Why use Digital SLR cameras

I am in the market for a new digital camera and instead of the classic point and shoot I am getting ready to buy a Digital SLR or DSLR for short.

There are a few reasons that a Digital SLR is better than a regular point and shoot:

• More control over fstop, iso, shutter speed
• Bigger Image sensor
• Interchangeable lenses
• Faster Focus

Now that I have that out of the way lets look at these individually.

More control over pictures

A DSLR is made just as an old serious 35 mm camera was with a lot of the settings on the lense itself. Also there is more control overthe picture output becasue the camera is made for professionals and as such there is a lot of software control built right into the camera that most point and shoot cameras are not going to bother with.

Bigger Image Sensor

I am starting to see first hand where the limits are with point and shoot cameras. If you track the changes in technology what we are seeing is that the little pinhole on the camera lense is still after 6 or 7 years letting in the same amount of light but the small sensor is getting more and more pixels on it. An old 2 MP camera image snesor is not too much dofferent then todays 7MP or even 10MP camera except that the sensor is trying to do more with the same amount of light. Not very fair.

In contrast a DSLR will use a much bigger sensor so there is not nearly the strain to get enough light into the camera, couple this with the big lenses and you have a much better picture of what you are seeing with your eyes.

Interchangeable lenses

This is both good and bad. If you buy a simple point and shoot camera you are going to see and take pictures and not have to mess with changing lenses but on the other hand given some extra money you can get more options for taking pictures by buyuing more lenses. There are lenses for zooming, for landscapes, for sports and even for different weather conditions in a way. This way if there is an interest that you have in taking pictures you can buy a lense that will do that so much better then a point and shoot out of the box.

Faster Focus

This is a bit of a gimme. The Digital SLR cameras are bigger and have a lot more intelligence built within them. Because of the better hardware and software within and Digital SLR camera you will see much more sccurate settings as well as faster focus and faster time to take pictures and faster time between pictures. If you look at most newer Digital SLR cameras you will find that you can get 3 pictures per second for normally as long as you want to take pictures for or until you fill up your memory card.

I know that many people would not want to give up their old camera but we as families have the option to give the old digital camera to the kids, kids love the instant gratification of seeing pictures that they take right away. Digital cameras may be the norm but the newest Digital SLR cameras are the way to go for most families today.