What camera is best for general family picture taking? SLR or Point and Shoot?

Answer 1

The term 'better' can have different meanings.

If you mean better as in, easier to use and more portable, then a point and shoot will be better. They are lighter, and will generally give you respectable photographs without the need for much editing.

However if image quality is concerned, an SLR with a good lens will also reign superior. A point-and-shoot has a fixed lens and in general is a 'jack of all trades'.. as it does most jobs fine but not superb. An SLR with some good glass can give you better image quality, tone and colour saturation. However SLR images generally require more post-processing/editing.

Another benefit of SLRs is that it allows you to get 'fast' lenses (this is relevant if you are shooting indoors/at night/in low light environments). A 'fast' lens is a lens with a large maximum aperture (small F number). This allows one to couple a large aperture (i.e f1.8 on a standard 50mm f1.8 dSLR prime lens) with a fast shutter speed to create blur-free shots indoors. 'Fast' lenses are important for low-light/indoor photography since it allows more light in due to it's high maximum aperture and this is important as low-light situations have well.. not much light to work with. SLRs also have bigger sensors which mean less noise when you use higher ISO settings. Higher ISOs are a common setting for low-light/indoor shots.

In general, if you are not proficient with photography and just tend to take simple happy snaps of families, a decent point-and-shoot like the Canon A710IS will do fine. However if you are proficient with photography techniques, do alot of low-light work and don't mind the excess weight and size of SLRs.. then these cameras will work for you too.

Answer 2

For regular family picture taking, I'd say point & shoot. SLR cameras are way too expensive if you're just looking to take everyday pictures and not extensive photography. You can probably get a standard point & shoot for $100 or less, unless you want a compact point & shoot which is higher in price, but is more sleek looking. But yeah, definitely point and shoot over SLR.

Answer 3

If you can afford too, buy an SLR digital camera. The prices are starting to fall like any other new gadget. I think you can find one now for $600+. I have a Sony Cybershot which takes excellent pics but it is only good at STILL SHOTS. You can save yourself alot of hardache by investing for the long hall when purchasing the SLR. It reacts much faster.

Answer 4

Every answer here is real good--my 2 cents worth is just for general PICTURE taking and no more you can buy a more than adequate camera for between $180 and $300. Buying a digital slr would be wasting your money.

Answer 5

An SLR camera can be point and shoot. The advantage of the SLR is that what you see in the viewfinder is what you get in the picture because you are looking through the lens.

Answer 6

you vertainly do NOT need to spend SLR money for general pictures. I would get a good point and shoot...they are wonderful now. For 300 bucks you can get an amazing simple digital.

bhphoto.com

Answer 7

For general family photos, a point & shoot is more than adequate. They are much smaller and more convenient to use, so are easy to take with you anywhere. But a DSLR is a lot larger and you need to buy lenses etc.
Most owners of a DSLR...also have a compact camera they use when they don't want to lug around the weight of a DSLR.

Answer 8

an slr is a bigger camera, but a better camera. If you want something for bringing on family trips or something like that, I would suggest a P&S. something more extensive a slr.

Have fun. =]

Answer 9

For family photos (snapshots), you would be better off with a point-and-shoot style of digicam. The camera itself is easier to learn and operate, resolutions match that of DSLRs, editing can be done on a computer just like a DSLR, you can increase the storage capacity just like DSLRs, no swapping of lenses required, smaller size and weight, etc. Just be sure to inquire as to how long the digicam takes to start up (so you don't miss a shot), what the recycle time is when using the flash, and how many shots you can get on one set of charged batteries.

Answer 10

A point and shoot camera would be the easiest for general family pictures.