DSLR vs prosumer point & shoot/digicam??

trvlbug

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I need camera advice! I currently own a digital Konica Minolta A2 (8 MP) which I think is referred to as a prosumer point & shoot or digicam. It's about 4 yrs old & it has a fixed zoom lens (not interchangeable). Prior to that, I've always owned film SLR cameras. The reason I went to a prosumer point & shoot is because of the weight & bulk of the SLR's...it got to be too much for me as I am small framed and I found it very tiring to drag the camera & equipment around all day when sightseeing. I am going on a trip to Europe in a few mos and I am considering purchasing a DSLR. The camera I am considering is the Canon XSI with the new 18-200 lens. I've read good reviews on both the lens & the camera body. I am considering this camera body because I want something fairly light weight & I like Canon products. I plan to enlarge pictures to probably 11x14 max & I want good image quality. Am I really gaining anything by ditching my Konica Minolta & going with the Canon XSI? While the Canon is very light as far as DSLR's go, it's still going to be bulkier & heavier than the Konica Minolta that I own. I can't figure out though whether I'm really gaining much. If anything, I'll be giving up some features that I've become accustomed to on the Konica Minolta such as the electronic viewfinder, the movie taking ability & the lcd screen which swivels. I know that because the sensor in the XSI is bigger & because the lens is also bigger, both will let in more light & this will be useful at higher ISO's but will this yield substantially better image quality at lower ISO's than my Konica Minolta...and, will I yield clearer, crisper pictures? Travel, for me, is all about the photography so the image quality is really important. Any advice would greatly be appreciated. Thank you.
 
Under great conditions the image between the Konica Minolta and the Canon would be very very similar on a 11x14 print.

Although we can never really pick our ideal conditions. The question is also one of feature sets. Many of the things which make DSLRs great will be a waste if all you intend to do is leave it on full automatic with one large superzoom and take quick snaps. Plus you don't sound all that excited about higher iso noise performance, which really leaves you with few advantages over a new point and shoot. That and the bulk isn't nice to carry around.

Just food for thought, only you can really answer the question of if this would suit you.
 

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