What's the difference between digital point and shoot and digital slr cameras?

Answer 1

point and shoot are made for the basic photographer... hence point and shoot... applies to film or digital cameras... slr implies you see through the lens... many point and shoots you see through a peep hole... parallel to the lens... slr typically you can change the lenses out... usually an slr will cost more, have more possible accessory possibilities... with todays digital cameras get what works for you... slr will be cumbersome, big and heavy, point and shoots are really good these days... unless you are a professional photographer, may as well just get a real good point and shoot... I was a die hard old school photg... finally I sold out to digital... I got a sony 8.1 Mpixel... mega pixels are important, but lens quality is a must to.... hope this helped

Answer 2

One thing that nobody has mentioned yet, it that digital SLR cameras are much more responsive that point & shoots. With a dSLR, evrything is instant.
Loads of people come here seeking advice on how to make their point & shoot less sluggish because they're constantly missing action shots and candids. That sluggishness however, is inherrant with a digital point & shoot. And perhaps that's a bigger reason to upgrade to a dSLR than anything else.
Another reason to get a dSLR, is that they're much better than point & shoots in low light situations. Most point & shoots become useless at dusk and require that you use the flash for anything indoors. Not so with a dSLR. With a dSLR you can do night time street photography - hand held, no flash.
And everybody has mentioned the lenses as an advantage. I agree. With a point & shoot you're a bit limited. Well, compared to a dSLR, anyway. With a dSLR you can attach the perfect lens for every occasion - whether you're shooting flowers at 3 inches, or a jazz band in a dark cafe, or a closeup of players from across a football field.
There are other advantages too, but those are the most important ones.
The down sides of a dSLR are cost and bulkiness.
I started out with a point & shoot but had to keep using my old film camera on the side. Eventually, I replaced everything with a dSLR. Now I'm actually thinking of adding a point & shoot again, something tiny for occasions when I don't want to lug my camera bag around. It all comes down to what works best for the occasion, I suppose - because with every camera you compromise in some respect.
---
I see Panacea's given his sales pitch again. The R1 is a nice camera, indeed. But it still has all the disadvantages of any other point & shoot.
Also, you can use any dSLR in 'idiot-mode'. There's no learning required.
He has a point about cheap kit-lenses however. Still, even cheap kit-lenses should fare well against most point & shoots.

Answer 3

For the most part, digital SLR cameras are the high quality cameras while the point and shoot cameras are the more basic cameras. There really is only one point and shoot camera that is equal to the cheapest digital SLRs. That's the Sony DSC-R1. It's got the high quality electronics (CMOS sensor etc.) coupled with a very high quality lens with a highly useful range of focal lengths. For most situations, this camera will take dSLR quality pictures but is cheaper and far easier to use than a digital SLR.

For whatever reason, all of the entry level (ie cheapest) dSLR cameras I am familiar with come bundled with a really crappy lens if you buy them as a kit. It is well worth it to buy the camera as the body only and to buy a better lens seperately. dSLR cameras typically are very high performance and this is limited (often severely) by the crappy kit lens. With a good lens, there is a marked improvement. If you are going to shell out the money for a dSLR (not to mention the learning curve involved in using it correctly), you should invest in a good lens. This is not as expensive as it used to be. A Canon Digital Rebel XTi (a rather NICE camera for the money) coupled with a good lens, will run you about $1200 after all is said and done. Last year, getting the same quality might have run you twice that.

Most people, however, would prefer the Sony DSC-R1 simply because it is easy to use and they don't have much interest in the more specialized types of photography. They want high quality pictures without having to think too much about it. And this camera gives it to them and costs about $900. However, with the new 10 megapixel entry level dSLR cameras being so cheap, someone who wants a more complex and capable camera, can afford one for close to the same price range.

Answer 4

The main difference is lenses. Point and shoot cameras have lenses which cannot be removed, while digital SLR's have interchangebale lenses. Digital SLR's also tend to have higher resolution, better noise suppression at high ISO settings, and much more manual control. Point and shoot cameras are great for just that: pointing and shooting. But digital SLR's are the best in the long run.

Answer 5

The Digital SLR camera is usually more expensive and is typically used by professionals. You are able to add various lenses (telephoto, wide angle, etc) to it and you have greater control over what images you capture. The SLR is larger and bulkier.

The Digital Point-and-Shoot camera tends to be what most people use to take pictures. It's for the average person that just wants to push a button to take a shot. The size of these cameras can vary greatly...

I consider myself an intermediate photographer and found the Canon A620 point&shoot camera to offer the best of both worlds. I can use it as just point and shoot for photos or add small lenses and control my shots. Great little camera.

Good Luck.. I hope this helps.

Answer 6

There are lots of differences between a point and shoot and SLR Camera.

1) Digital point and shoot is auto focus and the image you see in the view finder is not what the lense exactly captures. SLR is Single lense reflex. that means what you see through the viewfinder is what the lens captures. i.e the image travels through the lens and gets reflected by prisms to enable you to see through viewfinder.
In Point and shoot. what you see through viewfinder is coming from a separate lens and what the camera captures is through the main lens.

2) Point and shoot works on Active autofocus. which means the camera focus on an object with the help of in-audiable frequency or with the help infrared rays to calculate the distance between the camera and the object and locks into the focus. Where as single-lens reflex (SLR) autofocus cameras, determines the distance to the subject by computer analysis of the image itself. The camera actually looks at the scene and drives the lens back and forth searching for the best focus. OR SLR Manual allows you to visually see the image and you adjust the focus to acheive the best picture.

3) Point and shoot camera cannot give you the flexibility to manually focus on one object to create special effects.

4) Point and shoot camera cannot give you the flexibility to allow you to interchange the lens for more specific usage.

These are only a few differences that I have mentioned to give you a brief idea.

Answer 7

Point and shoot is really a generic term for cameras that can auto-adjust exposure, focus, and other settings to achieve a certain level of consistent quality in the photos that are taken. These days, with the constant development of technology, it is rather hard to find cameras that are not point and shoot. However manual adjustment cameras are still made and sold. These types of cameras are largely used by professional as well as so-called "prosumers."

The closest analogy would be like automatic transmissions in many cars, it is a feature that is becoming more and more common as the technology becomes cheaper and more people express a desire for a car that has it. However it is still possible to find cars with a manual transmission, simply for the added sense of control that it can seem to provide. Those who are driving enthusiasts or want to be more serious about understanding driving dynamics tend to opt for the control that a manual provides.

For everyone else who don't necessarily care about the added control and actually see it as an inconvenience, opt for the automatic transmission. In a similar manner, point and shoot cameras have grown tremendously in popularity.

Getting back to your original question, a digital SLR is really a type of point and shoot. The main differentiator is that SLRs typically allow you to swap out the lens, giving you greater flexibility in the types of shots you can compose. At the same time, the electronics in an SLR take care of most of the adjustments needed in taking a great looking photo.

If we go back to the analogy of car transmissions, it would be very much like those "manu-matic" transmissions that allow you to shift gears in a limited fashion without having to learn about the finer points of things like clutches or heel-and-toe.

Answer 8

The fundamental difference between the two is that in a Point and Shoot camera( the ones that are most widely used), you just have one lens(which maybe a wide,tele or zoom), the one that is already mounted on your camera, to work with.

Whereas with a SLR i.e. Single Lens Reflex you have the capability of using different lenses on the same camera resulting in superior picture quality. This is the stiff used by Pros and are
hard on the wallet.

Answer 9

The basic difference is planned obsolescence.

When you buy a p&s, you are stuck with it until you buy the next camera. If you are lucky you may be able to buy some additional lenses, but usually not a lot of variety.

When you buy a dSLR, you buy into a "system" and you stick with it. If you go with the Nikon or Canon systems for example, when it is time to buy a new camera you will be able to use most (if not all) of the lenses that you already have.

There are many other differences, but it always comes down to the ability to buy a new body and keep all of your lenses. This creates fierce brand royalty, you don't see a lot of people flip flopping between Canon and Nikon. I don't think I know a single photographer that has switched between Canon and Nikon more than once.

Those are not the only brands of course, but they are the most visible when you go out to shop. Sony now jumped into the fray by buying Minolta's portfolio and re-branding it all, then really shocked the rest of the industry by adding vibration reduction into the body of the camera, instead of making that a feature of individual lenses.

Answer 10

Many people steer away from DSLR cameras because they feel daunted by the range of technical capabilities that these seemingly complex cameras offer, but in actuality, learning to use a DSLR camera is simple when you are supported and guided by the expertise of a professional photographer. Go here https://tr.im/TDsO2

This highly practical course will teach you the technical skills needed to operate a DSLR camera correctly, as well as help you to apply these skills in practice. In addition, you will receive feedback from a professional photographer and fellow aspiring photographers through a supportive and unique online learning format. The course offers an exciting opportunity for individuals wanting to explore the world of digital photography, improve their picture-taking abilities and produce high-quality photographs, whether for personal or professional pursuit.