wyethross

sometimes some acquaintances or relatives ask me which type of camera is best.

the usually answer: it mainly depends on your shooting style (and the depth of your pocket).

if you are a casual shooter satisfied at taking snapshots of friends and family several times a year, nothing beats the practicality of a compact digital camera. the lightweight, flat, thinnner-than-an-inch size warrants its place in your everyday jeans or shirt pocket . one drawback is the limited optical zoom (usually 3x, and occasionally 4x or 5x in a few models). at this point, i urge you to ignore digital zoom - it will degrade an otherwise good shot. the second limiting point for you would probably be the lack of manual controls (but may come with numerous automatic functions); this is however logical since most casual shooters or beginners would not have acquaired the necessary knowledge and skill to manually control exposure. in my several years of shooting experience, the nikon coolpix S10 could be a good example of a compact camera; the sony cybershot T-series is another.

if you are a more adventurous or critical shooter, you would like the prosumer camera (sometimes referred to on the internet as a high-end, bridge, or superzoom camera) which offers more advanced features that affects your pictures (exposure override, manual shutter speed and aperture, bracketing, burst mode and programmable mode). depending on the particular model, there would be additional features or variations thereof. close-up shots (macro mode) are better and can be manually controlled to some point. flash output can be increased or dercreased depending on your distance from your subject. some models offer a hotshoe, so you could place your external flash units. of course, the price escalates with every additional feature incorporated with this type of camera. i have personally tried the sony cybershot H9, and am currently using the nikon coolpix P80. i use the aperture priority mode about 80% of the time in all these cameras. i would love to try the nikon P90 and the canon powershot S5 IS.

if you are a serious or exacting shooter (or the trendy with the means), the dslr camera is the way to go. multiple interchangeable lenses and flash units, and quality photo sensors give the best digital rendition of your photographic subjects. the biggest catch: cost. quality lenses usually cost twice that of the camera body. special lenses can even cost up to six times more than the body. add to that the essential and additional accesories you would need and you would understand why it is still the rich or the professional that commonly buys and upgrades to this type of camera.

in my case, i take a lot of close-up (macro) shots and i feel that my current nikon P80 camera takes them satisfactorily; but if i want to do a far better quality close-up shot with a dslr, i would also need to spend a lot to buy a dedicated (specialist) macro lens for it.

overall, most enthusiasts and authorities state the knowledge and skill of the shooter factors in the most; not even the most expensive camera complete with accessories would produce an exceptional photograph at the hands of an inexperienced shooter.