Intro

Photography has always been a great way to see the world from a different perspective and it is one of the most anticipated professions and hobbies as well. With the rise of technology, photography has become more and more efficient day by day. We have tons of photography tools nowadays. But the very main tool to do photography is the camera itself. There are two basic types of cameras we have now, The DSLR, and the Point and Shoot. If you have a passion to do photography or want to know how these two works and what is the difference between them, In this article, I’ll talk about the differences and which one you should go for if you are thinking about getting one. 

What are they?

It’s important to know the very first difference between these two types of cameras available. that’s the definition of the DSLR and Point and shoot camera.

DSLR

The DSLR is the acronym for Digital Single-Lens Reflex Camera, which combines so many mechanisms and digital image sensors with the ever known film cameras. Using the DSLR Camera, a photographer can manipulate the camera’s image processing system and the capability to capture the desired scene. Because of the versatile customization capability, the DSLR effects the final output of the photograph.

Point and shoot

Point and shoot cameras are the most commonly used cameras by almost every camera-user in the world. The name actually stands for its job pretty fine because the job of this type of camera is to point at the desired scene, and hit the shutter button. And the rest is done by the camera itself with its built-in lens, flash mechanism, auto-focusing technology. With this type of camera, you don’t have that much control over the amount of light you want to let in. but it does the job pretty good if you aren’t a professional photographer.

How do they work?

DSLR

A DSLR’s working mechanism is pretty simple, inside the camera’s main body, there is a mirror which is incredibly sensitive to light. This mirror reflects the light coming through the lens you have attached to the camera. You can see the reflection when you keep your eye on the optical viewfinder in the back of the camera. 

Once you click the shutter button, the mirror flips out of the way and let the shutter slider open up to the light source. The light coming through the detachable lens goes directly to the imaging sensor of the camera and produces your photograph. Photographers can manipulate this shutter time, the amount of light they want to let in. So, they have very extensive customization of the amount of light. Which actually has the single most important in better photography. 

Point and shoot

A point and shoot camera also follow the basic mechanism of any other camera, like a DSLR. But in this case, the whole mechanism works with automated technology. While with a DSLR, you can control the amount of light coming through the lens, if you’re not a pro at the job, you may not be able to take the right amount of light to lit up the image sensor and get the correct image you want. 

But, with a Point and Shoot camera, you can easily get a good photo without any tension. Because you don’t have to manually fix or control the amount of light coming through the lens. The camera will understand the amount of light, autofocus to the subject and click the perfect photo for you by taking in the right amount of light and exposure.

The compactclicks guide can help you can help you get through the learning curve of clicking a great photo with your DSLR.

Key differences

Here, I’ll mention the key differences between the DSLR and Point and Shoot Cameras. You’ll have the idea about which one you should get once you get them right. 

Budget:

When you talk about the main difference between these two types of camera, the first thing would come out is the price range they come with. A DSLR can come in really really expensive like thousands of dollars. 

But, a point and shoot camera come in really an affordable price. No matter how much your point and shoot camera may cost, it is not going to be comparatively even close to a DSLR.

Size:

When you are going to use a DSLR Camera, it will come in heavy and not so compact. The bulky large body, tons of lenses, flash kit and all other extra accessories make a DSLR less portable without any special care. You’ll have to get a whole team and a set of gears to make it possible to move all your accessories of DSLR if you’re fully geared. 

But, when you are using a point and shoot camera, the maximum amount of space and size it may take is the size of the body of the DSLR. which makes the portability of the Point and shoot camera way easier.

Care and learning 

When you are trying to learn photography with a DSLR, it’s pretty hard to learn most of the time because of the custom settings and external accessories.

But, shooting with a point and shoot camera is pretty much nothing compared to DSLR. Just look at the suitable light source and click. 

Conclusion

Just clicking on the shutter button is usually enough to get a good picture with a point and shoot camera. But, when you talk about professional photography, it’s just not possible without the help of a DSLR.