im sure its been discussed dslr vs digi cam?

cosmoepic · Jan 22, 2009

ok i have 2 cameras a nikon d40 and canon sx10IS, my pics that ive posted on here before have been with the canonSX but ive recently been wanting to work more with the dslr, for creative purposes.

anyways, id like to know some pros and cons, the dslr has the stock lens 18-55mm. im torn on what camera to use and for what reasons

im also very interested in night photography

i hope this post makes sense, also how much can i blow the d40 shots to i know its a 6mp, as opposed to the SX10 being a 10mp so what difference will i see there

thanks!!

chrisburke · Jan 22, 2009

your title confused me.. dslr IS a digi cam.. I think you meant dslr vs point and shoot... there are many benefits to a dslr.. the main one being the ability to switch out lens'.

the d40 is a great beginner camera, but if you get deeper into photography, you will notice pretty quickly that it has things it lacks.. (i bought a d40 a couple years ago, didnt realize how much I would get into photography then within 6 months noticed I was lacking something, and picked up a d50, a better camera, but also lacking as I'm not on the search for a d300)

the stock lens on the d40 is a decent lens, i have 4 lens' and the stock one is the only one my wife will use... the biggest problem with the d40 is that it doesnt have a built in focus motor, so as you get more lens, you have to make sure they have focus motors, otherwise you will be manually focusing (for example, my 70-300 and my 50 1.8 can auto focus on my d50, but not my d40)

also the 6mp of the d40 is really good, unless your printing photos bigger than 11x16.. but if you dont intend to print large pictures, 6mp is fine.

all in all, if your just doing photography for fun, taking photos of friends, things of that nature, the d40 is a great camera, but, if you get deeper into it, maybe look at the d70s or 80

ADDED: i would do a search for Nikon D40 here in the forum, its been discussed A LOT, things like the pros and cons..

Samanax · Jan 22, 2009

These articles have the pros and cons between a DSLR and a Advanced Bridge Camera (SuperZoom P&S).

Digital SLR Vs Digital Point-and-shoot Cameras: A Non-technical Guide

DSLR vs All-in-one: Which way to go?

DSLR vs. Point and Shoot Digital Camera

Digital SLR vs Point and Shoot Cameras

Digital SLR Versus Point and Shoot: The Best Camera for Beginners can be a DSLR

cosmoepic · Jan 22, 2009

is anyone out there familiar with the sx10 is? i feel with the D40 im enjoying focusing manual more, and i feel like im actually taking a pic if that makes sense

Samanax · Jan 22, 2009

cosmoepic said:
is anyone out there familiar with the sx10 is?

My sister has one. When I saw the pictures it took I was pretty stunned at the quality of the images...my 4 megapixel Olympus C-750 takes better pictures. She had the image quality set to something other than the best quality (I don't remember which setting it was, but it wasn't the highest) so I changed it to the highest JPEG setting and it helped a bit, but when I compare the pictures from the SX10 IS to my XTi you can really see how much difference the larger sensor in the XTi makes when it comes to image quality. The pictures from the SX10 IS has a lot of noise, even at the lowest ISO setting. Contrast, clarity and color are also not as good...even sharpness isn't what I expected.

After getting my XTi I hardly ever use the C-750 anymore...I can't stand the slow focus lock and shutter lag of the Olympus (almost non-existent in the XTi).

Josh66 · Jan 22, 2009

I think the main advantage of a point & shoot is that it fits in your pocket.

In all cases where a pocket-sized camera is not required, the DSLR will perform better than the P&S.

cosmoepic · Jan 22, 2009

so im assuming im better off using the D40 over the SX10? i dont plan on taking mere snapshots i like the art of photography

question is, what to do with the SX10IS? it doenst fit in my pocket..........

chrisburke · Jan 23, 2009

if your looking to do more than just snap shots, i would suggest not getting the d40.. you will very quickly decide that you want something a little more... look at the d70s or even a d50 both can be found for decent prices.. as for what to do with the sx10.. no reason you have to get rid of it.. but, if you want to, advertise it on kijiji.com or somewhere like that

stsinner · Jan 23, 2009

O|||||||O said:
I think the main advantage of a point & shoot is that it fits in your pocket.

Not this one.. It looks like a DSLR.. I guess this one is a bridge?

And it has a 20X optical zoom, which is awesome!

Samanax · Jan 23, 2009

stsinner said:
Not this one.. It looks like a DSLR.. I guess this one is a bridge?

Yes, it's a advanced P&S superzoom bridge camera.

stsinner said:
And it has a 20X optical zoom, which is awesome!

Although it sounds good, the images taken when the lens is fully zoomed out isn't all that great...lots of CA and the images don't look sharp (at least the ones from my sister's SX10 IS aren't all that great).

Josh66 · Jan 23, 2009

stsinner said:
Not this one.. It looks like a DSLR.. I guess this one is a bridge?

And it has a 20X optical zoom, which is awesome!

Ah. Yeah, I guess that would be considered a bridge camera. Pretty much a dSLR (pretty sure it actually is an SLR), you just can't change lenses.

cosmoepic · Jan 23, 2009

ok lets discuss quality: am i going to get better quality with the D40 over the SX?

everything other than my last car shot, has been done with my SX and everyone seemed to love how those shots come out

i know this question will come up so ill say it first: "well, what do you wanna shoot?"

the way i see it my D40 could be a P&S having it set to auto if i want it to be
but i wanna tap into the artistic side of photography (long exposure, DOF, night photos etc) and im assuming the D40 would be the cam for this?

also someone said earlier the D40 would only be good for snapshots? can someone explain please?

Samanax · Jan 23, 2009

O|||||||O said:
Pretty much a dSLR (pretty sure it actually is an SLR), you just can't change lenses.

I think the SX10 IS is meant to look like a DSLR but it doesn't have a mirror or a penta-prism or penta-mirror in the top...the hump at the top is just for the flash. The viewfinder is electronic (small LCD screen inside), not optical.

stsinner · Jan 23, 2009

Or, for a lot of added fun/capability for short money, you could purchase a speedlight for your Canon. When you're ready to upgrade to a DSLR, you can take your speedlight with you, but it will give you lots of added range and possibilities, such as bouncing light.

cosmoepic · Jan 23, 2009

when am i "ready" tp upgrade to a dslr though? i dont know how else to phrase that, what are some key signs that its time to move on up to the east side?