DSLR or Top of range Compact?

[grahamtearne]

OK so its my birthday next week and my parents are getting a new camera, they were on about getting me a new DSLR because when we go on holidays Im always fiddling around with a mid-low range compact camera, complaining about the results etc. I have recently purchased various photography books and have enrolled to take a part time photography course, I enjoy it as a hobby and would like to take it to the next step.

At first I was talking down the idea of a DSLR because of portabilty. Many of my shots are while I am just randomly out and about and a large selection of them come from vacations, I like the idea of just taking a compact camera out of my pocket getting some shots andputting it away. However if I am going to take it seriously I dont want a compact that not be able to cut it for me.

I am currently leaning towards a top of the range compact, that has good image quality good quality low light shots (Finepix F30 zoom?), this way I can get some nice shots while keeping it easier to carry around and take snaps as opposed to getting a DSLR that could be too much for me in the begining and maybe losing my love for photography.

My needs are good image quality and good low lighting ability. I use photoshop to touch up my images, will a RAW capable camera suit me better for after shoot editing?

Thanks alot for your time, any recomendations will be greatly apreciated.

 

[wmmk]

OK so its my birthday next week and my parents are getting a new camera, they were on about getting me a new DSLR because when we go on holidays Im always fiddling around with a mid-low range compact camera, complaining about the results etc. I have recently purchased various photography books and have enrolled to take a part time photography course, I enjoy it as a hobby and would like to take it to the next step.

At first I was talking down the idea of a DSLR because of portabilty. Many of my shots are while I am just randomly out and about and a large selection of them come from vacations, I like the idea of just taking a compact camera out of my pocket getting some shots andputting it away. However if I am going to take it seriously I dont want a compact that not be able to cut it for me.

I am currently leaning towards a top of the range compact, that has good image quality good quality low light shots (Finepix F30 zoom?), this way I can get some nice shots while keeping it easier to carry around and take snaps as opposed to getting a DSLR that could be too much for me in the begining and maybe losing my love for photography.

My needs are good image quality and good low lighting ability. I use photoshop to touch up my images, will a RAW capable camera suit me better for after shoot editing?

Thanks alot for your time, any recomendations will be greatly apreciated.

it sounds like a quality compact would suit you best, as you don't seem to care much about fully manual shutter, aperture, manual focus, macro, telephoto, and other things that make dslr photograhpy what it is. for point and shoot, fuji is by far going to give you the best value

 

[Abstract]

Get one of the Panasonic, Olympus cameras with the 6x to 12x zoom. They're like amateur-enthusiast cameras and will get you fantastic photos, maybe except at night-time where you need to crank up the ISO. They're not going to be the ultra-slim type of cameras that can even fit in your back pocket, but if you want great results....

The solution for using a P&S camera at night is a tripod, even a small one so that you can rest it somewhere and take a steady shot.

The other solution is a DSLR, which is better because your photos will look less noisy.

 

[grahamtearne]

thanks for the comments guys.

I understand that DLSR will yield better results but I am beggining to prefer a more compact option.

Im looking for a top quality compact that will last a while before getting into a dslr, something with enough manual controls to keep me interested while giving good results. I really like the look of the fuji f30 zoom (great night shooting ability for a compact). but i also like the look of something like the kodak v610 with 10x optical zoom and panaramic mode - i like taking wide angle shots. (but has a lack of manual options, basically its just auto mode and a few preset scenes)

any good model recomendations? I understand many of you may be using dslr's and may not be able to recomend any compacts, but any help is apreciated.

graham

 

[Abstract]

Check Olympus, Panasonic, Fuji Finepix zoom cameras if you're interested in a more capable point and shoot cameras. Panasonic sensors are known to be a bit noisy, so you may get more noise in night-time photos. Still good cameras though.

If you're looking at an ultra-thin because of the portability factor, you're not really going to get a lot of "camera." It'll have manual settings, but you'd fare better with a slightly larger camera when it comes to control.

That's a trade-off and your own decision.

 

[JeffTL]

You should probably be aware that some of the higher-end compacts approach SLR price points and that SLRs usually have significantly larger image sensors.

 

[Clix Pix]

If you've enrolled in a photography course, chances are that you will be required to have a camera with manual controls so that you can learn something beyond automatic point-and-shoot.

 

[serpent]

you don't say whether the photo class your taking specializes in digital or film knowlege, but if your looking for a great P&S I'd look at the LEICA D-LUX 3 and see if that is in your price range. It's sister the Panasonic DMC-LX2, is running a less tweaked ver of SW but it sells for about $75 less.

Serpent

 

[extraextra]

I hear really good things about the Sony DSC-R1 and the Sony DSC-H5. From pictures I've seen with the latter, it's comparable to a DSLR, without the trouble of buying different lenses, etc. It does automatic, it gives you the option to go completely manual, and it has a 12x zoom. It might be a little big for you, don't know though.