I ditto just about everything that Lilia2000 said, including the "occasionally wish I had a smaller camera" part, but the only times I wish for that are when I'm on a video shoot and want something to take production/"behind the scenes" stills - generally, the only thing we ever do with those is post them on facebook or blogs. Nine times out of ten, I would still select my SLR, and would probably be afraid to NOT take it if I ever had a smaller camera for fear that I would want it. Generally I feel that ANYTHING I want to print (especially enlargements) I use my SLR.
If you decide against an SLR, one thing you need to be especially careful of is the sensor quality on P&S cameras. Higher megapixel doesn't necessarily mean better quality. My dad and I spent days researching P&S cameras to find one for my mom. A lot of their sensors are crappy and otherwise decent cameras got chucked because they took grainy pictures.
Your noise control on a DSLR is going to be MUCH better than a point and shoot. MUCH faster response time. Easier to get good depth of field on an SLR.
Some of my bigger beefs with digital P&S cameras is that they flatten out color ranges... you don't get the nuances from various lights and shadows that you do with film, and DSLR cameras CATCH those nuances.
I don't necessarily agree with needing to invest in two lenses for just consumer purposes - my Nikon D80 came with an 18-135 lens that is fairly good quality and is very flexible as far as doing very wide angle and moderate telephoto distance, so it would be possible to get away with just one lens. They also make 18-200's that are decent, just a little pricey. You usually get a little distortion on those at your wider angles, but it doesn't bother me that much most of the time.
Last, but not least, even if you don't plan to get more lenses immediately, you have that option in the future. What if you decide that your 10x optical zoom on your P&S camera isn't enough? I think they do make some tele-attachments for some models, but I'm not sure how good they are.
If your only complaint is the weight, get the SLR and use a bigger purse. Mine generally fits in my purse(s) and it's fine as long as the lens cap is on securely. I realize that your budget would have to be a little bigger, but you have an eye for and enjoy photography; get yourself a good camera to use. ESPECIALLY with Europe coming up.
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zaluzianskya and ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
skylark_photos
Hear hear!
Date: 2008-10-02 10:03 pm (UTC)If you decide against an SLR, one thing you need to be especially careful of is the sensor quality on P&S cameras. Higher megapixel doesn't necessarily mean better quality. My dad and I spent days researching P&S cameras to find one for my mom. A lot of their sensors are crappy and otherwise decent cameras got chucked because they took grainy pictures.
Your noise control on a DSLR is going to be MUCH better than a point and shoot. MUCH faster response time. Easier to get good depth of field on an SLR.
Some of my bigger beefs with digital P&S cameras is that they flatten out color ranges... you don't get the nuances from various lights and shadows that you do with film, and DSLR cameras CATCH those nuances.
I don't necessarily agree with needing to invest in two lenses for just consumer purposes - my Nikon D80 came with an 18-135 lens that is fairly good quality and is very flexible as far as doing very wide angle and moderate telephoto distance, so it would be possible to get away with just one lens. They also make 18-200's that are decent, just a little pricey. You usually get a little distortion on those at your wider angles, but it doesn't bother me that much most of the time.
Last, but not least, even if you don't plan to get more lenses immediately, you have that option in the future. What if you decide that your 10x optical zoom on your P&S camera isn't enough? I think they do make some tele-attachments for some models, but I'm not sure how good they are.
If your only complaint is the weight, get the SLR and use a bigger purse. Mine generally fits in my purse(s) and it's fine as long as the lens cap is on securely. I realize that your budget would have to be a little bigger, but you have an eye for and enjoy photography; get yourself a good camera to use. ESPECIALLY with Europe coming up.
/essay