| Megapixels | Cameras with more megapixels give you the freedom to make huge prints and to crop your photos, but they do not necessarily have higher image quality. |
| ISO and Image Noise | Increasing the ISO setting lets you take clear photos in dim light without having to use a flash, but it also degrades the image quality. |
| Dust Control | Dust that lands on an SLR sensor appears as small black spots in every photo you take. Dust controls systems attempt to prevent and eliminate this. |
| Image Stabilization | There are two types of stabilization: one that's included inside the camera and one that's inside the lens. Regardless of the type, stabilization helps to eliminate blur in your photos caused by camera shake. |
| Live View | With a live view system, you can compose photos using the LCD screen on the back of the camera in addition to the viewfinder. |
| Dynamic Range | Your eyes have exceptional dynamic range and can see details in a scene even when there's extreme contrast. Unfortunately, an SLR doesn't work quite as well as your eyes. |
| HDSLR | An HDSLR is a single camera that can capture both still images and High Definition (HD) video. |
| Crop Factor | A digital SLR sensor is smaller than a frame of 35mm film, so only a portion of the image that passes through the lens is captured by the sensor. |
| Autofocus | Autofocus systems can include anywhere from 3 to 9 individual focus points. More important that the number of points is the accuracy of the system. |
| Continuous Drive | A continuous drive lets you take multiple photos in rapid succession. More expensive cameras have faster continuous drives. |
| JPG and RAW Files | JPG is the standard format for digital images, and is easy to e-mail, upload and print, but RAW offers significantly more creative freedom. |
| Aspect Ratio | Wonder why your digital prints never turn out exactly like the image on your computer monitor? The culprit is aspect ratio. |
Friday, 20 January 2012
Digital SLR Terms
Wednesday, 18 January 2012
Differences between DSLR cameras and digital compact cameras
The first major difference between digital SLRs and digital compact cameras is what prevents most people from buying a digital SLR: price.
Even though digital SLR prices have come down each and every year, they are still significantly more expensive than their compact cousins.
Let me put it this way: an inexpensive digital SLR camera start around $450 without a lens. Then you get to track on an additional $100 for a kit lens or $500 for a high-quality zoom lens.
If you can't fathom spending $500 to $1000 on a digital camera, then digital SLR is definitely not your choice.
However, if you've been saving you pennies for months and are perfectly aware of how much these cameras cost, then let's take a closer look at some of the other differences between digital SLR caneras and digital compact cameras.
Size and Weight
Size and weight is the second most obvious difference between digital SLR cameras and digital compact cameras after price. Even a small-sized digital SLR camera is double up the size and price of a compact camera.
While there are many new digital SLR models that are more portable (and are easier to travel with) the addition of a lens to your camera ensures that you'll never be able to stow it away in your shirt, pocket or purse.
If you'd like the higher image quality of a digital SLR camera but don't want a huge heavy camera, then consider a mirrorless DSLR - they're more the size of compacts but capture DSLR-like photos (and you can change lenses).
Professional Movies
Prior to 2008, digital SLRs with video did not exist.
Digital SLR cameras could only take stills, and many people were suprised that these big expensive cameras could not capture video clips like their tiny compact cousins.
All that is now in the past: virtually all DSLRs released since 2008 included a High Definition (HD) video capture mode.
But the one thing that really sets DSLR video apart from compact video is the ability to change lenses.
Since you can change lenses on your DSLR, you can capture videos that look more like movies:
- Extreme wide-angle shots, close-ups and backgrounds thrown nicely out of focus can all be achieved with digital SLR.
This explains why many small independent film companies now use DSLRs as their camera choice. Compared to the price of a high-end digital video camera, a DSLR is pretty cheap.
Manual Zoom
Compact digital cameras have electronic zooms: push a button (or level) and the camera's lens zoom in and out.
Since all digital SLR lenses can be removed from the camera body, the zoom mechanisms are entirely manual: to change the view you have to twist a ring on the lens.
This manual zoom actually results in a faster zoom: you don't have to wait for the motors to move the lens in and out, you can twist the zoom ring as fast or as slow as you like.
Zoom Range
Since we are on the topic of lenses, let's talk about another difference between digital SLR and digital compact cameras: zoom range.
There are many digital compact cameras on the market today with "mega-zooms". These cameras have 10x or 12x zooms and are capable of taking both wide angle and telephoto shots.
In order to cover a similar range with a digital SLR camera you have one of two options:
- Buy a mega-zoom lens: these give you the same zoom power as a 10x zoom on a compact, but also cost about $600 USD.
- Buy two zoom lenses: with one wide-angle zoom and one telephoto you can cover a lot of range, but at significant cost ($800 USD or more)
If tons of zoom range is important to you, the compact is clearly the more economical solution.
So what should you buy?
Even though I've talked about the difference between SLR and digital compact cameras you still might be on the fence.
Here are a few question that might help you make up your mind:
- Do you want to take more professional-looking photos?
- Do you want to create high-definition home movies?
- Do you want to be able to change the lens attached to your camera?
- Do you want more control over the photos that you take?
- Are you sick and tired of the slow speed of your digital compact camera?
- Do you want to take a lot of photo in low light?
If you answered YES to every question, get a DSLR. You'll be happier in the long run.
If you answered NO or MAYBE to one or more, then consider a digital compact or mirrorless DSLR instead.
Even though digital SLR prices have come down each and every year, they are still significantly more expensive than their compact cousins.
Let me put it this way: an inexpensive digital SLR camera start around $450 without a lens. Then you get to track on an additional $100 for a kit lens or $500 for a high-quality zoom lens.
If you can't fathom spending $500 to $1000 on a digital camera, then digital SLR is definitely not your choice.
However, if you've been saving you pennies for months and are perfectly aware of how much these cameras cost, then let's take a closer look at some of the other differences between digital SLR caneras and digital compact cameras.
Size and Weight
Size and weight is the second most obvious difference between digital SLR cameras and digital compact cameras after price. Even a small-sized digital SLR camera is double up the size and price of a compact camera.
While there are many new digital SLR models that are more portable (and are easier to travel with) the addition of a lens to your camera ensures that you'll never be able to stow it away in your shirt, pocket or purse.
If you'd like the higher image quality of a digital SLR camera but don't want a huge heavy camera, then consider a mirrorless DSLR - they're more the size of compacts but capture DSLR-like photos (and you can change lenses).
Professional Movies
Prior to 2008, digital SLRs with video did not exist.
Digital SLR cameras could only take stills, and many people were suprised that these big expensive cameras could not capture video clips like their tiny compact cousins.
All that is now in the past: virtually all DSLRs released since 2008 included a High Definition (HD) video capture mode.
But the one thing that really sets DSLR video apart from compact video is the ability to change lenses.
Since you can change lenses on your DSLR, you can capture videos that look more like movies:
- Extreme wide-angle shots, close-ups and backgrounds thrown nicely out of focus can all be achieved with digital SLR.
This explains why many small independent film companies now use DSLRs as their camera choice. Compared to the price of a high-end digital video camera, a DSLR is pretty cheap.
Manual Zoom
Compact digital cameras have electronic zooms: push a button (or level) and the camera's lens zoom in and out.
Since all digital SLR lenses can be removed from the camera body, the zoom mechanisms are entirely manual: to change the view you have to twist a ring on the lens.
This manual zoom actually results in a faster zoom: you don't have to wait for the motors to move the lens in and out, you can twist the zoom ring as fast or as slow as you like.
Zoom Range
Since we are on the topic of lenses, let's talk about another difference between digital SLR and digital compact cameras: zoom range.
There are many digital compact cameras on the market today with "mega-zooms". These cameras have 10x or 12x zooms and are capable of taking both wide angle and telephoto shots.
In order to cover a similar range with a digital SLR camera you have one of two options:
- Buy a mega-zoom lens: these give you the same zoom power as a 10x zoom on a compact, but also cost about $600 USD.
- Buy two zoom lenses: with one wide-angle zoom and one telephoto you can cover a lot of range, but at significant cost ($800 USD or more)
If tons of zoom range is important to you, the compact is clearly the more economical solution.
So what should you buy?
Even though I've talked about the difference between SLR and digital compact cameras you still might be on the fence.
Here are a few question that might help you make up your mind:
- Do you want to take more professional-looking photos?
- Do you want to create high-definition home movies?
- Do you want to be able to change the lens attached to your camera?
- Do you want more control over the photos that you take?
- Are you sick and tired of the slow speed of your digital compact camera?
- Do you want to take a lot of photo in low light?
If you answered YES to every question, get a DSLR. You'll be happier in the long run.
If you answered NO or MAYBE to one or more, then consider a digital compact or mirrorless DSLR instead.
Tuesday, 10 January 2012
What is DSLR?
Digital Single-Lens Reflex (Digital SLR or DSLR) are digital cameras that use a mechanical mirror system and pentaprism to direct light from the lens to an optical viewfinder on the back of camera.
DSLRs are often preferred by professional still photographers because they allow an accurate preview of framing close to the moment of exposure, and because DSLRs allow the user to choose from a variety of interchangeable lenses. Most DSLRs also have a function that allows accurate preview of depth of field.
Many professionals also prefer DSLRs for their larger sensors compared to most compact digitals. DSLRs have sensors which are generally closer in the size to the traditional film formats that many current professionals started out using. These large sensors allow for similar depths of field and picture angle to film formats, as well as their comparatively high signal to noise ratio.
The term DSLR generally refers to cameras that resemble 35mm format cameras, although some medium formats cameras are technically DSLRs.
The Advantage of Digital SLR Cameras:
- Build for speed
So why are some compact cameras so slow and digital SLRs so fast? It is electronics vs mechanics.
There's a device called shutter that located in front of the digital SLR sensor for blocking it from light. When you take a photo, the shutter (made up of two curtains) opens and closes. This is different from a compact camera, when there is no shutter mechanism. In compact cameras, the sensor is electronically activated every time you take a photo. The advantage of the mechanical solution is that it is instantaneous: you press the shutter button and the shutter snaps open. There's never a delay when you want to capture that photo of a lifetime. If this was the only advantage of digital SLR cameras, it might be enough for everyone who's frustrated with a sluggish compact camera.
- A Lens for Every Occasion
The ability to exchange lenses, to select the best lens for the current photographic need, and to allow the attachment of specialized lenses, is a key to the popularity of DSLR cameras.
- High Quality in Low-Light
One clear advantage of digital SLR cameras is that they are able to capture photo even when there is not a lot of ambient light.
So what? Every camera can take a photo when there's not a lot of light - just turn on the flash.
Here's the trick: digital SLR cameras can do it without the flash.
Digital SLRs are able to take photos when there's little available light because of a feature called ISO: it makes the digital sensor more sensitive to light.
As you increase the ISO (and increase the camera's sensitivity to light) you also add grain or "noise" to the image.
The advantage of digital SLR cameras when it comes to ISO is that even at high ISO settings they produce very little noise. I can't say the same about compact cameras.
If you really enjoy taking photos when there's not a lot of light, the image quality of a digital SLR will exceed a compact cameras any day of the week.
-You Have Control
This is my favourite advantage of digital SLR cameras.
I don't like a machine to be making decisions for me. While it's right most of the time, it isn't right ALL of the time. The human brain will always be better at judging a scene then a camera set to automatic.
With a digital SLR, you have complete control over every photo you take, and don't have to rely on the camera to make choices for you.
Even if you're not ready to make the jump to a fully manual camera, don't be frightened off/
Every digital SLR camera lets you use an automatic setting, and provides you with the intermediate steps that offer increasing levels of control over your images.
DSLRs are often preferred by professional still photographers because they allow an accurate preview of framing close to the moment of exposure, and because DSLRs allow the user to choose from a variety of interchangeable lenses. Most DSLRs also have a function that allows accurate preview of depth of field.
Many professionals also prefer DSLRs for their larger sensors compared to most compact digitals. DSLRs have sensors which are generally closer in the size to the traditional film formats that many current professionals started out using. These large sensors allow for similar depths of field and picture angle to film formats, as well as their comparatively high signal to noise ratio.
The term DSLR generally refers to cameras that resemble 35mm format cameras, although some medium formats cameras are technically DSLRs.
The Advantage of Digital SLR Cameras:
- Build for speed
So why are some compact cameras so slow and digital SLRs so fast? It is electronics vs mechanics.
There's a device called shutter that located in front of the digital SLR sensor for blocking it from light. When you take a photo, the shutter (made up of two curtains) opens and closes. This is different from a compact camera, when there is no shutter mechanism. In compact cameras, the sensor is electronically activated every time you take a photo. The advantage of the mechanical solution is that it is instantaneous: you press the shutter button and the shutter snaps open. There's never a delay when you want to capture that photo of a lifetime. If this was the only advantage of digital SLR cameras, it might be enough for everyone who's frustrated with a sluggish compact camera.
- A Lens for Every Occasion
The ability to exchange lenses, to select the best lens for the current photographic need, and to allow the attachment of specialized lenses, is a key to the popularity of DSLR cameras.
- High Quality in Low-Light
One clear advantage of digital SLR cameras is that they are able to capture photo even when there is not a lot of ambient light.
So what? Every camera can take a photo when there's not a lot of light - just turn on the flash.
Here's the trick: digital SLR cameras can do it without the flash.
Digital SLRs are able to take photos when there's little available light because of a feature called ISO: it makes the digital sensor more sensitive to light.
As you increase the ISO (and increase the camera's sensitivity to light) you also add grain or "noise" to the image.
The advantage of digital SLR cameras when it comes to ISO is that even at high ISO settings they produce very little noise. I can't say the same about compact cameras.
If you really enjoy taking photos when there's not a lot of light, the image quality of a digital SLR will exceed a compact cameras any day of the week.
-You Have Control
This is my favourite advantage of digital SLR cameras.
I don't like a machine to be making decisions for me. While it's right most of the time, it isn't right ALL of the time. The human brain will always be better at judging a scene then a camera set to automatic.
With a digital SLR, you have complete control over every photo you take, and don't have to rely on the camera to make choices for you.
Even if you're not ready to make the jump to a fully manual camera, don't be frightened off/
Every digital SLR camera lets you use an automatic setting, and provides you with the intermediate steps that offer increasing levels of control over your images.
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