Cameras at Lowest Prices

The array of functions, modes, and options on a good compact camera is really quite incredible. Modern point and shoot cameras can do things the photographers of the past never dreamed possible, and they can do it all inside a package that fits neatly into the average jacket pocket. However, there are some shots that are still best taken with an SLR rather than a compact.

For new photographers the biggest difference between an SLR and a compact is that the SLR will almost always allow a much greater zoom (with the right lens). Making the jump will allow users to get up close and personal with distant birds, or zoom in on the action at a big sporting event. An SLR will also allow the attachment of an external flash while most compact cameras will not.

The interchangeable lenses of digital SLR cameras allow photographers to choose the perfect lens for the shot. It might be wide-angle to capture an atmospheric landscape, or telephoto lens to get the greatest possible zoom. It might be a macro lens for capturing extreme close-ups or soft focus for portraiture. The single lens on a compact point and shoot camera tries to take many different kinds of shot as well as possible but inevitably a specialist lens can deliver better quality.

In most cases SLR cameras also allow greater access to technical details. They’ll let the photographer change shutter speed manually. That gives the user new capabilities like long exposure times and the ability to take better action shots.

Of course, there is a downside. A digital SLR is heavier and bulkier than a compact. Unfortunately this means that it will sometimes be left at home rather than taken along and great chance shots might be missed for this reason. The ideal solution is to have an SLR camera for serious photography and a compact to carry when simply having a day out.