Luminous Landscape: "Digicams vs. DSLRs - The New Battle Royal"

[Suhit Gupta]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/digicams-vs-dslrs.shtml' target='_blank'>http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/digicams-vs-dslrs.shtml</a><br /><br /></div><i>"No sooner does is one battle over than another begins. Just a few years ago it was between film and silicon. Now the latest punch-up is between DSLRs and digicams. What you say? Digicams? Get a life! No, actually, this competition is quite real. One couldn't have said so as little as 12 months ago, but the game has changed (as it does rather quickly these days), and so a fresh look at these two distinct camera categories is in order — with a summer 2004 perspective."</i><br /><br />Wow, has it been a few years already since the battle between film and digital. I think the winner there was decisive, hence this site. :-) It is interesting that he points out that the new battle is between DSLRs and digicams, I would never have picked those two to be competitors in the media market. But I like the way the article has been written and it has really got me thinking. I currently own a DSLR and would normally have picked that instantly over a digicam, however Luminous Landscape correctly points out some of the pros and cons of both DSLRs and digicams.<br /><br />It is this comparison that has suddenly caused me to think about who the winner would be. The digital video camera I have played with extensively is the Canon XL1 and I really found the incredible zoom capability an incredible plus which is lacking from my EOS 10D (unless of course I spend a bunch of money towards a nice lens). The other thing I like about digicams in general is the rotating LCD, unlike that of the DSLR which makes taking pictures at odd angles a bit difficult (holding camera over large crowds). Anyways, I think I will still stick by my trusty DSLR but I can totally see the battle brewing.

[SassKwatch]

Just ran across theis article the other day myself. Great discussion, but the part that really caught my attention was this portion from the "Choosing Ones Horse" section......

"I no longer shoot film, but I have now pretty much duplicated my multi-camera options to suit the shooting that I currently do. For landscape work I use a medium format camera with a 16 Megapixel digital back (Contax 645 and a Kodak DCS Pro Back)."

Now THERE'S the way to go digital.....if you can handle the $15k (US) price tag. :)

More and more, I'm feeling the 5mp digicam is a limiting factor in my work. But the only DSLR that really 'trips my trigger' thus far is the Canon 1DS, and I just can't justify the price tag on it either. Meaning, I'm thinking more and more my next upgrade may well be to one of the 8mp digicams....and possibly soon.

[Crocuta]

"I no longer shoot film, but I have now pretty much duplicated my multi-camera options to suit the shooting that I currently do. For landscape work I use a medium format camera with a 16 Megapixel digital back (Contax 645 and a Kodak DCS Pro Back)."

Now THERE'S the way to go digital.....if you can handle the $15k (US) price tag. :)

Yeah, that's always the thing isn't it? It's not that most of us don't realize that the best solution to these decisions is to buy a whole stable of cameras for every need. Of course, you'll first need to be independently wealthy and second need to be able to predict what type of camera you actually will need... not always as easy as it sounds at first.

[Jonathon Watkins]

Interesting article. I find myself reading Luminous-Landscape more and more these days. :)

Shooting speed? Forget most digicams. They are usually slow to focus and can't shoot very rapidly.

A Canon 1Ds is a superb instrument that can produce stunning image quality. But there's no way that I'd take one on a 3 day backpacking trip. I also wouldn't use it for unobtrusive street shooting or a European vacation with my family. As I said — horses for courses.

I went for the Canon Powershot Pro1 and I'm loving it. High quality images, great handling and it's pretty small. I'd very much agre with this final quote from Luminous-Landscape.

I believe that in just a few years we will see the digicam become an accepted photographic tool for all level of photographers. The poor EVFs, small image buffers, nasty zoom controls, awkward viewfinder switching and other limitations will disappear or at least be seriously improved, and their advantages of small size, lower weight, lower cost, live histogram, quiet operation and the like will win many converts.

[SassKwatch]

Interesting article. I find myself reading Luminous-Landscape more and more these days. :)
Definitely. I really like the way he challenges the 'consensus of opinion' occasionally.

I went for the Canon Powershot Pro1 and I'm loving it.
Good choice. If my next purchase turns out to be another in the 'digicam' class, I suspect it will be the Minolta Dimage A2....only bcause I prefer a mechanical zoom as opposed to a motorized version.

I'd very much agre with this final quote from Luminous-Landscape.

I believe that in just a few years we will see the digicam become an accepted photographic tool for all level of photographers. The poor EVFs, small image buffers, nasty zoom controls, awkward viewfinder switching and other limitations will disappear or at least be seriously improved, and their advantages of small size, lower weight, lower cost, live histogram, quiet operation and the like will win many converts.
He may well be right, but I think it's a little early to tell. The whole digital market is still rapidly evolving and until things 'settle' a bit, all the crystal balls are gonna be a little on the fuzzy side. Mine still tells me that in 5 yr (less?) the current level of 'prosumer' digicams will cost half as much as they do today, and something equivalent to the 1DS will sell for somewhere in the range of what a 10D sells for today. But maybe my CB is the fuzziest of all. :)

[Jonathon Watkins]

I went for the Canon Powershot Pro1 and I'm loving it.
Good choice. If my next purchase turns out to be another in the 'digicam' class, I suspect it will be the Minolta Dimage A2....only bcause I prefer a mechanical zoom as opposed to a motorized version.

I was strongly tempted by the A2, but I do a lot night photography and from all the reviews I read, the A2 really is below par there. I also prefer the handling and smaller size of the Pro1. Plus it has nice toys like the digital ND filer (I always wondered why more manufactures don;'t offer that) and automatic photo rotation.

[SassKwatch]

...I do a lot night photography...
You've obviously made the choice that suits your needs. I don't do much night photography, otherwise my choices would surely be different as well.

Since you're into night work, have you ever seen Neil Folberg's (http://www.neilfolberg.com/cn_details.html) 'Celestial Nights' series? Some great stuff there. Doesn't display all that well on the web, but if you get hold of a current copy of Lenswork (http://www.lenswork.com) magazine, part of the CN series is in this issue.

[Jonathon Watkins]

...I do a lot night photography...
You've obviously made the choice that suits your needs. I don't do much night photography, otherwise my choices would surely be different as well.

Agreed. It's funny how folks talk about the 'best' camera, as each is suited toward different needs etc. I look forward to all digicams continuing to improve as predicted. 8)

Btw, have a look at on of my night shots here:http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/assets/common/FileObject/jpg.gif San_Sabastian_5000x800.jpg (http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/media/users/90/San_Sabastian_5000x800.jpg) (Size: 657.9 KB)


Since you're into night work, have you ever seen Neil Folberg's (http://www.neilfolberg.com/cn_details.html) 'Celestial Nights' series? Some great stuff there. Doesn't display all that well on the web, but if you get hold of a current copy of Lenswork (http://www.lenswork.com) magazine, part of the CN series is in this issue.

No - I had not seen that before. Nice work!

[SassKwatch]

Btw, have a look at on of my night shots here:http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/assets/common/FileObject/jpg.gif San_Sabastian_5000x800.jpg (http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/media/users/90/San_Sabastian_5000x800.jpg) (Size: 657.9 KB)
VERY nicely done. That sort of pic would drive me bonkers trying to accomplish.

As a general side note (and not at all reflective of your fine effort): I have trouble coming to grips with the whole 'pano' craze. There's just something unsettling in a pic that my eyes can't take in all at once. And I've not yet decided if that 'unsettling' notion is a good or bad thing. It just is.....and the indecision surrounding it is unsettling as well. You might say I'm a bit confused about panos. :)

[Jonathon Watkins]

As a general side note (and not at all reflective of your fine effort): I have trouble coming to grips with the whole 'pano' craze. There's just something unsettling in a pic that my eyes can't take in all at once. And I've not yet decided if that 'unsettling' notion is a good or bad thing. It just is.....and the indecision surrounding it is unsettling as well. You might say I'm a bit confused about panos. :)

Many of the digicams offer a 'Panorama' mode, but I generally find them to be pretty useless. Manually taking the panorama with a 1/4 overlap seems to work best really. I doubt you would find a panorama mode on a DSLR, but then again, you wouldn't miss it. :wink:

The 'not being able to take it all in at once' is one of the things I really like about Panos. It also sounds like a good topic for a thread anther time. :wink:

[marlof]

As a digicam user (Sony DCS-F828) and a former SLR user, I think I'd currently have a hard time going "back" to the SLR format. The live preview and histogram, and the swivel body/monitor in my digicams have changed the way I'm taking pictures a lot. I feel myself liberated from not being limited to a viewfinder to take pictures. Again, this has to do with my personal preferences.

That said, I am fully aware of the limitations of the current range of 8 MP cameras, and sometimes I find myself looking at a camera like the D70 in awe. It's just when I calculate the cost of such a camera with the lenses I'd like that realize that I really can't justify owning both. And as I said, I would really miss the flexibility that my digicam gives me, so just the D70 is out of the question as well.

Although I believe I'd be extremely happy with an A2 or Pro1 as well, my choice for the 828 was easily made: manual zoom, great color reproduction, and it simply felt the best in my hands. And it made me master Photoshop CS even more, removing PF using Shay Stephens actions. ;)

[Jonathon Watkins]

And it made me master Photoshop CS even more, removing PF using Shay Stephens actions. ;)

What's that then Marlof?

[marlof]

I presume you know PF stands for Purple Fringing. It's the nice purple (and sometimes blue) halos those 8 MP cams (and especially the 828) are known for, in case there's blown out lights, a too big difference between dark and extremely bright objects etc. One of the users in the Sony Digital Forum at DPReview, Shay Stephens, has developed a simply amazing action for PS CS, that allows you to edit out the PF or CA in just a few steps. Digesting the steps the action performs made me understand the additional functionality of CS over Elements (my previous editing program) a little more. If you're interested, you can find these actions at his site (http://www.shaystephens.com/ca.asp) for the nice price of US $ 10.