SLR stands for Single Lens Reflex. When light enters the lens of an SLR camera it is reflected by a mirror up through the viewfinder of the camera allowing you to see exactly what you’re taking a picture of. This was a big difference back in the film days. Remember looking through a 35mm camera viewfinder and lining up your family in the photo, only to find the print cut off Aunt Erma’s forehead? That’s because the viewfinder was completely separate from the lens of the camera – which means the camera was seeing a different point-of-view that what you were seeing through the viewfinder. The point-and-shoot cameras nowadays usually have a live view function so we can see exactly what we’re taking a picture of – thanks digital world!
Digital SLR cameras generally provide flexibility when it comes to lenses, more control in low light situations and depth of field, and faster picture-taking. All of these attributes can result in a more professional looking photo if you know how to use the functions of your camera. (I feel another article coming soon!)
Another big advantage to a digital SLR camera is it has a bigger light sensor. A light sensor is a chip in your camera which basically converts the light coming in the camera into the digital picture. The bigger the chip, the more light it captures, which means better resolution and sharper pictures. Depending on what type of camera you have, the size of the light sensor will vary, even between different SLR cameras.
Here’s a comparison of the different size sensors that Canon uses in their camera line-up. You can see the huge difference between the ‘Typical CCD Sensor size’ which is your basic point-and-shoot, compared to the professional ‘35mm full-frame’ sensor.
If you want to read more in depth about the advantage of a full-frame sensor, Canon provides a great explaination in this document. If that’s too lengthy for you, I also found a shorter article that explains the technicalities and shows the effect between different size light sensors. It goes over:
- Why the term ‘35mm’ is still used for full-frame sensors
- The ‘lost light’ from smaller light sensors
- Photo samples comparing APS-C sensor and full-frame sensor
- How mega pixels relate to all this
Don’t feel like the camera you have is inadequate because it doesn’t have a full-frame sensor. There are advantages and disadvantages to all cameras. Cameras with full-frame sensors usually cost upwards of $3000, are meant for manual use, are heavy, and would not be efficient to lug to the park with your kids.
The truth is, you can buy the best equipment out there, but if you don’t know how to use it, it would be a waste.
No matter what kind of camera you have, it’s important to use it’s functionality to the fullest. Start by reading your camera manual (yes, reading the manual!) and figuring out all that your camera can actually do. You’ll be surprised what point-and-shoots can do these days. Once you know what you can do with your camera, then you can actually put it into practice and you’re on your way to taking better pictures.
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