Why DSLRs? An SLR vs. Point and Shoot Quality Comparison

If you're a new photographer, or a currently enjoying taking pictures with your point and shoot, you might wonder why people shell out for SLR cameras. After all, you're probably doing pretty well with your point and shoot, which is far smaller, lighter, and more affordable than even the cheapest digital SLR. While you can certainly take excellent pictures with less capable cameras, the truth is that the image quality, ease of use (once you know what you're doing), and flexibility of digital SLRs is unmatched. In this article, I'll step through what separates a point and shoot from an SLR, and why you might consider upgrading.

To demonstrate these concepts, I'll be doing a side by side comparison between a Nikon D60 DSLR (several years old entry level camera) and a Samsung S73 point and shoot.  Now, the Samsung certainly isn't the best the point and shoot world has to offer, but the D60 certainly isn't the best the SLR world has either.  This comparison, while not up to the highest standards of science, should give you some idea what kinds of differences you can expect between point and shoots and digital SLRs.  With that said, let's kick off our comparison.

Control Layout

For new users, the control layout of a typical SLR might seem daunting.  However, once you learn the basics of controlling the camera, you realize that there are a few basic parameters you'd like to at least of the option of modifying when taking pictures:

• Focus
• Zoom (if using a zoom-able lens)
• Aperture (basically how much light the camera lets in through the lens)
• Shutter speed (how long the shutter stays open when you take a picture)
• ISO sensitivity (how sensitive the digital sensor is to light)

Not too much to keep track of, but let's look at how we control each of these factors on our cameras.

For the D60 (pictured above), we have fairly easy access to all of these controls.  Focus is achieved via autofocus, or by simply turning the textured ring in the front of the lens.  Zoom is controlled in a similar fashion, by turning a ring on the lens (if using a zoom lens).  Aperture and shutter speed are controlled via the wheel on the top right of the camera on the back side, easily reachable by thumb.  ISO requires diving into a menu, but this is not the case with most higher end SLRs.  In short, the controls are convenient and quickly accessible.

Compare this with a point and shoot.  We can controls the zoom, in large intervals, using the zoom switch on the back.  Anything else?  It requires going through multiple levels of menus, not the kind of thing you want to be doing if you need to get a shot off quickly.  Sure, the automatic settings do a pretty good job most of the time, but if you're into photography, you're going to be craving that control.

Responsiveness

Another major advantage that those who have never used an SLR before don't often think about it responsiveness.  SLRs are typically more responsive than point and shoots in every way.  Turn on an SLR, and it's on in fractions of a second, ready to take a picture.  Many point and shoots take several second to be ready to do the same.  This can be the difference between getting and missing a shot.

Once on, SLRs focus faster, allowing you to track fast moving subjects.  Auto-focus on high end DSLRs is almost mindblowing-ly fast, but even entry level models are still much quicker than your average point and shoot.

With the camera on, and the shot focuses, SLRs don't waste time between pressing the shutter button and taking the picture.  Again, high end models are absurdly responsive in this regard, but even the cheap models are much faster at actually taking the picture than P&S cameras.  You really come to appreciate this feature with time, especially if you photograph a lot of sports and other action.

Image Quality (Good Light)

For this next section, I did a quick and dirt comparison of these two cameras by mounting them on a tripod, and attempting to take a picture from the same perspective with each, with roughly the same settings for each.  This first example was taken outside in the late afternoon.  Pretty boring picture, but looking at it you can instantly see the quality difference between the point and shoot and the SLR.  Trying to ignore the extra color saturation from the SLR photo, note the difference in dynamic range (i.e., differences between light and dark) and overall detail in the SLR picture.  The photo from the SLR is simply cleaner and all around better.  Keep in mind this photo was taken outdoors while mounted on a tripod, so this is something of a best case scenario for the point and shoot.

Image Quality (Bad Light)

When we start looking at bad light, things get even worse for the point and shoot.  The two pictures above show a shot taken indoors, which requires us to crank up the sensor sensitivity (ISO) in order to get a picture in lower light.  These pictures were taken it ISO 400, which is no sweat for the D60 (again, an older, low end SLR), but it is pushing the limits of the point and shoot.  Notice the extreme grain, splotchy colors, and overall lack of detail in the P&S shot compared to the SLR shot.  Given how many great photo opportunities exist in low light, this is an excellent argument for the additional size and cost of the DSLR.

Depth of Field

One feature of SLRs that is a little more abstract is the ability to control the depth of field.  What is the depth of field, you ask?  Well, when cameras focus, the image is really only in focus at one imaginary plane in front of the camera.  However, due to the way optics work, the image will appear generally sharp a certain distance in front of and behind this plane.  Anything outside this plane will begin to appear blurry.  By changing the aperture of the lens, photographers are able to control which areas of the picture appear in focus, and which do not.  Take the photo of the butterfly above as an example.  The plant and the butterfly are mostly on focus, but the green area behind it is a complete blur.  This is an example of shallow depth of field, one of many effects photographers like to have in their toolbox.  For reasons too technical to get into here, it's much easier to achieve this effect with DSLRs than with point and shoots.  Consider the image below.

Here, we notice a subtle blurring of the far end of the cello and the carpet behind it.  In the case of the point and shoot photo, everything is about equally sharp, which provides a less pleasant visual effect (overlooking the quality difference that exists anyways).  Once you get used to having this option in your toolbox, it's hard to give it up.

Flexibility

SLRs, by the very intent of their design, are highly flexible.  Above is a picture of my D60 with a bunch of lenses and accessories.  Each of these serves there own special purpose.  For example, the lens on the bottom right is a wide angle zoom lens.  The point and shoot has a "wide angle" option, but check out the comparison below to see how the ultra wide zoom blows away the point and shoot in terms of wideness.  They aren't even in the same ball park!

SLRs also allow you to use high quality external flashes, which give far superior lighting when compared with the tiny built in ones in point and shoot cameras.  The range of high quality, useful lenses and accessories make buying an SLR a purchase you can grow into as your photographic needs increase.

Conclusion

As you can see, even a cheap, entry level DSLR has a lot to offer when compared to a point and shoot.  Sure, this comparison could have used more rigorous methodology, and perhaps a better point and shoot camera to compare with, but the simple fact is that DSLRs blow away even the best point and shoots in most areas.  If you can handle the added size and expense, consider a DSLR for your next camera purchase. Thoughts and comments?  Please share with us on the blog here.