Compact digital camera - any good points when compared against DSLR?

[oofoto]

Camera's with small digital sensors have many good points when considered on their own as image capture devices

but are there any real good points when compared against an SLR/DSLR or do we all own purely for compromised

convenience?

[orensztajn]

Aginst DSLR the 2 good points I can come up are the macro (you do not need an extra lens) and the wide DOF.

 

DSLR are much better regarding IQ, ISO perfomance, variety of lenses, etc, etc.

[jcuknz]

I prefer the pro-sumer camera becuase of the live-view, having the better than I had with film range of focal lengths in one package and much lighter, the ease of adding reach with a telephoto adaptor without loosing as much light as a converter does. I almost always shot 125 ISO film so working with the same ISO with digital is no real hardship. Not so much a plus point these days is OIS as the DSLR have various forms of it. I feel that but for the marketting by Canon and Nikon of the DSLR the pro-sumer could almost be the camera of the future we have today. We didn't have it in film days and it is the major advance of digital. I fully understand that diehard DSLR users will disagree but since I don't need the ruggedness of the better DSLR I'm happy with my pro-sumer as a do most things tool. [ not to be confused with what Canon call a pro-sumer :-) ]

 

But my pro-sumer is larger than some DSLRs so probably it doesn't come under the 'compact digital camera' heading but it is a honey of a camera :-). Perhaps my cellphone comes under the classification and really I enjoy having it in my pocket 7/24 and I take more snaps than make calls or TXT :-) I wish it had a viewfinder instead of having to shoot blind in bright sunlight.

[michaelchristensen]

Significantly better image quality than a cellphone camera; small enough to put in a pocket and most capable of producing 4x6 prints without photoshop dependance. Priced significantly lower than any DSLR (under $500) and if they get broken, they are cheap to replace. For many people this is all the photography they need.

 

All of our police cars have a point-and-shoot in thier kit to document property damage and take a quick snap of an injury or crime scene. Sure if more detail is needed we use a different camera. Our city community service officers document ordinance violations (derelict vehicles, neglected property, overgrown vegetation, improper trash disposal) with a point and shoot ..and file the photo with the citations; and for the most part, a point and shoot requires little more instruction than .. pointing and shooting .. simple to use.

 

Those with non-proprietary batteries are great for times when the power goes out and you can find a simple battery at any convenience store, gas station, or department store. .. and, most people just think they are fun to use. And, any camera is better than no camera when you need it.

 

The issue of compromised convenience versus a DSLR doesn't always matter .. some of these point and shooters actually take very nice photographs .. and because they are so compact, they have broad applications.

[vrankin]

My son-in-law and I have gone out on photo shoots together - he with his Canon Rebel XT and I with my Panasonic Lumix

(7 megapixel) compact. We've shot the same subjects, including family get-togethers and outdoor nature/landscape. His

Rebel is much faster. The larger sensor's tone gradations are much smoother, especially at higher ISOs. My Panasonic's

renderings look a bit crisper, because of the in-camera sharpening, saturation and contrast defaults. But when blown up to

full size on-screen my smaller sensor doesn't measure up. The great part with the compact camera is portability. I can

carry my cam in a small belt pouch, hardly seen or noticed. His camera needs a shoulder bag. He doesn't wear it on his

body because of the heavy vertical grip that is always on the body. He either carries or sets it down in the room

somewhere, and it doesn't get used as much. I do envy his creamy-toned photos of people in low light without flash.

[Ed_Ingold]

You can put a P&S camera in your shirt pocket. Don't try that with a DSLR :-) The "best" camera is one you have with you when you need it.

[oofoto]

Some great answers so far.

[tdigi]

My main issues ( i have P/C and DSLRs ) is speed and adjustments. A point and click is great but you really cannot do

anything creative with one or at least not much. Speed is another big issue. I love the speed of my 40D. when I release

the shutter at that exact moment I get just the shot I want. I find everything is a trade off with photography

 

I do find it a pain to carry around all my SLR gear so I most always keep a point a click close by and I am glad I do.

 

I was traveling through Wisconsin last year when I took a wrong turn and saw this amazing barn just off the road. All I

had was a point and click.

 

http://www.photo.net/photo/6715225

[bill_tuthill]

The lenses on P&S digicams are better for the money.

It's the same thing in 35mm versus medium format gear,

where the large format lenses cost a lot more for what you get.

Take for example the Panasonic FZ8, FZ18, and FZ28,

all of which (I believe) use the same lens.

It is a Leica 4.2-82.8 f/2.8-4.2, virtually distortion-free,

on the FZ28 equivalent to 27-486mm on a 35mm camera.

The closest thing in DSLR gear would be the Tamron 18-300 f/3.5-6.3

which is not as good, costs as much as a new FZ28,

and will stop working when you switch from APS to full-frame DSLR.

[bill_tuthill]

P.S. Not "stop working" but become unusable due to extreme vignetting.

I could add another example: the Canon G9 lens is vastly superior

to the old Canon 18-55 DSLR kit lens, in direct comparison from images

taken by two friends who rafted the Grand Canyon with me.

[phule]

This is a bit of an odd one but it's something I have run into.

 

I do like the fact that, with a digital point and shoot, the lens is small enough to fit in an open space in a chain linked fence mesh whereas with a DSLR the fence will be in the image (if even very out of focus).

[vrankin]

Wow, Tommy: What's even more amazing is that there are two suns in your photo! (One near the horizon and one lighting

the rest of the scene.) And all that, with just a point and click?

[tdigi]

It was shot with a point and click. altered in PS3

[duane_mills]

One good point I can think of...

 

Concerts where cameras with removable lenses are not allowed.

[jcuknz]

Creativity comes from the person using the gear and if they know how to get the best out of the gear they are using then good results will happen. DSLRs are not a magic bullet towards creativity.

[obakesan]

Paul

<P>

I'll also say that there are quite a number of advantages. This is not

to say there are no disadvantages, but that you don't always want to use

a circular power saw / chainsaw / hand saw for every job either.

<P>

I believe that for many situations and uses it can, in particular

I have found for general picture taking, and in the field scenery photography

that the compact can produce respectable prints.

<P>

Certainly in <STRONG>absolute terms the DSLR will show image quality benefits

over the Compact</STRONG> as well as have some other advantages.

The obvious advantages a DSLR has are things like

<UL>

<LI> focusing speed (<EM>compacts can be a hassle for candid work, though there are ways around this</EM>)

<LI> telephoto lens selections (<EM>yep, if you do sport of tele wildlife no doubt about it ... get the DSLR</EM>)

<LI> better image quality in higher than 100 ISO (<EM>in landscape I often want <STRONG>slower</STRONG> shutters, but of course not with sport</EM>)

</UL>

<P>

But there are some drawbacks to the DSLR too ...

<BR>

<UL>

<LI> cost (<EM>they are more than double the price</EM>)

<LI> if you don't have any lenses yet then you'll have to buy more (<EM>did I say double?</EM>)

<LI> standard lenses are not so good as macro, so most compacts have better macro out of the box

<LI> physical weight and size (<EM>if you are backpacking how many times will

you not pull the camera out of the pack because of the hassle or

<STRONG>how many times will you just leave it at home because its too big</STRONG></EM>)

</UL>

<P>

To me at least, <STRONG>the compact camera holds many advantages in size weight and

handling</STRONG> that make me more likely to <STRONG>actually have it with me</STRONG> than my DSLR. It may seem

silly to say this, but <STRONG>the camera that takes the best pictures is the

one you have with you!</STRONG> If you aren't using your DSLR because its not

convenient then it can hardly be taking better pictures than your compact now,

can it :-)

 

<P>

http://home.people.net.au/~cjeastwd/digital/CP20D10D/CPvsDSLR.html

[druid]

It's compact of course! =)

[druid]

Tommy, Nice PS job there...who you trying to fool? =)

[tdigi]

funny chris, Almost every photo needs a little touching up. This one has some serious PS work but the point is still the

same and the composition to start with would not exist without a camera.

 

I am trying to lug around my 40D more often. Thinktank makes some nice bags to make it small as possible.

[petemillis]

Well, I use my daughter's P&S (Fuji E900) at every opportunity when I can't be arsed to carry the DSLR with me. Plus points are that I can take photos with it, all my kids can take photos with it, it has full manual control as well as aperture and speed priority, it's fast to focus and shoot, it takes some nice pictures. But it's not a spot on the Canon 10D when it comes to IQ and low light performance. Here's an E900 effort from The Levellers gig at Arundel Castle last night - would have been sharper if I could see the buttons in the dark and been able to use a wider aperture, but as soon as you zoom even a tiny bit then the aperture gets smaller so the shutter speed has to get longer. But I guess at least it took a picture and there's no way I would have wanted to lug the DSLR about along with kids and cider and fish and chips.<div></div>

[john schroeder]

When used properly a compact camera can capture excellent photos. Their advantage are in their readiness and portability. I do long for the day when larger sensors are put in affordable (sub $400) compact cameras. Sigma, hopefully, started the ball rolling with their DP-1.

[lightsmith1]

When I took my first photography class many years ago the instructor emphasized the importance of always having your camera with you. Hard to take a picture without a camera and I would rather not think about how many great shots I missed as my camera gear was all back home. So the single biggest advantage of a small P&S is that you will have it with you.

 

With digital there is not the problem with heat and moisture as with film camera left in a car and if a P&S is stolen the loss is not a big concern.

 

As was mentioned there are locations that will not allow professional photographers to take pictures but allow anyone with a P&S to flash away. Walk in with a P&S and no one need know you are one of the forbidden professional photographers.

 

The real problem with P&S is that most now lack a viewfinder which makes taking a picture a much slower process, even discounting shutter lag. Henri Cartier-Bresson would have missed a lot of shots if he had been using a LCD display to compose his images prior to releasing the shutter.

[ryanjoseph]

My G9 has much better image quality than my 40D when my 40D is at home. The best camera is the one you have

on hand, DSLRs and compacts have their uses. In my eyes, size and versatility is one hell of an advantage is favor of

compacts.

[vrankin]

Just got a DSLR yesterday and worked with it all day. I think my wife will be carrying the point & shoot from now on. The

RAW files from the DSLR are a whole new revelation. Now I understand what so many have been posting about larger

sensors with RAW. It probably doesn't show here, but this is a shot of an exhibitor at a historical farm re-enactment

working in the field. The tonal gradations in RAW in midday sun were much better than expected.<div></div>

[erick_kyogoku]

I am in the market for a good quality P/S, and am hoping that the G10 rumor will come true. I use a Canon 5D, with L or

prime lenses. I don't mind the 5D's weight or size (I wouldn't want a 1Dsx class), but I am about to move to Brazil and

with its high crime rate I don't want to carry my 5D around unless I already know where I'm going and that it's relatively

safe. For dangerous places, a P/S is smarter than a conspicuous DSLR.

<p>

Hence, a G9 class compact would serve me really well. I guess a compact is good to have when you're abroad yet not

going out to take photos every day. While living in Paris I always carried a Pentax Optio S5i -120g (4.2 oz)! The photos

weren't great, but memorable. A good quality P/S that you can tuck into the corner of a bag is useful ... for the

situations where you wouldn't otherwise carry a DSLR. But for taking artistic photos or photos to be published ... DSLR

is the way to go.