dSLR culture :: PYKtures Point of View

As you walk today’s streets and look around you, a lot of people use dSLRs. A dSLR is short for digital Single Lens Reflex, a camera for interchangeable lenses. As some would see this as the result of a big plague, it is only natural that getting a dSLR guarantees better image quality and more moments captured at the right time. Lets understand the driving force behind the purchase of such machines.

The quest for decent image quality
A dSLR makes pictures of better image quality. Why? At least three times, bigger than those found in little compacts, a dSLR sensor produces a lot less noise and captures more detail in any light condition.

The quest for response
dSLRs of today boost an autofocus speed at least 2 to 3 times faster than compacts. This means the time to shoot is greatly reduced and the response time is near instant giving the benefits of getting the shot whenever the user wants to.

The quest for control
A dSLR offers a lot of manual controls to the user. Right of the bat, the lens bundled offers manual zoom to fine tune the framing of a shot. Add the ability to control, the shutter speed, the aperture, the focus (manual focus) and many other behiaviors of the camera and you get a lot of things to control. Usually, the more a dSLR is expensive the more options will be available to the user.

The quest for blurred backgrounds (bokeh) behind subjects
A dSLR lens offers a thinner depth of field (a zone of clarity) than compacts, giving the user the power to isolate nearly any subject in a shot and have the background behind it blurred in smooth round shapes called bokeh. Why? The glass elements of the lens are simply larger in diameter than the ones in the lens of a compact camera.

The price/performance ratio
Today’s lowest priced dSLR performs five times better than the best/most expensive compact camera there is. Last time I checked, you can get a dSLR kit for the low price of below 500$ (don’t expect much but consumers dig that price!) which is equal to the price of a high-end compact camera. It doesn’t take a genius to notice the difference in the price/performance ratio. Those machines are accessible and they will be more in the future!

After all those reasons, no wonder why so many people carry those cameras strapped around their neck.