Wildlife Photography, “Super-Zoom or DSLR?”
by Steve Ferendo aka “SteveFinMD”
One of the most agonized over questions in photography is, “Which camera to buy?” Unfortunately, there is no standard answer that will be right for everyone. Among the options are whether to purchase a Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) or a Digital Super-Zoom camera. Here are some other things to consider when making your selection:
• How much can you afford to spend? In this economy, many people are on tight budgets, and every nickel counts. Super-zooms are much more economical than digital SLRs. Top of the line models can be had for $400 or less. DSLRs often cost more than twice that amount without a lens.
•How much effort are you willing to put into learning to use the camera of your choice? If you expect to just pick up the camera and get satisfactory photos, it really doesn’t matter which one you buy. You can set either on “auto” and let the camera do the thinking for you. Be aware that you will encounter many circumstances using this method where neither camera will give you the results that you desire.
•Is size and weight important to you? Super-zooms are much smaller and lighter than DSLRs.
•Do you want to take photos under difficult lighting conditions? Early mornings and late evenings are two examples of situations that can push any camera to the limit of their capabilities. DSLRs are usually better able to handle these situations due to larger light sensors and wider ISO ranges. DSLRs have much faster (light gathering ability) lenses available, but they are very expensive.
•Do you need fast shutter response times and high buffer writing speed (how quickly the camera can write the information to the memory card)? If you will be shooting sports or moving objects, the DSLR is the winner in this category.
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