Making a snap call
Franco Darioli
May 07, 2008 12:00am
LET'S start by defining what is generally understood by the terms compact and SLR.
Strictly speaking, a camera that lets you look through the lens is an SLR (Single Lens Reflex) -- also called DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex), to differentiate from film cameras.
This changed somewhat with the introduction of the EVF (Electronic View Finder). The EVF does not provide the real view as you see it with your eyes, but it is through the lens.
At your camera shop you will notice on the shelves displaying compacts several largish high-zoom range cameras as big and heavy as those in the SLR section.
So neither the type of viewing nor the size is directly related to the terminology. Simply put, if you cannot change the lens it's a compact, otherwise it's an SLR.
The SLR corner
THE two main advantages SLRs have are direct viewing and interchangeable lenses.
The first assists focusing and composition; the second saves the day when you discover the lens you have is not wide enough, long enough or good enough.
The supplied kit lens is usually two levels down in quality from the best the brand can offer, so for better results get a better lens.
All interchangeable lenses have a thread for attaching filters. Consider buying a lens-protecting filter, a UV filter and a close-up filter to discover the world of macro photography.
For professional-looking portraits and group shots, an external flash is required. Dedicated macro flashguns also exist to deliver the desired flat, even light required for this rewarding type of photography. A few compacts can take external flashguns, but they are the exception. An important but often overlooked point is that compact cameras, at best, have a limited aperture range -- often only two or three settings. Combined with the low focal length caused by their tiny sensors, even at the widest aperture you tend to get an extended depth of field.
This eliminates all of those shots where the subject stands out from the rest of the picture because of a shallow depth of field.
Also, pretty much any type of technical photography (sport, wildlife, macro, portraits, landscape) is too difficult or virtually impossible with most compacts.
Another big plus for the SLR category is RAW capture. Think of RAW image files as the digital equivalent of negatives, or exactly what the camera captures before any internal processing.
Every manufacturer has its own bias, so what you download in the JPEG format is a processed image. RAW allows you greater control to do your own manipulation from the start, using software such as Adobe Photoshop. Some compacts now come with a RAW mode, but not many.
So, if you are not happy with snapshots, look at the SLR range.
The compact corner
SO WHY would anyone buy a compact camera? The most obvious answers are size, weight and cost. Now most compacts have at least a 3x to 5x zoom for zeroing in on the subject without moving. Some are weather and shockproof.
Generally, they are designed to be easy to use in auto mode. However, don't underestimate such features as image stabilisation, slow sync, snow and sand mode, backlight control and, with some, brightness/contrast/sharpness control.
Explore the many options buried inside the menu and sub-menus and reap the rewards.
Betwixt compact and SLR
MANY "bridge" cameras have a similar form factor and look of the typical SLR. These are designed to offer a large (but not interchangeable) zoom, and have more manual controls -- such as focus/aperture and shutter speed -- than the smaller versions.
Some will take filters and auxiliary flashguns. So really there is a third type of camera, so far called "hybrid" or "superzoom".
This category has some but not all of the advantages of their interchangeable lens cousins, yet 2008 will be a big year for them . . . but that is another story.
Why buy both?
MY REASONING behind the "get both" solution is this: if you have to ask the question (compact or SLR?) it is probably because you want to take real pictures
(= SLR) but you see the advantages of having a "pocket-able" camera that can be with you at any time (= compact). No camera, so far, can do both. In a future article we will take a look at the emerging "superzoom" category.
It is unlikely most would want to take their SLR with them "just in case". I know a few people who do just that and, oddly enough, they tend to have more "great shots" in their portfolio than I have in mine. But that, I'm sure, is just a coincidence and down to luck.
Just remember: the shot you miss today is not going to be available tomorrow.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23648970-11869,00.html
