Comments on: Do You Need A New Camera - Digital Photography Tip Of the Week http://pcin.net/update/2007/09/26/do-you-need-a-new-camera-digital-photography-tip-of-the-week/ New, tips, and more Sat, 22 Nov 2008 12:44:25 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Chris http://pcin.net/update/2007/09/26/do-you-need-a-new-camera-digital-photography-tip-of-the-week/#comment-686958 Chris Thu, 27 Sep 2007 16:11:57 +0000 http://www.pcin.net/update/index.php/2007/09/26/do-you-need-a-new-camera-digital-photography-tip-of-the-week/#comment-686958 The S3 has a 36-432mm equivalent lens which at the wide end is not as wide as a standard wide angle of 28mm. However the 12x zoom offers considerable reach with 432mm on the long end. To achieve close to that focal length with an SLR would require spending a minimum of $750 and go upwards to $8700 on a lens alone, depending of course your actual needs. To get into a low end SLR body and bottom of the scale lens would require an investment of about $2000, or 4x what is typically the asking price for the S3. The main advantage of the SLR would be image quality. The S3 uses a 1/2.5 inch sensor while a Canon dSLR uses an APS-C sized sensor. The very tiny sensor in the S3 introduces much more noise in the image because of the proximity of the pixels in relation to each than that on a dSLR given an equal pixel count. This also allows the dSLR to produce smoother, less noisy images at higher ISO's making those higher ISO usable. I have seen camera's where noise was so terrible that at even 400, the images were hardly usable. Also, an investment in high quality glass for a dSLR is an investment. You may upgrade your dSLR body several times without replacing your lenses. The dSLR will also more likely have faster shutter speeds, faster burst speeds, faster focusing and also the option of faster lenses which is very important for isolating your subjects against a soft or diffuse background. However, with all of that being said, if you are happy with your current equipment, you have not identified a specific need for new equipment, or have not been able to justify a cost vs. features advantage, than your S3 is definitely a better way to go. And of course, you won't have many pounds of equipment to carry around with you. The S3 has a 36-432mm equivalent lens which at the wide end is not as wide as a standard wide angle of 28mm. However the 12x zoom offers considerable reach with 432mm on the long end. To achieve close to that focal length with an SLR would require spending a minimum of $750 and go upwards to $8700 on a lens alone, depending of course your actual needs. To get into a low end SLR body and bottom of the scale lens would require an investment of about $2000, or 4x what is typically the asking price for the S3.

The main advantage of the SLR would be image quality. The S3 uses a 1/2.5 inch sensor while a Canon dSLR uses an APS-C sized sensor. The very tiny sensor in the S3 introduces much more noise in the image because of the proximity of the pixels in relation to each than that on a dSLR given an equal pixel count. This also allows the dSLR to produce smoother, less noisy images at higher ISO’s making those higher ISO usable. I have seen camera’s where noise was so terrible that at even 400, the images were hardly usable.

Also, an investment in high quality glass for a dSLR is an investment. You may upgrade your dSLR body several times without replacing your lenses. The dSLR will also more likely have faster shutter speeds, faster burst speeds, faster focusing and also the option of faster lenses which is very important for isolating your subjects against a soft or diffuse background.

However, with all of that being said, if you are happy with your current equipment, you have not identified a specific need for new equipment, or have not been able to justify a cost vs. features advantage, than your S3 is definitely a better way to go. And of course, you won’t have many pounds of equipment to carry around with you.

]]> By: Thomas W Horton http://pcin.net/update/2007/09/26/do-you-need-a-new-camera-digital-photography-tip-of-the-week/#comment-686828 Thomas W Horton Thu, 27 Sep 2007 12:53:53 +0000 http://www.pcin.net/update/index.php/2007/09/26/do-you-need-a-new-camera-digital-photography-tip-of-the-week/#comment-686828 Question: I have a canon S3 SI and enjoy the long focal length for shooting wildlife and the wide angle for specialized use. To do this with a digital SLR with say a 500mm lense would cost considerable $. What are the significant advantages of the digital SLR other than some lenses that the fixed lense with a variable focal length cannot cover? Question: I have a canon S3 SI and enjoy the long focal length for shooting wildlife and the wide angle for specialized use. To do this with a digital SLR with say a 500mm lense would cost considerable $. What are the significant advantages of the digital SLR other than some lenses that the fixed lense with a variable focal length cannot cover?

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