SLR or Compact Digital Camera: Which is right for you?

by  Rick Sammon

Like most of my professional travel photographer friends, I’ve been using digital cameras for several years.

These days, for my professional travel work, I shoot with a top-of-the-line digital SLR. The SLR system offers tremendous versatility with its accessory lenses and flash units. In addition, the pro SLR camera offers unlimited creative control and technical excellence.

     When I travel, however, I don’t always want to lug around my gear bag, filled to the brim with two SLR bodies, several lenses and accessories. Sometimes, especially at night or when I’m going to eat, I simply want to walk around, see the sights, and take some fun snapshots. That’s when my point-and-shoot digital camera comes in handy. And guess what? Most of the time, I’m very happy with the capabilities of the camera.

     If you are in a position to choose either a compact or SLR digital camera, here are some of the features each type of camera offers, starting with digital SLRs.

Digital SLR cameras offer:

• wide-angle and telephoto zooms, which far exceed the zoom range of compact cameras;
• focus tracking, which tracks a moving subject and sets the focus right up until the moment of exposure;
• higher ISO capability, which is needed in some situations to freeze action;
• relatively minor digital noise (grain), even at high ISO settings (compared to the digital noise in compact cameras at high ISO settings);
• rapid frame advance when photographing action sequences;
• no noticeable shutter lag;
• maximum number of pixels that provide unsurpassed image quality.

Now let’s take a look at some of the features of compact digital cameras. Compact digital cameras offer:

• lightweight and compact size (fits in a pocket);
• ease of operation;
• built-in zoom lens;
• built-in flash;
• close-focusing capability with good depth of field;
• different effect modes (black and white, sepia, etc.);
• with 5 megapixels or more, prints up to 11×14 inches - look great.

In choosing a camera, select one with the features you need most and remember the old photo adage: Cameras don’t take pictures, people do.