For as long as I can remember I have been using simple point-and-shoot digital cameras. They didn’t have the greatest picture quality or zoom capabilities and were generally slow when taking consecutive pictures/charging up the flash. I had heard about DSLR cameras for years and took care (translation: loading/unloading the memory card) of an older Nikon D100 on my high school’s yearbook staff, but I never really got to use one.
For the last three years I have been using a Sony DSC-W1 point-and-shoot camera and just about every picture I have ever taken and posted on PaulStamatiou.com was with that camera. While the pictures might have looked okay to you, what you didn’t know was that I ended up having to take a dozen shots just to get one right. It was a frustrating process, especially when trying to get macro shots. That’s all about to change.
Nikon’s PR team and the MWW Group selected me as part of their Blogger Outreach Program. Along with 50 other bloggers/photographers, I received a 6 month loaner Nikon D80 DSLR camera with the 18-135mm lens. The D80 is an entry-level (so they say, seems pretty high-end to me) 10.2 megapixel DSLR camera boasting some impressive features.
With a wide aperture you can get interesting pictures like this where only subject is focused.How is a DSLR different from a P&S?
With DSLR, or Digital-Single Lens Reflex, cameras what you see in the viewfinder is exactly what you get. There is only one lens path with DSLRs so you can’t use the LCD as a viewfinder as with most P&S cameras. However that is slowly changing with newer DSLRs that allow you to have a live LCD preview. DSLRs are also built around the ability to swap out lenses easily for expandability and multiple purposes. There are more things that differentiate DSLRs and P&S cameras but I honestly don’t really know much about them yet.
DSLRs allow for unparalleled control of the camera. You have the ability to manually adjust everything from aperture, shutter speed, focus and more. If you’re not into those advanced settings and just want a camera with great picture quality, most DSLRs like the D80 have several automatic point-and-shoot modes.
Most importantly for me though, DSLRs have the ability to consecutively shoot pictures quickly, especially in daylight. This makes them a breeze to use while driving by something or trying to capture a bunch of action shots.
Examples
This weekend I attended my sister’s graduation from Texas A&M for her Master’s degree. Here’s a shot showing how far away I was sitting..
and here is a shot showing off the zoom and picture quality a Nikon D80 paired with the 18-135mm lens can achieve:
The photo below was one of the first shots I ever took with the D80. I don’t think I could have ever achieved such a result with my old camera. Note: I adjusted the lighting levels in Photoshop from the original, but otherwise it’s exactly what the camera took.
The Point
The point of this post was to let you know a bit about these amazing cameras. DSLR cameras have significantly come down in price over the last few years and are becoming viable cameras for regular, non-techie people and not just photo buffs. The D80 setup I’ve talked about in this post currently retails for somewhere around $1,200 USD, which can still be considered steep. However, cameras like the Nikon D40 ($500-600 USD) and the Canon 350D (aka Rebel XT) offer excellent value.
Coming from my point-and-shoot camera background, the results from this D80 are nothing short of amazing. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to go back. Every hardware review I ever do from now on will be done with a DSLR camera. Have you had experience with DSLR cameras? Which DSLR camera do you have?
To clarify things again, I was not paid for this post and the camera is a loaner.
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Well I’ve always used point and shoot cameras, but I ended up getting a Canon Rebel XT (8mp) earlier this year, after a few times using it, I’m hooked to DSLR cameras :-)
One thing that bugs me about these beauties is that they aren’t _that_ easy to carry around. On the other hand, you have those really small point and shoot ones that can fit in a pocket.
I am with you on this Paul. I switched to a D80 earlier this year (documented the whole decision process on my blog) and have loved it ever since.
Yes – they are bulkier to carry around but that is part of the evolution that you go through from someone who take a picture to someone who creates photographs.
Good luck!
“the evolution that you go through from someone who take a picture to someone who creates photographs”
spot on.
Too complicated for my liking. :P I use a Cannon PowerShot SD400 Digital Elph and it gets the job done; there’s not much I photograph anymore anyway.
I’ve owned or had the chance to operate several DSLRs. I got my first one (a Fuji, forget the model) about 7 or 8 years ago and have always been impressed with the quality of the pictures that I’ve gotten from these cameras.
But I have one (rather big) problem with DSLRs: they’re bulky as hell. Don’t get me wrong – they’re excellent for something like a graduation, where you know you’re going to be taking a lot of pictures. But I started college with a > $1500 DSLR camera and I feel like I missed out on a lot of great photo ops because I was either afraid to drag an expensive camera downtown to the bars, or just didn’t feel like lugging the thing along with me wherever I was going.
So last year I decided to get a cheap Canon P&S, and I’ve been very happy. The pictures definitely aren’t as good, but at least I _have_ pictures. I guess my point is that unless you’re a real hardcore photography buff, before you drop more than a grand on a fancy DSLR you should at least consider downgrading to a slightly less fancy model and getting a cheap P&S to go along with it. DSLRs are great, but they don’t fit in your pocket.
“afraid to drag an expensive camera downtown to the bars”
I have the same feeling with this camera. I definitely won’t be taking it to parties but from now on its primary purpose will be for my site/reviews where it’s safe at home so that’s fine with me.
Forgot to mention – if you’re in the market for a digital camera you should check out http://steves-digicams.com/
I don’t know the guy or anything. In fact, I don’t know a lot about the website. But I do know that his reviews are very detailed and accurate and I’ve been using the site to research cameras for several years now. At the end of every camera review he posts a series of photos that he took with the camera. The pictures are usually taken of the same objects/places, making it really easy to compare photos from different cameras. Bear with the crappy site design / navigation, it’s worth it.
I have and love my D70S. It is so hard to go back to a point and shoot, but as some people mentioned, they’re not so stealthy.
I take it pretty much wherever I go.
Yeah, I’ve noticed Steve’s site always shows up when searching for cameras online.
I got my D80 back in February and love it. I just have this major fear of dropping it but other wise, it’s with me all the time.
I want a 400D :D saw one very nice at a local store with kit lenses additional battery, wide angle lenses 2 x 2 GB memory card and a bag for all the stuff , the price was like 999€ :S but it looked damn goooooood :D
Wow Paul, awesome shots. I bought myself a 350D 2 months ago and I am really loving it. I have to go get it cleaned…noobie mistake taking off the lens without flipping it upside down.
Anyways, I’m looking for a new lens as the 18-55mm is sort of getting old and isn’t the best lens. I want to keep it cheap and go up to around 135mm+. Any recommendations?
“I have to go get it cleaned…noobie mistake”
Haha, as do I. I accidentally touched the lens. Now there’s a nice fingerprint right in the middle of it.
As for recommendations for lenses, I have no clue – I’m relatively new to this whole DSLR thing. =)
So Paul, you’ve discovered the difference? I’d love a play with the D80. I have the 350D and anyone who tries DSLR’s will never go back. Having said that, I still keep my compact on me all the time for casual snaps and videos.
Michael Y – The 18-200mm from Nikon is a little on the steep side possibly for you, but it’ll give you worthwhile flexibility that is difficult to achieve from one lens. Just a thought.
@Armen – I just checked on Amazon and that lens runs ~$900 USD! But I see what you mean, having the flexibility of 18mm with the ability to zoom in like crazy.
Looking around though, I saw a 55-200mm for ~$160 and a 70-300mm for ~$130.
These posts are ruining the credibility of your blog I realise you are trying to pay your way through college and gain a foothold into the career of your dreams but they are relentless!
Your blog used to have interesting content.
Stop suckling on the teet of big business and do some posts that aren’t merely paid reviews of products.
Quaisi – I wasn’t paid for this post at all. I just chose to talk about how much I enjoy DSLR cameras. Whenever I am paid for a post I always include a disclosure notice. You should have picked up on that by now. ;-P
I mentioned in the post that the camera is not mine to keep, it’s just a loaner.
Great post Paul. I’ve been wanting a D80 for a while now, because my Nikon P&S has limited what I want to do with creating photographs. Hopefully, by the end of the year I’ll be getting my hands on one.
The stuff you review, Paul, is interesting. Sure, it’s paid, but I don’t think that takes away any “legitimacy” of the site.
DSLR… drool…
Let me tell you Paul, spend some time around the DSLR forums, and you’ll discover that $900 is nothing. You’ll also discover that you very much get what you pay for, and if you allow yourself to get into photography, you’ll pay through the nose for pin sharp shots.
Those are some pretty awesome shots Paul, and congrats to your sister :)
I am just going to get into the dSLR market. I recently bought a Nikon D40 from the good ol’ interweb and I’m waiting delivery (hopefully for tomorrow).
I can’t wait. I chose the D40 over the Rebel XT(i) mainly because of the price. I’m a 16 year old student, and I don’t have much cash to throw around. I’ve read some reviews, and it seems to be a good entry level system for someone like me.
DSLRs look amazing! I want to get one sometime since just the sheer quality of photos alone is awesome!
This is also how I feel about video cameras. I want to one day go up to the HD video camera to improve the quality on my site. I also know that once I goto HD I’ll never want to go back! :)
I bought my Canon 400D just this month. It is amazing camera and you can have a lot more fun then with p&s auto cameras. I am just learning to set up all the settings but that is the most interesting part of it. I bought it with 2 pair of glasses so it is even more fun to swich them back and forward.
Your photos are very good, specially the flower one!
I am not going back to my Sony p&s camera. Never :o)
Hate to say it Armen is right, you need to spend a lot on good glass.
The new body is nice and having an extra 7 auto focus points are all very well and good but if you still have some two bit lens on the front it won’t make any difference.
I’ve just upgraded my aging 300D to a 30D and now would not think twice about putting a lens on the front that out values the body. End of the day you will end up replacing that body in a couple of years anyway ;)
But remember to stick a filter on the front of that lens, nothing like marking the end element and kissing good bye to that lovely picture machine.
I love my DSLR!
For 2 years I would go out with my more artistic friend (she had a DSLR and I had my P&S). We’d take pictures of the exact same subject matter, yet her pictures would seem to jump off of the screen with ease. Mine were so-so. I spent a lot of time in Photoshop getting them to the same level as hers.
Now that I’ve got my Canon DSLR I could never go back. Granted, I keep a slim Canon PowerShot in my pockets when I head out with friends, but for the real photography I choose my DSLR each and every time.
Paul,
Armen’s right, a good lens is killer. Plus, with a DSLR the lens can easily outlive the camera. Invest in a couple of nice lenses and you’ll have them for a long time. I still use some of my dad’s > 15 y/o SLR lenses.
I was happy to have you join Team Nikon, but must admit to be jealous that you got your D80 for free. I’ve been posting a shot a day using my D50 for over a year and I don’t even get a Thank You note from Nikon.
Nice shots, buddy.
When you are in Atlanta make sure to check out our Flickr meetups. We’d love to have you play along. Team Nikon can always use another representative in this Canon town.
Cheers!
I don’t think the actual “SLR” in DSLR matters that much. P&S cameras aren’t off enough to notice, even when doing macro shots.
I use a FujiFilm S6000fd – a P&S with many of the features of the DSLR, like full manual control. There is a mechanical zoom and a fly-by-wire focus ring. It includes a RAW mode which has photoshop support. The generation before it, the S5600, I also had and loved – and I’m not alone because it’s one of the most popular non-DSLR cameras on Flickr: http://flickr.com/cameras/fujifilm/finepix_s5600/
Is it better than a DSLR? Well, no. Companies put the latest and greatest tech on the DSLR. What does it cost? For under $500 bucks I have the camera and over 5 GB in cards (perfect when hiking and shooting RAW all day long). Also, I do have kids so I don’t want a camera that needs “setup and prep” time by messing with settings and lenses – and the S6000fd has several P&S modes I can use to catch great shots of my girls.
dpreview is the site I like to go to for camera reviews: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/fujifilms6000fd/
The D80 is pretty decent and I do agree it’s not exactly entry-level. I’ve been playing with a Canon 350D and it’s a steal!
Looks like you are enjoying the camera. The advanced settings and options of DSLRs really allow for a lot of creative freedom. I’m still using the Canon 20D I purchased a few years ago and love it.
As far as lenses go, it depends on what focal range you are looking to cover. The most common second lens suggestion is a 50mm f1.8 prime. They are usually less then $100 and offer excellent image quality and low-light capability. Even though I have more expensive glass, I use it all the time.
And congrats to your sister. I’m an A&M grad myself.
I have been using the D80 for a while now, and it’s my first DSLR. So, I don’t have anything else to compare against, but so far the D80 has produced great results for me and a fun camera to work with.
As for lens, I am still saving up to get the Nikon 18-200mm f3.5-5.6G DX AF-S VR. I use the Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor a lot, very sharp lens.
You can check out some of the photos I have taken with the D80 on flickr, tag d80
Hi Paul
Just picked myself up a Pentax K100D yesterday. Woo Hoo!
I am still getting the hang of the settings and so forth, but already, I am impressed by the image quality. Here’s a I took in the first hour of using it.
Low light performance was the main reason for upgrading from my Canon S3 IS. It was either the K100 or the D40. Down here in Australia the Pentax is going for about 25% less than the D40. Looks to be the same over there ATM. The other attraction to the K100 was that it gets 400-500 shots from a set of NiMH AA batteries.
This thing is big though. But the wife has a little powershot A710IS that goes in her handbag, so we have the impromtu shots covered with that.
I had played with one a little bit that belonged to my school. I also find them pretty nice. Unfortunately, they are too expensive for my budget (partially because I haven’t budgeted for one).
I picked up a D50 in February, and I love it. I’ve never owned an SLR before, and I will never go back. I have a Canon SD600 with me at all times – it’s nice, compact and takes pretty darn good pics. It’s nice to have both options. When I know I’m going somewhere I want to shoot good photos, I take my D50, but I still have my P&S for those moments you need to capture when you don’t have your SLR.
It hasn’t taken me long to find my passion in photography either. I love to shoot nature (and of course, sports). I took some great shots of a lizard in our backyard the other day. It was a blast.
Cheers.
Hey stammy, you might want to do a separate post about the Nikon program you’re part of. it’s really cool and deserves it’s own rather than just being an afterthought in a review of a great camera
I got the Nikon D40 a few weeks ago and couldn’t be happier. What excites me most about it is that it takes such stellar shots while still maintaining one of the smallest form factors on the market for DSLRs (if not the smallest).
For those who may be deterred from getting a DSLR due to their larger size in comparison to point-and-shoots, the D40 is a perfect option. In addition, the price is most certainly right as you mentioned, Paul (those who want more lenses will probably want to go for the Rebel XT, though, as the D40 can only use lenses with built-in motors).
As a shameless plug, I suppose it’s worth mentioning that for those who are interested, I did a full review of the D40 here.
Very well put together post, you definitely get the essence of the feeling of that first DSLR. Since i got my 30D a year ago, it went from being a simple hobby to an all-out photo obsession. You will truly never be able to go back.
On the point about bringing the camera out with you, for the first 6 months i had mine, i was scared about taking it to bars, out at night etc, but recently i’ve gotten over those fears and been rewarded with some excellent results.
So now, i am not only obsessed with taking pictures, I’m also completely obsessed with gear, and i’m always wishing for that next lens, accessory etc. And for you canon users, like myself, once you get that first “L” lens, you are cursed for life! Once you go L you never go back.
-rg
http://www.cameraporn.net
You are dead right, a DSLR camera is streets ahead of most “point and click” jobs.
My Canon Digital IXUS 55 is really good and manges to cope with whatever I throw at it, the only item I truly miss is the focus ring, getting digital cameras out of auto focus and having full control is a real pain. More often than not, its quicker to photoshop it later!
Have to agree, DSLR are the best. Got myself a Nikon D40 a few months back and love it. Main reson for buying it is a hiking trip this summer, I will be snap happy.
After using a point and shoot CyberShot for years I have moved to DSLR and won’t be going back. Although I still keep my CyberShot with me for quick shots, or just to stick in my back pocket, for any good photo moments I always try and have my D40 ready to go.
Action shots are great too, even though mine is the really low end of DSLR I found it great.
Ah the joys of DSLRS :D time to start photoblogging :D
Cool. Loved your comparison zoom pictures. The quality is excellent and I have been eyeing the Nikon D-series for almost 1.5 years now.
BTW your sister was in one of my classes at A&M. Small world.
Nice! I need a new camera too, mine is over 4 years old. I’m wondering if I should buy a DSLR though, like you said, I wouldn’t carry it to any party. Right now I’m considering s850. a cheap point and shoot with aperture and shutter priority. Even more amazing, available at less then a $200! Pretty compact too! So no problem carrying it anywhere.
I’d loved to have the EXIF-data included in these pics of yours… too bad they got edited out.
Just to clarify, the digital in D-SLR has nothing to do with the fact that you must use the classical viewfinder to shoot with – it has everything to do with the SLR component. Single Lens Reflex refers to the fact that the user looks through the lens via a prism and mirror system, and when shooting the mirror is shifter out of the way and the shutter releases (and as a result, look mum, no shutter lag!)
Influenced by Josh Hallett and then Ken Rockwell, I decided to get a D40 to replace my aging circa-2000 Olympus C-2100UZ that I loved (f2.8, 10x zoom w/image stabilization.)
Well, after getting it I realized I had serious mixed feelings about the D40. Try as I might, I can’t get anywhere near as crisp a shot with the D40 in low light as I was can my Ultra Zoom. That forced me to really learn how to use all the different setting after which it really made me sad to learn that the problems was that nappy (sorry Imus) f3.5 kit lens. Though the shots in bright light are amazing, I was soon wishing that I had gotten a newer bridge camera for less than the cost of the D40.
But THEN I went out and shot with both the Nikon and the Olympus and realized I never wanted to touch that old Olympus again! It’s like the difference between driving a BMW and a Kia. So you are absolutely right, once you go DSLR you can’t go back. I just wish Nikon made an f2.8 lens that didn’t cost TWICE what the D40 costs because eventually I’m going to have to get one (though I’ll probably have to go Sigma or Tameron because of cost.)
@mike: welcome to the world of quality glass…
Your sister doesn’t know my friend Rosie Whiting that just graduated from A&M as well does she Paul?
With this post, your credibility as a geek blogger is definitely gone. You lost my feed subscription.
@fingerprinz – your loss. If you read the entire post and comments you would see that I was not paid for this post, I wasn’t even asked to write a post like this and that the camera is just a loaner. I wrote about this because of the sheer passion I now hold for high-end digital cameras and what they can do. I only spent 1 paragraph mentioning about the Nikon program so people wouldn’t ask me where I got the money for such an expensive camera.
I have been using the Canon Rebel XT since June 2006. It is one amazing entry-level SLR camera. Most of the images I have taken with the Canon Rebel XT I have posted on my photoblog, http://elbelbelb2000.blogtog.com (updated daily).
~Eugene
P.S. I am an alumnus of Georgia Tech. Go Jackets!
Hey D80 is a beauty. Have already took 10K photographs with this amazing camera. Is a bit bulky but it is worth the quality of photographs I get :)