Not an enthusiast or pro: still worth it to buy an expensive camera? DSLR?

Question

Not an enthusiast or pro: still worth it to buy an expensive camera? DSLR?
I was thinking about picking up a Canon Digital Rebel XT. I love the high quality pictures and the ability to take pictures really quickly one after the other.

Answer 1

If you like to take action pictures (like sports ones) the DSLR is the only one that reacts quickly enough to your pressing the button. Simpler (and cheaper) cameras have so long a delay till they capture the image that the shot you were expecting is gone. There are also a lot of other advanced features you might never use or might fall-in-love with. Think of them as bonuses when you get the action capability of the better camera.

Answer 2

The best things about a DSLR are the sensor and the lenses

Sensor: The sensor is the part that gathers the light and renders it into a usable image. A bigger sensor is like having a bigger engine, it can do the same things a little engine can do plus more. The sensor on a point & shoot camera is really tiny, often no more than 25 square mm. The sensor on something like the Rebel is 330 square mm, more than 12 times the size. This allows each pixel in the sensor to be bigger, drastically reducing noise in the picture. Now, ,sure, you can take a pic at ISO 100 and say "look, no noise". Now compare two pics of a white wall or the blue sky at ISO 1600, the DSLR will win every time.

Lenses: Sure they cost but you have the option of swapping out lenses. DSLRs have options that point & shoots don't have. DSLRs have lenses that have huge apertures, letting in a lot more light. Their lenses can also go a lot smaller as well. Most P&S stop at f/8 (some at f/11) while a lot of basic DSLR lenses go all the way to f/22, great for really bright shots.

A DSLR provides a lot more flexibility. DSLRs excel at taking low-light pictures with high-quality output that a point and shoot can't match. There's nothing wrong with a P&S as long as you keep your expectations low. Higher expectations require a DSLR.

Answer 3

my suggestion
go to yahoo shopping
digital cameras
digital camera GUIDE
be sure to check titles on the left side
the guide should answer your questions