera rather than a dSLR?

The photography beginner or hobbyist is often faced with the question: What type of camera should I start out with? Am I better off buying a Point-and-Shoot (PS) camera rather than a dSLR?

Determining Your Goals

The way to approach these questions is to first examine what our goals are and then ask which of the two types of camera can help us in attaining them. Let us first deal with the goals aspect.

Whether one is a beginner, a hobbyist, an amateur photographer, or a professional, the aim is always to make the best possible photograph to the best of our ability.

For the beginner or the hobbyist, the idea is most often to capture memories of family occasions, social events or to record travel adventures. This group of shooters is generally content with sharing photographs over the web or in making small prints, by which we mean prints that are no greater than, say, 8"x10".

The hobbyist is not looking for the ultimate in image quality or for critical acclaim. He or she simply wants to get a "good" photograph, by which is meant a sharp and a clean, relatively noise-free image.

Let us now evaluate the relative merits of the PS and dSLR cameras and see how they fit into the goals of the hobbyist.

Canon PowerShot A495 10.1 MP Digital Camera with 3.3x Optical Zoom and 2.5-Inch LCD priced at $129. Photo Credit: Canon

PS Advantages

The PS is compact, light-weight, and relatively inexpensive. For around $300 today the PS cameras pack a lot of resolution (megapixels) as well as tons of features.

If you are not going to print at sizes greater than 8"x10" then an 8 megapixels camera is plenty enough.

The PS also comes with a fixed lens thus eliminating the need to carry additional lenses with all the hassle they entail. In sunny or good daylight conditions, the PS camera is at the top of its game and performs as one would expect them to.

PS Limitations

Dimly-lit conditions, on the other hand, prove to be challenging for the small PS camera given their small sensor size.

Most of the PS cameras also have a limited zoom range, which may suffice for most purposes. But if you encounter a situation where long reach is needed, the PS quickly runs out of steam. Some brands like Canon, Nikon, Panasonic and Sony have PS offerings with a wide range for the zoom lens. But these tend to be on the more expensive end of their line (over $500), and even then, these zooms are generally slow. That is, their maximum aperture is f/5.6 or less.

Pentax K-7 14.6 MP Digital SLR with Shake Reduction and 720p HD Video priced at $920. Photo Credit: Pentax

dSLR Advantages

Now let us look at dSLR cameras. A more discriminating and serious hobbyist may find the PS camera to be limiting. dSLRs have better low-light and better noise performance. The fact that their lenses are interchangeable means you can use specialized lenses for specific situations. For example, if you are shooting portraits and wish to isolate the background, this is better achieved by a dSLR than with a PS camera. dSLRs also allow the use of specialized macro lenses or telephoto lenses that enable the hobbyist with an interest in particular subjects (birds, flowers etc).

While the quality of the image rendered by a dSLR is in general superior to that rendered by a PS camera, there are trade-offs.

dSLR Costs

The first trade-off is cost. Entry level dSLR bodies today come in at around $750, and to that you have to add the cost of lenses. Then there is the additional expense of the support system - flash, camera bag, tripod, and so on. But with costs of entry level dSLRs having gotten lower and more attractive in the last couple of years, an increasing number of hobbyists are taking to dSLR photography.

Conclusion

Our recommendation is that if you are a rank beginner with very little experience in photography, start off with a good PS and learn the ropes of the craft. As mentioned earlier, PS cameras come in a wide range of offerings, some of them almost as good as entry level dSLRs.

Once you have acquired some knowledge and confidence, then consider upgrading to a dSLR if that is where you think you eventually want to be.

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