By Bob on Dec 8, 2007 in SLR | 0 Comments
What is an SLR? Well, the letters simply stand for “Single Lens Reflex.” What is that? Well, that technically means that there is one lens that is used for both taking the photo and also look through that lens to frame the photo. In other words, there is not a separate lens that you look through to make the photo. Furthermore, an SLR (or D-SLR for a Digital SLR) has a lens that is removable! That is right, you can take off the lens and put another one on. Why would you want to do that? Well, you can put on lenses that have a zoom, or are wide angle, or will help you achieve all kinds of special effects!
In addition to interchangeable lenses, the SLR camera also offers many other features. You can basically control virtually every possible aspect of how your photo is exposed, focused and taken. You can control the shutter speed, the aperture, the speed of the “film” and many other aspects of the photo. These days, D-SLRs also offer you the chance to let the camera make these settings too, making your D-SLR almost like having a higher quality Point and Shoot camera.
If you are a person who likes to grow into a hobby, learn technical aspects of the hobby and such, a D-SLR is probably going to be the way to go. These days, the price of an entry level D-SLR is not that much higher than a decent Point and Shoot anyway, so why not go all the way?
If you are like me, though, you’ll want both! After all, that D-SLR gear can be bulky to carry around!
By Bob on Dec 6, 2007 in Point & Shoot | 2 Comments
Some cameras are called “Point and Shoot” cameras. What is that? Why use that name?
Well, it’s actually quite simple. A Point and Shoot camera is called that, because it describes what you need to do to use it! No real settings to worry with, you just pick up the camera, turn it on, point at the subject that you wish to photograph and click the button! Presto, you have your picture! Actually, even for a good photographer, for most of the shots he takes, a Point and Shoot will do just fine! It’s when you get very creative that you want more control over the camera’s settings, and that is when you need an SLR camera. We’ll talk about those later.
Today’s modern Point and Shoot cameras come in many varieties. You can get Point and Shoot cameras that rival the expensive SLR’s in terms of sensor quality and such. There are Point and Shoot cameras on the market today with images sensors of 5 megapixels, 8 megapixels, even 10 megapixels!
So, if you are in the market to buy a new camera, a Point and Shoot model will be just fine for most of us. Personally, I have an SLR and a Cameraphone right now. On a recent trip I lost my Point and Shoot. I do want to replace it, though. Having a small camera that I can fit in my pocket is a real advantage and lets you catch photos that you might not otherwise. My SLR is big and bulky, so I don’t carry it all the time. If I am going out specifically to shoot photos, the SLR is a no-brainer! But, if I just happen to be in a place where I want a photo, a pocket camera is a must have!
