Digital with override versus DSLR

[ArtyLady]

I am looking at getting a DSLR (and a novice at that) and am swaying to Nikon D60. My question is, someone I know has a Fujifilm 100FS which she says is just like a DSLR because it has shutter and aperature override? She then commented on why would I want to spend extra money on a DSLR when her camera does the same thing.

Can anyone tell me what the difference between her camera and a DSLR would be (in layman's terms pretty please).

Thanks,

Liz

[inkista]

It's a different machine. With a dSLR, you'd have a bigger sensor (which usually means better noise performance and higher resolution; i.e., you could use iso 800 and it wouldn't be all speckled with noise). You'd have the ability to switch lenses. This gives you the ability to use a much wider or longer lens, or one with a larger maximum aperture (upshot: you could take pictures indoors without a flash; and you could the background of the shot out of focus). You would also be able to use a viewfinder to compose instead of an LCD, which can greatly extend your battery life. And there's almost no shutter delay (you take the picture when you press the button).

The SLR system, however, will probably be a lot more expensive. Not just the camera, but lenses, a camera bag, and other equipment comes into the budget. You can use an external flash unit, a remote control, a cable release, and other lenses. Most folks spend at least as much (if not twice or three time as much) on the rest of the system as they do on the camera body.

Those are a few of the main differences.

[jdepould]

DSLRs are a whole new ball game. For one thing, most P&Ss or bridge cameras can't touch even a cheap DSLR in image quality and low light performance. The sensors on the smaller cameras are a lot smaller, and hit their limits before the larger DSLR sensors.

For one thing, aperture on a tiny little sensor is pretty irrelevant if you want to manipulate depth of field. You get lots of DoF and even more DoF. Shallow isn't really an option.

This is completely ignoring the fact that you can remove the lens and replace it with one designed to do specific things well. Sure, you don't get 28-400mm, but I don't particularly want that.

[innershell]

If you need more zoom, you go buy a lens. If you need more wide angle, you go buy a lens. No need to get a whole new camera. That's about it.

[ArtyLady]

Thanks for this - it all makes complete sense now. reards.