Porter's April 2008 Newsletter

Life is full of choices and the camera market is no different. Not only are there hundreds of compact (also called “point & shoot”) digital camera models from many manufacturers available, there are also quite a few single lens reflex (SLR) cameras to choose from. Whether you are considering the purchase of a new camera or you are asked for advice from someone who’s looking for one, here are some tips to help you with the selection.

An SLR camera system offers tremendous versatility with a wide range of accessory lenses, flash units and specialized accessories. In addition, pro SLR camera models have unlimited creative control and technical excellence.

So an SLR is best, right? Not necessarily. There are times when the size of an SLR with several lenses and a separate flash is too much of a burden to lug around. Sometimes you may want to travel light or shoot quickly with as little effort as possible, and simply take some fun snapshots. That’s when a point & shoot digital camera comes in handy, and most of the time, you can expect to be happy with the results.

If you are in a position to choose either a compact or SLR camera, here are some of the features each type of camera offers, starting with digital SLRs.

An SLR camera has the advantages of virtually no shutter lag, lens interchangeability and advanced creative control.

Digital SLR cameras offer:

•	Interchangeable zoom and fixed focal length lenses, from ultra-wide angle to super telephoto, which far exceed the zoom range of compact cameras.
•	Focus tracking, which tracks a moving subject and sets the focus right up until the moment of exposure.
•	Higher ISO capability, which is needed in some situations to freeze action.
•	Relatively minor digital noise (grain), even at high ISO settings. This is due to the sensor size being much larger in SLR cameras than in point & shoots, eliminating some of the signal amplification that causes “noise”.
•	Rapid frame advance when photographing action sequences. SLRs can shoot between as many as 3 and 6 frames per second depending on model. Point & shoot models vary widely, but typically can shoot only 1 or 2 frames per second. Some have high speed modes that shoot faster, but at reduced resolution.
•	No noticeable shutter lag, an important feature when shooting active subjects such as sports, candid portraits and animals.
•	All digital SLRs offer a full range of creative modes, such as metering options, manual, semi-auto and fully automatic exposure. Also greater control over white balance and flash techniques. Very basic point & shoots offer only a few creative modes, others offer a larger range of options.


Many point & shoot digital cameras are incredibly compact and are easy to carry in a pocket or purse	The Canon PowerShot S5 bridges the gap between a compact camera and an SLR. It offers a full range of manual controls to appeal to the creative photographer. While the lens is not interchangeable, its 12X zoom range has almost as much versatility as an SLR.

Now let’s take a look at some of the features of compact digital cameras.
Compact digital cameras offer:

•	Lightweight and compact size, many will fit into a pocket
•	Ease of operation, just turn on, set to camera mode, and shoot
•	Built-in zoom lens, 3X and 4X range is common, however cameras with large 12X to 18X zoom lenses are available
•	Built-in flash
•	Close-focusing capability with good depth of field. Many cameras will focus to less than one inch.
•	Different special effect modes (black and white, sepia, etc.)
•	Video capability, for shooting movie clips just a few seconds long or to the capacity of the memory card. Most cameras have sound capability and a choice of video screen size and number of frames per second.

If you are an avid photographer, having both a point & shoot model and an SLR system may be the best alternative. This way, you’ll have one for casual snap-shooting when you want to travel as light as possible, and one with advanced creative controls when you want to shoot your “serious” photos. Digital camera design and technology has come a long way in a few years, so you’ll have a wide selection of cameras with the right combination of quality and features to choose from.