Should You Buy a DSLR?

Do You Need/Want a DSLR?

If you are looking for a digital camera, the first choice that you have to make is the “type” of digital camera that you’re looking for. For the consumer, it begins with the question of whether to purchase a DSLR or a compact camera.

This article is not going to go into great depth about the technicalities of the differences; rather, we’ll look at the very practical differences, for these are the variables that you’ll want to consider.

Ask yourself:

1. What kind of picture quality do I need?
2. What will I be taking pictures of?

What Kind of Picture Quality Do I Need?

Quality is an interesting topic. For years the camera companies waged the “megapixel wars” with each other. Megapixels are closely tied to the clarity and general quality of the image that your camera can make- if you make an 8 x 10” print with a 3MP file and compare its quality to that of a 5MP image, there’s quite a difference. Most of today’s cameras have plenty of pixels for the average consumer. Add to this the fact that we generally view images on electronic devices- computer screens, smartphones, and tablets, where the megapixels matter little (it’s in the printing that megapixels can become an issue).

 Quality comes down to what you intend to use your pictures for. Creating and storing huge files that will occasionally be viewed on a screen doesn’t justify a DSLR. On the other hand, if you want to create large images (11x14” and larger), the DSLR sensors are always a better bet.

 What Will I Be Photographing?

The larger issue is what you will be photographing. Family get-togethers, vacation shots, and other day-to-day imagery can be captured with ease with a compact camera. But shooting your daughter’s soccer game will be a challenge… let’s look at some issues.

Issue: Shutter Lag

Compact cameras, even fairly expensive ones, commonly have a noticeable time delay from the moment that you click the shutter button until the picture is taken- this is shutter lag. For a posed picture this is rarely a problem, but action scenes like sports require immediate shutter activation to capture the moment. Add to this lag a slow “write time”- the time that it takes the camera to write your image on the camera’s storage card- and you’ll miss any opportunity to shoot multiple images in short bursts.

 Issue: Lenses

There’s an obvious quality difference in a $150 lens that comes packaged in a DSLR “kit” and a $2000+ pro lens. Professional lenses are designed and built to deliver sharpness, color and optical accuracy that consumer lenses do not require. So imagine the quality of the $15 lens that comes on a $100 point-and-shoot. This again comes down to the quality that you really need in your images- point-and-shoots are fine for many types of shooting and the lenses are so small that you can carry the camera with you at all times (Common photographer mantra: Q: What’s the best camera? A: The one that you have with you.)

Most compact cameras do not allow lenses to be changed, though more and more companies are creating compact lines that do allow this (Nikon’s new N1 is an excellent example). Compacts tend to have zoom lenses- different focal lengths in a single lens. But be careful- there’s a difference between an optical zoom and a digital zoom. The optical zoom is done by the lens- this shows the true range of the lens. A digital zoom is simply an in-camera cropping of an image captured at the camera’s maximum telephoto setting- it’s an inferior way of getting a closer shot.

DSLRs offer higher quality lenses and a wide selection- at a cost in size, weight, and dollars.

 Issue: Expandability

Lens selection is only one factor in the topic of expandability. Another is that of flash. Most compact cameras have a built-in flash, suitable for close-range illumination. These flashes have a number of disadvantages. First, they are very weak- after all, they need to rapidly charge and they can’t drain the camera’s battery too quickly. They are located just over, and sometimes to the side of, the lens. This full front lighting is harsh, flat, and fairly unattractive to your subject. DSLRs may come with such a flash, but most also have a “hot shoe”, a seat for a dedicated unit with its own power supply and often an adjustable head, allowing the light to be aimed and otherwise modified for a more diffuse and attractive illumination.

Beyond flash, expandability extends to other areas such as close-up photography, underwater photography and many more specialties.

DSLRs also allow you to invest in lenses that will outlive your camera body, allowing future upgrades that will be able to utilize prior purchased.

Issue: Control

The single most important reason to invest in a DSLR is to have creative control over your images as you shoot them. Sure there’s a “P” mode (Programmed, not Professional!) on the camera, but it’s in all of those other settings where you make decisions that give you control. Of course, exercising control requires an understanding of your camera and how it works- there’s nothing intuitive about f-stops, EV settings and depth of field. Anyone can grab a point-and-shoot and start taking pictures- thus the name. Exploring photography creatively requires and investment of time that starts with reading a manual and leads to lots of trial-and-error shooting.

Choosing

Alas, perhaps the real question is what photography means to you. As a means to an end for fairly simple images, go compact. It’s cheap, easy, fast and provides you with the memories that you want to save and share.

If photography is more than that- a hobby or venue for expression, go the DSLR route.