picture quality of a the new sony 12mp point and shoot VS a SLR camera?

Question

hello all. I have an important question. I am going to be taking pictures in nightclubs and a lot of times, they dont like SLRs with big flashed being in there so a good point and shoot camera is ideal. my question is: when i see pictures taken in nightclubs with a Digital SLR, they just look so different than a point and shoot camera can take. the pictures look more vivid or something. almost like magazine quality and some of these dslrs are only like 8MP. this is an example of a 8MP DSLR shot:http://www.e-fotoportal.com/photos/268/485-8564_IMG-m.jpg

my question is: can a very good digital point and shoot @ 12MP take pictures with this quality or will a DSLR always look different/better? Sony is about to release the DSC-W200 . if you look at this model is 12MP with an ISO up to 6400.

will this camera take these kind of quality shots that the example slr picture does or do you need a SLR to get that type of quality. can someone explain? I want the pics to look really vivid.

Answer 1

Fcuk megapixels. You only need 6 megapixels for a high quality full page print anyway. The two things that matter for low light photography are the image quality at high ISO and the speed of the lens.
Only very few point and shoot cameras can handle ISO 800. Actually only a few Fuji models can, like the F30 and the newer F31. Yeah, the ISO dial goes higher on a lot of models but that doesn´t mean you should use those settings.
If you want decent image quality at ISO 1600 and perhaps even above (and you do), you MUST use a dSLR. And while you´re at it, get a $100 50mm f/1.8 lens. This will further enhance low light sensitivity AND image quality. Or add another $150 and make it a 50mm f/1.4 lens.
Look at the Pentax K110D, the Pentax K100D, the Canon 400D, and Nikon D80 (in order of price, from low to high.)
Speaking from experience - I use a Nikon dSLR with a 50mm f/1.4.

Answer 2

The short answer is 'no', the long answer is 'no way'.

The problem with compact cameras is it's a 'pixel race' the manufacturers and marketing men try to get the consumer to think that the more pixels a camera has the better the picture will be, that was true up to about 5MP and it's been downhill from there.

The problem is there is far too many sensors in a compact camera sensor, they all need power and are packed so close together they create interference between each other - this is what digital noise is.

To combat this noise reduction software kicks in (in camera) which also washes out some detail, the irony is the more pixels you have in a compact the worse your photo can be!

A DSLR has a bigger sensor with the pixels spaced further apart so you don't get as much interference.

Also a DSLR has the option to change lenses, shutter speeds and aperature all of which combine to give you a better photo.

The example you showed has a shutter speed of about 1/5 of a second with second curtain flash. That means that the shutter was open for a 1/5 of a second to allow the image to blur and the flash fired at the END of the exposure freezing sharp details - you just can't do that with a compact.

It will have to be a DSLR all the way!

Also to bump up the vividness a lot of photography is 'post processed' with the images being worked on in Photoshop or similar to increase the saturation etc.

To further enhance the photo you can shoot in 'RAW' as opposed to JPEG. JPEG files are a lot smaller and 'improved' in camera - basically sharpened and reduced in size. RAW files are exactly what the sensor sees, with no in camera processing on them.
They can look a little flat when you look at them on screen but if you 'process' them in Photoshop or similar they look absolutely amazing! (another reason for a DSLR).

Good luck and happy snapping :o)

Answer 3

The Point and shoot cameras because of the sensor used inside create more noise when working at the higher resolutions. You are also limited to the single lens that is on the point and shoot camera.

When taking low light photos with a SLR, you can use the apreture of the lens to your advantage and usually have a higher quality because the lens lets you shoot at a lower ISO speed and less noise is introduced into the photo.

hope this helps

Answer 4

OMG got it right.
but more simply- you have two choices.
a DSLR or a Fuji F20/F30/F31fd.

Size matters (as far as ccd size goes).

The samples I've seen from the W200 are remarkably good for a small 12Mp ccd. Probably within 1 stop of the Fuji's (including the added benefit of the additional pixels) I only see it listed at ISO3200, but I can guarantee it will be extremely noisy at that ISO.

The W200 might be a good choice, or the Fuji's.
With the W200- be prepared to get a noise reduction program (noise ninja or neat image, or others) to filter down all them pixels and make a cleaner looking image.

Answer 5

tough w200 is 12mp digi slr of even 8mp is better quality than this.
bcoz it has larger sensor size n can capture more pixel.
go to
http://www.dpreview.com/learn/?/key=sensor%20sizes
jus go n read about it.
n too iso is not gud either.
ppl shud use iso upto 400 only.
coz if u use more than this it will coz more noise in the pic.
so if u want 2 buy a point n shoot camera
check the sensor size, about 8-10mp(more mp will eat ur space) iso upoto 400 or maybe 800
n canon is better
hope this helps

Answer 6

I would stay at ISO800 and get a good point and shoot with image stabilizer if you would like to conceal your gear. Also make sure your camera can be set in aperture priority mode if you want to capture vivid images of people only with background out of focus. Then you set the shutter trigger in burst mode so that you take several successive shots and select the best one from them. Make sure your aperture is set to one F-stop down from the highest. Typically the sharpest aperture of the lens is one F-stop down.

The resolution of the sensor doesn 't matter much.

For DSLR, I would use a Canon EOS equipped with IS and the fastest lens I could get (eg F/2.8 lens and shoot at F/3.5)

Answer 7

You guys kill me!

(They are right, though.)