Why I need a DSLR

[castlebond007]

Hi. i'm new to this site and photography. i recently bought a 8mp canon s5-is. if you're not familiar with it its a mega-zoom point and shoot with full manual overides and a hot shoe. Its like a mini dslr. anyhoo, i cannot convince my wife that this is just a starter camera and that if i intend to pursure this as a career or even just sell or print anything, the quality will be sub-par. when she asks me 'whats the difference?' i cant give an intelligent answer. all i can find on the web is that a dslr has a larger image sensor. can someone PLEASE HELP!

[Chip]

This blog entry and comments might help with your efforts at persuasion.

Much easier shooting sports (especially indoors or at night) if you have a dSLR with good high ISO performance and a fast lens.

And remember: you don't just want a dSLR, you need one.

[RexK_Cozumel]

Wow lot of reasons...

Interchangable lenses
Larger sensor = better high ISO performance, more dynamic range, smaller dof
faster focusing speed
smaller lag time for shutter release

lots of other stuff as well. But those are some of the big ones.

[davidinva]

Like Rex said. Shutter lag was a big one for me. Plus, faster shutter for action pics. But you will have to explain and justify the extra lenses that you will want. There will also be more processing time required as DLSR photos need some tweaking.

David

Why do you need one?

Why do you NOT need one? Is the better question.

[LoveDSLR]

Maybe you like to get a DP2 believing it is a camera of similar sensor with a fixed lens. You probably like its compact size too. However, many DP2 and Micro 4/3 buyers are DSLR users looking for a smaller camera for walkabouts.

SLR/DSLR is better because it is a system camera. Back in the SLR days, you can change lenses, focusing screens, metering modules, film backs, battery packs, and motor drives. There were accessories such as reverse adapter, bellow, extension tubes, teleconverters, telescope adapter, microscope adapter, different sizes of flash and filters.

Unfortunately, integrating a sensor to the body reduces it to an accessory rather than the base of a system.

You can learn most of the basics from many types of non-DSLR but you will not have the benefit of a system.

Therefore, a DSLR is not about good enough to sell some photos. It is about buying into a system that can adapt to your present and future needs.

[candleman]

Originally Posted by LoveDSLR

Therefore, a DSLR is not about good enough to sell some photos. It is about buying into a system that can adapt to your present and future needs.

bingo.. versatility..

yours current multi-zoom thingy will certainly be able to take award winning images and be able to sell prints off of.
however.. as everyone else above has mentioned. the quality does improve drastically because of ISO & glass quality.. and as Rex said.. much thinner DOF.
it will focus much faster, instant "on"

larger sensor = more points that can pick-up light, which means better colour rendition too.

[CanonRebelz]

There are many many GOOD differences of upgrading from a point and shoot to a DSLR. First off, even the most expensive, nicest super zoom point and shoot is not as good as the cheapest most basic DSLR.
The main advantage of having an SLR is the versatility, you can change the lenses in and out and many other changeable features. You can control aperture, shutter speeds, etc etc etc. The sensors are better too.
There are lots of other stuff.

[OsmosisStudios]

That's kinda like comparing a car to a bicycle.

Theyre both luxury items, and both accomplish the same task (getting you from A to B), but they're still so totally different. A point-and-shoot or superzoom/bridge camera is a bicycle. Great for day-to-day use, but you wouldnt necessarilly want one in the long run for most things (certain exceptions, of course). The DSLR is a car: its bigger, but its amazingly more powerful that it might seem on the surface. The features list is just that much longer.

Of course, moving within the realm of DSLRs, the entry levels are like kei-cars: accomplish the job with few bells and whistles, allow for a common use. Very Kantian: greater good for the greatest possible number. High-end DSLRs, though, are like a nice luxury sedan, or a ferrari. Specialized, sumptuous, etc.

Of course, the car will invariably be more expensive than the bicycle, but if you can find someone that didn't have a bike growing up and that is now driving, I'll give you a prize. It's a stepping-stone, a way to get up to the car level.

[Free]

Originally Posted by OsmosisStudios

Of course, the car will invariably be more expensive than the bicycle, but if you can find someone that didn't have a bike growing up and that is now driving, I'll give you a prize. It's a stepping-stone, a way to get up to the car level.

What's the prize? My little brother never had a bike! He was too scared to get on one