"Point-and-Shoot" vs. Single Lens Reflex cameras
Ever wondered what camera would be best for you
and if you needed to trade in your
point-and-shoot camera for a single lens reflex
(SLR) camera?
That’s why for this month’s Photo Stop, I took
both my little point-and-shoot Sony Cybershot
and my Canon EOS 400D SLR camera with me when I
went out to take pictures. That way I could
really put them both to the test!
But before we go to my findings, here are two of
my favourite pictures made with my little
Cybershot.
Practicality
I must say that because my Cybershot camera is
so small it is so practical to bring along and
it is never in the way like my SLR. For instance
when I am on a little trip with my two small
kids, I will have so much stuff to bring along
just for them that my Canon and camera bag are
almost too much to carry. Also when we go the
pool and the lake, like in the picture below, or
out it in the rain, I will only take my
point-and-shoot camera with me because I am
afraid that the water will damage the Canon!
The SLR's big advantage is that because you can
change lenses you have an amazing range, from
very close to very far, that you can shoot. So
no subject needs to be out of range for you.
With most point-and-shoot cameras you can only
use the zoom range that your compact camera
gives you.
User Friendly
Now it is clear that when a camera has more
functions it gets more complicated to use.
But I must say with the general functions both
cameras are easy to use. Although getting a
sharp photo is easier with the Cybershot. It has
a great auto focus, but again that has to do
with the fact that Cybershot is a less
complicated camera.
One other advantage of my little point-and-shoot
camera compared to the Canon is that you can see
how the picture is going to look on the little
screen before you shoot it. With most SLR
cameras, unless you get a really expensive one,
you can’t look at the display when looking for
the perfect picture, you will have to look
through the little viewfinder eyepiece, which
gives you less freedom from the angle from which
you can shoot. In some cases I even shoot
pictures with the Canon ‘blind’.
A big disadvantage of the Cybershot is that it
has a delay between pressing the button and the
time the camera shoots the picture! That’s why
due to this delay you could just miss that
perfect look on someone face and I have missed
out on some great situations due to this. That
is not the case with the Canon; as soon as you
press the button the picture is made! Now I must
say that my Cybershot is a few years old and
with all the new compact cameras coming on the
market every month maybe the problem of them
having that shooting delay might be better now
with most of them, but that would be something I
would ask about in the future when looking for a
new point-and-shoot camera.
Picture Quality
To get pictures of good quality is harder work
with the Canon than when with the
point-and-shoot camera. But when you do get that
picture it does look amazing and of a quality
that the Cybershot can’t make! But in the search
for that right picture I find that you also get
more bad photos than with the Cybershot.
What I do love about the Canon is that you can
play with the focus, so that the camera will
blur out the background! With the Cybershot it
will only give you that if you shoot a picture
really close when the camera is set on the
magnifying function, like in the pictures below.
Final Note
Like everything in life, all cameras have their
own pro and cons! If you are looking for an easy
to use and easy to take along camera that takes
good pictures, then a point-and-shoot camera
could be the thing for you. But if you really
like taking pictures and want to spend a little
more time getting to know your camera and all
the extra functions it has, you will have a lot
of fun and great results with a SLR camera. I
still use both of my cameras at different
occasions with great pleasure!
