The Digital Photography Companion

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PROS AND CONS OF A DSLR

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add to your checklist of features to compare. (For more on how to create movies with

your digital camera, see Chapter 4.)

You may be wondering, are there any downsides to these pint-size gems? Well, there

certainly are a few. Compacts typically have difficulty controlling image noise at ISO 400

and above. Your new point-and-shoot may have a setting for ISO 1600, but you prob-

ably won’t be satisfied with the resultant pictures. Just because your car’s speedometer

says 120 mph doesn’t mean you should drive that fast.

DEFINITION ▼

Image noise is often referred to as “digital grain.” It’s a clumpy, sometimes off-col-

ored artifact that invades the otherwise smooth tones of your photographs. Favorite

quarters of digital noise include shadow areas and even blue skies.

You’ll also have a narrower range of focal lengths available. Most compact zoom

lenses provide moderate wide angle to moderate telephoto lengths. And the lens that’s

mounted on your camera is the lens you’re stuck with. is isn’t a concern in terms of

image quality, only in range. e glass on today’s compacts is exceptional and records

outstanding images. But if you like super-wide angles or plan to go on safari and photo-

graph wildlife, your compact probably won’t provide the optical range you need.

Once you factor in these considerations and decide that a compa ...