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10 Reasons NOT to Buy a DSLR Camera

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Kurtis Kronk
Brian
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Nov. 14, 2006

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One of the most common questions I get as related to photography is "What camera should I buy?" It was this very question that I addressed in my last article, "10 Reasons to Buy a DSLR." If you haven't read it, basically it talks about the advantages of DSLR cameras versus point-n-shoots. Honestly, I never thought it would get such an overwhelming response, but I received a lot of really great feedback.

One of the comments I saw a lot was that I never really clarified what a DSLR is in my article. DSLR stands for Digital Single Lens Reflex. The important thing to know about a DSLR is that they have interchangeable lenses and you compose shots through the viewfinder which actually lets you view through the lens. If you want a more in-depth explanation, here's some recommended reading.

I thought it was odd, though, that numerous readers left comments or emailed me to argue that DSLRs are not for everyone. Considering I said that myself in the article, I thought it was obvious that I agree. "I don't want to paint a picture that DSLRs are the perfect solution for everybody. There are some aspects which some would view as a negative of DSLR cameras..." - and then I gave a few of those negative points, some of which I'll repeat in this article.

I don't want anyone to get the false notion that I recommend a DSLR to everybody and their mother. The majority of people are probably going to be better off with a point-n-shoot. With that in mind, I present: 10 Reasons NOT to Buy a DSLR Camera:

Bulky / Heavy: If you have ever seen a DSLR (or a film SLR for that matter), and they're pretty hard to miss, you know they are much larger than your average point-n-shoot. They're also much heavier. Some of the high-end prosumer digitals come close, since they're designed to be similar to a DSLR, but your average point-n-shoot is going to be much smaller and lighter.

Portability, meet Window: This is sort of an extension of my first point. With a DSLR, portability goes out the window. To illustrate, when I travel with my DSLR I take a giant Lowepro hiking backpack, which holds my camera with a lens attached, 3 additional lenses, lens hoods, a flash, filters, my tripod, remote shutter release! you get the point. My point-n-shoot isn't even an ultra-portable and it fits in my pants pocket or I can put it in a case that goes on my belt.

Hooray for Snapshots: For those who shoot in full automatic mode or just generally don't care about creative composition or image quality, a point-n-shoot is the obvious option. If you just want to take pictures of your friends at restaurants, or of your cat doing those things cat do, a point-n-shoot will be sufficient.

Viewfinder: While the viewfinder is what I'd consider a benefit of DSLRs over point-n-shoots, not everyone shares the same view. For some people it's just not comfortable to have your face up against the back of the camera, and it also will make it hard to take photos over your head or from the hip. With point-n-shoots you compose your shot on a live view LCD screen on the back of the camera, and models even have tilting and rotating LCD screens, which is very convenient.

Small Prints: One advantage of DSLRs which I didn't mention in my last article is that you can make better quality prints. However, if you're going to make nothing but small prints like 4x6 or 5x7, the larger sensor of a DSLR really isn't going to come into play. For printing small photos like this, a point-n-shoot will do the job without a problem.

Unwanted Attention: One of the things that sucks about DSLRs is that you will get more attention than you will with a point-n-shoot. Sometimes it might be an advantage, but usually it's just annoying.

Learning Curve: If you have never used a DSLR before, there is a steep learning curve. They have a lot of features (and buttons) which can be very confusing to a beginner. Point-n-shoots are definitely more user-friendly if you don't know what you're doing.

Expensive Hobby: One of the great things about DSLRs is the huge amount of accessories you can buy (lenses, flashes, filters, extension tubes, and so on). There will always be that "one more thing' you must have to go with your DSLR. With a point-n-shoot your options are pretty limited, so your investment isn't going to be much beyond the cost of the camera itself, if at all.

Stress: Perhaps this doesn't apply to everyone, but it certainly applies to me. With thousands of dollars invested in a camera body, lenses, flashes, etc. I sometimes stress myself out and get paranoid that somebody is going to damage, or worse, steal, my equipment. If something was to happen to my point-n-shoot on the other hand, big deal.

Price: Even though DSLRs are becoming more and more affordable, you can still get a low-end point-n-shoot camera for much less money. If you aren't going to take advantage of the benefits of a DSLR, you might as well save a lot of money and get a cheap point-n-shoot.

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For me, the above list represents 10 typical reasons NOT to buy a DSLR over a point-n-shoot digicam. Of course, not everybody will be happy with a point-n-shoot camera. I personally chose to buy a DSLR camera over a year ago, but there are those rare occasions where I find it more appropriate to use my old point-n-shoot. If you haven't already, don't forget to read the companion piece for the other point of view: 10 Reasons to Buy a DSLR.

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