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avoided on the DSLR. You just switch it on, manually focus, see your shot through the viewfinder, and take the picture. This brings up one more point dealing with convenience. If you do not like looking through a viewfinder (the eye hole), some Point and Shoot cameras will typically have an LCD screen for framing.

3. Maintenance
Point and Shoot is a definite step up in this category. The only things that you need to remember with a Point and Shoot on a regular basis is keeping the exterior lens clean and taking the lens cap off before shooting. A DSLR requires much more attention. It is important, especially if you change lenses a lot, to keep the exterior and interior of the lens clear. Dust has a habit of collecting on the lens and will show up in photographs as blotches. Plus, with a DSLR, you take the chance of dust getting on the image sensor. If this happens, the best way to get it cleaned is to take it in for maintenance.

4. Flexibility
A Point and Shoot camera does not offer the same level of flexibility as a DSLR camera, because you do not have the option to change the controls or helpful accessories on a Point and Shoot. A DSLR provides the ability to manually set all controls (aperture, exposure time, color temperature, etc.). These controls allow added flexibility for shooting in various conditions. The other aspect to consider here is the accessories available for the DSLR cameras - lenses, flashes, and filters to name a few. Lenses are available in a wide range of sizes to provide different viewpoints in the camera from panoramic shooting to extremely close up shots. These lenses are compatible across products of the same brand; for instance, a lens bought for the Nikon D40 will work on a Nikon D200. This makes it easier when you want to upgrade cameras, because you do not have to buy all the lenses again. Internal flashes are provided on just about any digital camera, but the DSLR has the potential to also have an external flash connected to it for greater range. Finally, filters enhance pictures and/or create special effects for your pictures.

5. Quality
We have all had pictures that did not come out the way we expected. Usually, there is a grainy quality to them which cannot be fixed in editing no matter how hard you try. For personal pictures, this does not really matter that much; yet, for the professional, this can become a major problem. Photography stock houses and many other venues will not accept pictures with too much noise, or graininess, in the picture. There are four factors that cause this to happen - film speed (ISO), aperture size (f-stop), lighting, and shutter speed (exposure). When using an automatic focus, the camera decides where the best settings should be, but all these factors can be adjusted manually when using a DSLR. That is what makes the DSLR so complex; it is made for manual use. DSLR cameras also have more options with depth of field such as blurring or a landscape being in total focus, plus manual focus can be more finely tuned than automatic focus. Lastly, DSLR cameras have the ability to shoot in multiple formats instead of just JPEG. Once you learn how to use these tools, you will be surprised at the quality you get!

There are a lot of features that distinguish Point and Shoot digital cameras from DSLR digital cameras, but these are the ones that I found most helpful in deciding on which camera to purchase.

Learn more about this author, Laurelle Stoughton.
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