Pros and Cons of Compact Digital Cameras and dSLRs

Compact cameras are handy. You can easily slip one in a pocket or purse and carry it with you everywhere you go. It wasn't so long ago that compact digital cameras were scoffed at by the photographic community. They took low-quality, grainy photos that were barely passable at small print sizes.

Those days are long gone - in 2012, compact digital cameras are far higher quality than even the most advanced 35mm film cameras of yesteryear. Many of them are capable of large, clear prints and low-light photography. They're still incredibly handy, though - these days, even a professional photographer with thousands of dollars in high-end dSLR gear will often carry a small compact camera for spontaneous shooting.

What should you look for in a compact? Well, first and foremost is size. As the primary advantage of these cameras, you want something that is small but durable. Metal bodies typically hold up better than plastic, but they weigh a bit more and tend to be easier to dent. Plastic bodies may not feel as sturdy, but are less likely to be seriously damaged if dropped - but, then again, when they are damaged, they tend to break rather than bend. The choice is yours - I prefer metal.

Second, as most compact cameras do not have interchangeable lenses, the quality of the camera's lens is very important. The wider the lens, the more light it can collect and the clearer your photos will be - especially in low light. After size, go for optical zoom. Optical (or mechanical) zoom allows you to get in close to the action while staying comfortably away from it. Don't confuse it with digital zoom - digital zoom isn't really zoom at all, but an in-camera way to crop (cut) the photo down to a smaller size. With a 16MP at 2x digital zoom, your result will be a 9MP image.

Finally, choose wisely a memory card format. Some cameras use a proprietary format - if you already have a card reader, such as one built into a laptop PC, this should be a consideration. It is both convenient and much faster to transfer photos using a card reader than through a transfer cable.

Digital SLRs are a step up from compact cameras in most ways. Modern dSLRs have a host of features ranging from HD-quality video capture to wireless transfer of images directly to your PC.

One important but often-overlooked quality of the digital SLR is the lack of delay between the time you press the shutter button and when the image is captured - it is nearly imperceptible. This is very very important for action shots, such as at sporting events.

An obvious advantage of a digital SLR is the ability to choose multiple lenses. From a wide angle for landscapes to a super-zoom for wildlife photography, all you have to do is swap lenses and you're good to go. Additionally, lenses can make an excellent investment for a budding photographer. Lenses may be used on multiple generations of cameras - at times, to an almost absurd degree. Nikon has not changed their basic lens mount format since the 1950s. Lenses purchased 50 years ago for a fully-manual Nikon F1 may be mounted to a top-of-the-line D3-series digital SLR. Of course, many features (like autofocus) have been introduced in the last half-century, but those lenses can still do the same magic today they did when new.

Finally, sensor size is important. There are two sizes in common use - "DX", also known as "crop frame", and "FX", or "full frame". An FX sensor is approximately the size of a frame of 35mm film. A DX sensor is roughly the size of an APS film frame, or about 2/3 the size of 35mm. By comparison, a compact camera hay have a sensor the size of a postage stamp. As a general rule, the smaller the sensor, the more grain (or noise) your images will have, and the poorer the low light performance. If these things are important to you, a dSLR is the way to go.