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Beginner's Guide to Digital Photography
So you're thinking about getting into digital photography?
The benefits of going digital are widely publicized, but they don't tell the whole picture. Not only are there significant benefits, there are also a number of difficulties that may not be immediately obvious.
Note: The following article is under development, so changes will be made soon.
Is Digital Right for You?
Let's start by looking at the difficulties & frustrations associated with adopting a digital workflow. The following assumes a comparison between a film workflow and a digital workflow, with comparable final print quality. Sorted in order from most difficult to least difficult.
- Usually end up with no physical photo album
- Nearly always involves time on the computer (archiving, sorting, etc.) unless "PictBridge only"
- Potential for instantaneous destruction of your "digital album" if not careful
- Cost/hassle of printing (not as cheap as film)
- Adequate computer system requirement (potentially requiring a new one / upgrade)
- Reliance on battery life of camera and potentially traveling laptop / storage
- Cost of camera
By far the most difficult of these issues is the amount of involvement on the computer end (the archiving, sorting) and often the lack of a physical album. The most common justification used by those who are going to make the transition to digital photography is: "I will save so much money by only printing what turned out". Although this sounds reasonable, it is often not the case! In fact, most people who start in digital photography don't even print any photos at all!
Digital SLR vs Point and Shoot
One of the most important decisions you will have to make is one the style of camera. The most important differentiator between cameras is whether or not it has a detachable lens (also known as a SLR or Single Lens Reflex). The cameras fall into either the SLR category or are labeled a "Point and Shoot" (now on referred to as "P&S"). SLRs will always be more expensive than a comparably-featured P&S. These categorization applies to both film and digital.
The easiest way to identify a SLR versus a P&S is generally the size and the appearance of the lens. An SLR will have a focus ring that allows the photographer to adjust the focus on the barrel of the lens. A P&S lens will generally be much smaller and will not have such a ring. SLRs are also usually much bulkier than the P&S, as the P&S style aims for a form factor designed with your pocket in mind.
A couple of years ago, digital SLRs were priced out of reach for all but the most affluent photographers. Even the Canon D30, which only boasted 3 megapixels, had an initial suggested retail price of US$3500. It was hard to accept that even after investing so much money into a camera, one wasn't even approaching the ability to reproduce the same level of detail or quality as could be achieved with a $100 film-based SLR. So why would people buy it? Obviously the merits of "digital" are significant.
Deciding between digital SLR vs Point and Shoot types comes down to your expected uses and how far you want to pursue photography.
With the proliferation of digital cameras over the last couple years, the range of point and shoot models has broadened considerably. While the early digital point and shoot cameras were fairly simple and of relatively poor quality (versus their film-based equivalents), a new breed of point and shoot digital cameras has surfaced: the prosumer point and shoot. The term prosumer is a blend of consumer and professional, indicating that it is designed with the advanced amateur in mind.
It is becoming more difficult to categorize digital cameras these days, but for the purposes of this article, here are the rough distinguishing characteristics:
- Digital Consumer Point and Shoot
Entry-level digital camera. Can be ultra-compact form factor. Lacks manual exposure, manual focus, optical zoom less than 4x. Very slow autofocus and significant shutter-lag. ISO sensitivity up to ~ 400. - Digital Prosumer Point and Shoot
Mid to high-end for a point and shoot. Might offer manual metering modes, electronic manual focus. Some offer super-zooms up to 10x optical with surprisingly good optical characteristics. Some models have extremely little shutter lag, approaching those of SLRs. ISO sensitivity up to 800 - 1600, although noise from the small sensor elements causes higher ISOs to be less useful. - Digital SLR
Prosumer to professional with interchangeable lenses. Always offers manual exposure, real manual focus. Lenses must be purchased seperately, but have the ability to cover a much wider visual range and quality than the "super-zooms" built-in to the prosumer point and shoot cameras. Useable ISO sensitivity up to 800 - 3200.
A brief summary of the differences between a consumer digital point
& shoot and a digital SLR camera is shown in the table below.
Note that these points are generalizations, and that entries marked
with a star (
)
indicate that cameras exist that have notable exceptions to what is
stated here.
NOTE: The Digital Prosumer Point and Shoot cameras will exhibit characteristics that fall between the two ends of the spectrum.
| Digital Consumer Point & Shoot |
Digital SLR |
|---|---|
 Cheap |  Expensive |
| Compact, light | Bulky, heavy, multiple lenses take up space |
| Expansion poor |
|
| Lens quality poor | Lens quality unlimited |
| Manual focus difficult/slow | Manual focus easy/fast |
| Realtime electronic viewfinder |
Optical viewfinder (No
realtime exposure preview) |
| Total
Shutter lag poor |
Total
Shutter lag minimal |
| Compatibility of lens/accessories poor | Compatibility of lens/accessories
great |
| Small
sensor (More noise) |
Larger
sensor (Less noise) |
Reader's Comments:
Please leave your comments or suggestions below!I have had several p&s digital cameras the last being a Canon g7 which I like very much. I am debating upgrading to a dslr but am concerned about getting something too complicated for me. I use my camera ALL the time, mostly pictures of my children which I edit with Adobe photoshop elements and I frame them as art. I have a friend who has the Canon EOS 30D and she loves it. I am not sure about spending that much but have looked at the Canon Rebel XTI. What accessories are absolutely neccessary with this particular model? Thanks in advance!!!
I doubt that you will find any real limitations with the XTI -- it's a fantastic camera. I think the biggest issue many find with going to a dSLR from a point & shoot is that they give up the ability to put the camera away in a pocket, or keep it with them at all times. So, I tend to suggest having one of each: a point and shoot for everyday outings / social activities, and then a digital SLR for opportunities when you have more time to take photos seriously.
If you are already framing pictures, then I'd strongly suggest you get out and buy that XTI already! The creative potential you'll get with an SLR is so much greater than you can get with a P&S.
As for accessories: the lens is going to be one of the more important choices, but stick with the "kit" lens (18-55) for a while first, to see what you might want to get next. It's a great wide-angle lens for the money. You will definitely want to get an extra battery (you could even get cheap knock-offs on EBay, but not everybody is keen to do this), and a suitably-fast 2GB memory card. Get a name-brand card (Lexar, Sandisk, etc.) at the upper-end of the price-range as this is likely to give you a card that is very fast, which reduces the time spent waiting for photos to import to the computer at the end of the day, as well as maximizing the rate at which you can take photos.
Have fun!
To avoid blurry shots, you may need to use a combination of high ISO (perhaps ISO 800 or greater) and a "faster" lens shot wide open. A faster lens will have a larger maximum aperture, allowing the most light into the camera (e.g. f2.8 is great, f4.0 is good, f5.6+ may not be suitable). Depending on how far away you are, you might find that a 85/1.8, 100/2.8 or even a 50/1.8 could be adequate. I'm suggesting prime lenses as these will be cheaper than trying to find a fast zoom (e.g. 70-200/2.8).
I have been researching, but it is all so confusing!! I would like to know what kind of SLR camera would do the trick for taking those action shots inside the gym then be able to move outside to take the normal family outing pics.
A digital SLR (such as the entry-level Canon and Nikon models -- just about any recent model within the last 2 years will do you very well) will be a huge improvement in this respect. You can set the ISO (a measure of how sensitive the camera will be) higher and still get reasonable photos.
You will need to purchase a zoom lens, and this is one area where you may later want to upgrade to a better lens if your budget allows for it. 70-200 is a pretty typical range for such a zoom. For around $200, you'll have a lens that will let you capture many of these shots in the gym. Later on, the limitations of the lens may become more apparent and you might want to upgrade to a faster version (which will let you take non-blurry shots in darker environments).
Also, I normally use my camera during hikes, nature photos and such, and was wondering if there were any items I should get with a now limited budget. I have the Rebel XT with the 18-55 lens that came with it and a 2GB memory card, one battery for the camera, a charger, and a cheap tri-pod. I am also having increasing difficulty with dirt on the lens, and can’t seem to be able to get rid of it, I think it may be on one of the mirrors in the body or something, so was wondering how I could fix that, if there were cleaning kits or something. Thanks for your time, hopefully I don’t sound like too much of an idiot, was really hoping that I would be halfway through the class by now.
This question/response on this page has helped quite a bit!
thanks,
Josh
I've got a feeling I'm pretty much going to have to go DSLR do accomplish what I want. Or possibly a GOOD higher end P&S. The two cameras I have been looking at mostly are the Canon Digital Rebel XT (available out of the box with a 18-55mm lens) and the Canon Powershot A710 IS. I haven't had an opportunity to "Play" with the Rebel since they have all had dead batteries and retailers around here are horrible at setting displays. The main reason the Powershot is even there is that I'm still trying to decide whethe ror not I NEED an SLR (I want one, but that's different) for this or if I can go with a P&S with a good zoom and be able to get good shots. However, looking at the lag figures, it's not looking promising that I won't just spend money on it and be ticked off when I'm still having to anticipate the good shots to get what I want. Should I bite the bullet and get the Rebel? And if I do, will it be able to do what I'm wanting? Worse case scenerio I'm taking pictures of a moving gymnast about 50 yards away with no flash. Will the out of box setup (18-55mm) allow at least a decent shot in this case? Or will I immediately have to buy a second lens?
This is the type of event that photographers often buy a fast prime lens for, requiring a significant investment. A digicam's built-in lens will generally never suit this sort of application. In your case, if you are able to get close enough that 50mm is sufficient, then I would strongly recommend that you buy a Canon EF 50 f1.8. It is extremely cheap (~ $100), and it will give you excellent low light performance with very respectable sharpness.
The high-ISO modes of these newer dSLRs are actually quite useable, although you may still want to run them through some noise-reduction software afterwards.
Given your needs, I am sure that you will be much happier with the dSLR than the P&S. The kit lens 18-55 is almost always worth purchasing (or having bundled) if you don't plan on investing in many lenses, as it is a great value. But definitely buy/try the 50/1.8 as well. The only concern is whether 50mm will be long enough for where you'll sit in the audience. Over time you may decide to upgrade to a better lens, but it should be a decent start. Have fun!
I'd like to get into Photography seriously and have no problems with learning / practising to eventually be able to take great photographs. At the moment I'm on a budget and I was wondering if you could reccommend a quality SLR for someone like me. I'm fairly familiar with both non-digital and digital P&S cameras already, and while I'd love a camera with minimum shutter lag and great optical zoom etc. on a budget I'm well aware of the concept of compromise.
Thanks in advance!
Dave
If you are just venturing into the SLR world for the first time, then I'd suggest that you either buy a single super-zoom (with the intention that you are going to upgrade it later) or purchase a better quality wide angle zoom and later someday add a telephoto lens.
Some photographers who are new to SLR take a while to get used to changing lenses, and may be put off with the hassle. For these people, a super-zoom (e.g. 28-200 / 28-300) might be a better starting point, but the optical characteristics will become more apparent as you get more familiar with the equipment. At that time, you will want to sell the super-zoom (or keep it for a portable travel lens) and break up the wide focal length range across two or more lenses. Going this route, I would have to recommend you consider the well-rated wide-angle zoom lens from Canon: the Canon EF 28-135 f/3.5-5.6 IS. Of course, if you become more serious about it, you may eventually be looking into the 28-70 / 70-200 / 17-85 offerings.
As for shutter lag, all of these digital SLR cameras are going to have virtually no shutter lag when compared to the Point & Shoot digicams, and the differences will be fairly imperceptable unless you become serious about sports photography, etc.
lighting in some of the portraits there was no or very less flash on the background. the flash seems to illuminate the the person in the portrait and not the people/things behind. also that in some of his pictures the background were well illuminated. contary to these i felt that my camera seemed to illuminate every single inch in the hall.
secondly there was difference between the picture quality thats beacuse of the cameras obviously.
i wanted too understand the difference between lighting conditions i am sure that he didnt tilt the flash for the head bounce effect. i u dont mind i can send pictures taken by both cameras.
secondly would u recomend h5 or not. i dont like its competitors canonon powershot or the fz30/50. the basic concern was lighting and picture quality.pleas give me one simple yes or no that will my problem be solved with h5 or not.
also that i d like to understand whats slow sync(flash)
4.2 MP, 10x zoom (38–380mm equivalent)
I've noticed horrible lag when attempting to take pictures of surfers on the waves. Most likely a combination of the zoom, autofocus, shutter lag and the lack of contrast of the ocean. Not sure if there are settings I can mess with to improve this (tried sports mode, didn’t help much) or if I have to go SLR at this point. I am looking for something with a similar zoom and feature set, but just faster. It appears to get the equivalent in SLR would be the 350D (about $600) and possibly the EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM (around $600). Any other options out there? S3 IS?
The Sony camera I have is a good camera and very rugged, it was dipped in the ocean two years ago for a couple of seconds without any damage and it still is working fine. Just lucky I guess
As for the Share button, it becomes active when you have a memory card with photos on it. It will give you the option of either printing or emailing a photo. This mode allows you to select photos to be later printed or emailed. The camera can also be plugged directly into a PictBridge compatible printer for instant photo printing. While I don't tend to use these sort of functions (as they are somewhat limited in options and flexibility), they may make things a lot easier for you.
In my opinon, a good camera (be it an SLR or DSLR) is worth every penny just as a good lens with a low f-stop range is the same...worth every penny (if you are going to use it.) I do agree with your findings here and find your site to be quite helpful to photographers of all levels. You have to start somewhere and I was here years ago! Best of luck to all of you and thank you for the wonderful site. It always helps to go back to basics on occassion!
In the debate of SLR versus point and shoot, I will recommend my friends start with a P & S until they feel comfortable, since my photos are exceeding my expectations. Of course that means I will have to set my standards higher and start filling that piggy bank with SLR money ;)
As a beginner what lenses would you recommend? Maybe 2 to cover a good focal range?
Dallas Totra
If you haven't really made your mind up as to your favorite focal lengths, then I think you should consider the EF 75-300 f/4-5.6 III USM. It gives you a huge range, allowing for some wildlife photography at the long end and portraits at the short end. You sacrifice some quality in a lens like this, but it's better to start with the range and then determine later what focal lengths you really need, and get a higher-quality lens with less reach, based around the length you want.
Don't be too worried about small missing ranges in your lineup (eg. 55-75), as you can usually use for feet to make up for it! Enjoy!
That being said, the Panasonic looks like a reasonable option, however, I would strongly suggest that you consider its relatively high levels of noise, which could be a problem for many people. While it may not show up as much in prints, you could find it to be distracting on-screen with ISOs over 100.
These complexities are, I think, one of the things that stops people getting more involved with photography.
Anyway, thank you again for all the information.
thanks,
Darren
Thanks
As a novice to DSLR, this web site has been great to read. Thanks for your help!
Your D50 has a 1.5x focal length multiplier, meaning that your 18-200 is really equivalent to a 27-300mm. The Quantaray is equivalent to a 42-450mm. If you plan to get a general-purpose lens that you can use for most occasions, I would opt for the Tamron -- it has a much more useful focal length than the Quantaray. For most dSLRs, you lose out on the wide-angle range, and hence the minimum focal length is a very important consideration.
The short end of the Tamron (27mm equivalent) is adequate for wide-angle / indoor / group shots, while the Quantaray's wide-end is not very suitable. At the telephoto end, the Tamron's 300mm equivalent is sufficient for most needs, unless wildlife photos made up a significant portion of what you shoot. This comparison was based primarily on the focal length issue -- but you will also find that the Tamron choice is more likely to offer a better overall quality and compatibility with your dSLR.
Starting with a super-zoom like the 18-200 will be a great way to get going with your new dSLR. The huge range of the 18-200 comes at a cost in both quality and speed. Over time you will begin to recognize these limitations, and then you'll be in a better position to justify getting additional lenses. After you've spent considerable time with that lens, you will probably have a better idea of what focal length and shooting environments (ie. indoor, low light, macro, portrait, sports, etc.) you prefer. Those preferences will help dictate the next lens upgrade. Enjoy!!
Can you recommend a basic Digital SLR camera for someone on a small budget?
Thanks!
AND SOMETHING EASY I USE AUTO FEATURE MOST TIMES. LAST TWO CAMERA WERE CANON SO I WOULD LIKE TO STICK WITH CANON. I AM WILLING TO PAY UP TO TO $400.00. I WOULD THIS CAMERA FOR A LONG TIME.
THANKS
LINDA
The Canon Powershot Pro 1 sounds great in every way except I think I would prefer an optical viewfinder. Can you think of a camera similiar to the Pro 1, but with an optical viewfinder ?
Originally, I had thought that the Pro 1 might have had both an optical viewfinder as well as a swivel-out electronic viewfinder / LCD! But upon closer inspection I see that it doesn't have an optical viewfinder. There are very few Point & Shoot cameras that offer both options -- most of them have an optical viewfinder that is not through the lens and therefore you end up with some parallax problems (what you see through the viewfinder isn't quite what you'll get in the resulting image).
I want to purchase a reasonably good digital camera. By that, I mean, pay from $200-500. My main consideration is VERY little shutter lag. I'd also like one that has a good, optical zoom. I'm new to digital, so easy of use would be nice. I want nice pictures, not headaches.
Any suggestions?
Thanks, George
UPDATEI have now created a page that shows shutter lag of various cameras!
George -- There are many cameras with 3-4x optical zoom in that price range, but very few of them will have little shutter lag. The shutter lag amounts are rarely every advertised for Point & Shoot cameras. Thus, it's hard to make recommendations without having tested out numerous models. Make sure that you consider the Total Lag (which includes the autofocus delay), and not just Shutter Lag, in your comparisons. At the top end of your price range, there are a few models which show decent total lag characteristics (eg. Minolta DiMAGE Z3 and Fuji FinePix E550), and there are probably many others with similar performance. I would probably search for your ideal camera ignoring shutter lag for now, and instead base it on the rest of the feature set you need (eg. ISO / noise quality, frame rate, battery life, etc.) and ease of use. Then, out of that set, you will probably have to try your final picks hands-on (in a store) to evaluate their lag characteristics.
That being said, I plan on creating a shutter lag performance page here, which might help collect together the various experiments people have done to measure different models.