Sweet Little Camera vs Big Black DSLR: My Personal Opinion

The Early Years

Ever thought of which type of camera should you get? Are you willing to invest about RM1500 on an entry-level DSLR or the same amount of money on high-end compact camera? Few years ago I don't see any reason why I should spend that amount of money on a camera so I ended up buying a cheaper but still very good Canon PowerShot SX120. Long story short, about a year or two later I sold that camera and moved on to a bigger Canon EOS 550D.

The price difference? About RM 500 vs RM1900 (exactly $189 vs $623 with 18-55mm lens, since both were bought in the States).

Canon EOS 550D with the optional battery grip.

Canon SX120 is a very good compact camera during the day but Canon 550D is in a different league. The nature of my previous job as the photographer of UB Malaysia Student Association has forced me to switch to Canon 550D. That smaller camera was great but once I start going indoor and things get darker, the focus system struggled pretty badly. I can still get great shot but Canon SX120 was not meant for quick-moving subject under bad lighting. What does that mean? I am losing all the great moments that otherwise would've been captured with a DSLR.

Now three years has passed. I am still using my 550D but as a backup body to a more advanced Canon 70D. The 70D has a better all-round performance and more importantly it produces cleaner image at high ISO in low light. So since I already have two cameras that serve my every need, I never thought I would buy a compact camera again but last week...

Taken with Canon 70D

I received a gorgeous-looking Samsung Smart Camera EX2F compact camera from Korean Embassy in Malaysia! (I'm gonna write about that too pretty soon). It is an advanced compact camera with manual controls and slightly larger sensor compared to my old Canon SX120 (which means generally  better image quality). In addition to that, EX2F is a smart camera which means that it has WiFi functionality so you can directly upload your pictures online.

Now since I am so used to bringing my DSLR everywhere, having a smaller compact camera has left me asking myself which one should I put in my bag whenever I'm going places? (Well, assuming that I'm not shooting for professional purposes or else 70D would be a no-brainer)

Before I jump into the comparison, here's a sample picture taken with Samsung EX2F:

Canon 70D, taken with Samsung EX2F.

The Comparison

I'm writing this brief comparison of my general experience using both camera assuming that

1. You are deciding between a compact and a DSLR, 
2. you know that compact camera with smaller sensor will never win against DSLR with larger sensor in terms of overall image quality, and
3. you don't want to read all the jargon and just want to get a camera to simply take picture.

I will try to keep things simple and not get too technical in this comparison. I am not gonna mention anything about RAW format, external accessories, dynamic range or camera body construction.  Again, this is just a brief comparison for people who need a camera just to take picture, because I heard from a lady selling camera in Lowyat Plaza that a rich guy sold his Canon 7D just because it's heavy and he doesn't really know how to use it!

Weight and size

Canon 70D or even my 550D produces amazing pictures but they're definitely way more heavier than my EX2F. Canon 550D with a kit lens, lighter than 70D with a kit lens, still weighs around 700g vs about 300g of the EX2F. Samsung EX2F still produces good pictures but at about half the weight and size.You can view the comparison here.

Creative control

Basic compact camera won't give you the freedom to get creative. You are somewhat limited to auto mode and few scene presets. If you are trying to get a picture of light trail like this:

then you should at least get a compact camera with semi-manual control. The picture above was shot with my Canon 550D but any compact camera with manual control can get you the similar effect. How to know if a camera has semi-manual or full manual control? Check the dials below:

Controls on the 70D, taken with EX2F

Controls on the EX2F, taken with 70D

With most advanced compacts these days you will get creative controls (PASM mode or PATvM on Canon) instead of full auto mode, usually only found on DSLR few years ago. That means you have total control over the shutter speed and aperture. Just keep in mind that you will never get as much background blur with a compact camera compared to what you will get with a DSLR. If that is fine with you, definitely the lighter and smaller compact camera sounds better for you.

Pictures quality in low light

Generally, most cameras these days take good picture during the day but when it comes to night shot, that is when most compacts fall behind DSLR. This is due to the larger sensor of DSLR that gathers more light, producing cleaner picture with less noise in low light at high ISO. Remember the those days when you get super grainy pictures taken indoor under dim light or at night?

I don't have a set of pictures of the same scene taken with three different cameras under dim light because DPreview.com has done a great job on that.

This is a picture taken with my EX2F in very dim environment:

1/4 sec, f/1.4, ISO1600 Samsung EX2F untouched JPEG

Not bad for web sharing or small prints, unless you are going to use the picture for your business.
Here are two pictures taken with my 550D and 70D at high ISO.

1/125th sec, f/2.5, ISO1600 Canon 550D untouched JPEG

1/80th sec, f/2.8, ISO1600 Canon 70D untouched JPEG

 The pictures are displayed in the size you normally see online. Unless you start zooming 100%, in my opinion, all the pictures look pretty good in terms of noise. In case you don't need to sell your picture, an advanced compact camera is good enough for general purposes.

Focusing

This part can get really technical so I'll keep it very short. I switched to DSLR mainly for the speed of its focus system and image quality in low light. Compact camera does focus accurately but it is generally slower than a DSLR. If you wish to read about the technical stuffs, just click here. 

Conclusion

There are still way more to discuss but I don't think it is necessary if your reason for buying a camera is just to take pictures, not selling them. If you are willing to take your DSLR everywhere, need good image quality in all situations (with the help of extra accessories when needed), and get more background blur to emphasize your subject, then DSLR is for you. Just remember the extra lenses apart from the one you get with the camera body and flashgun that you might need to expand your creativity. If you are happy with generally good image quality of advanced compact camera that can easily be carried everywhere and not looking to shoot under difficult lighting condition, then you know what to get. After all, the best camera that you have is the one that you can always carry around.

Those are mainly my personal opinion. Honestly if I didn't become a MaSA photographer in 2011, I don't see the need to get a DSLR that soon. But I glad I did :)

Looking for some buying guide? Check out DPreview 2013 buying guide here and here from Techradar!