The great thing about digital cameras is the digital format – it is convenient, you don’t have to process film and prints, and you can view your photos immediately afterward. The big drawbacks are in the opinions of high-quality photographers are the megapixels, less options than film, amongst other drawbacks. But for the rest of us beginner and intermediate level photographers, how does this camera feel?
When you first pick up this camera, it is surprisingly light. This is a nice feature because other cameras of similar caliber are pretty weighty, and because the manual functions take a lot of finger work, a lightweight camera will allow for more ease of use.
Turning on the camera, one can find that the software loads up very fast. This is crucial because sometimes a potential picture can pass by quickly. Another nice feature in terms of speed is that you have the option of automatic focus. So if you want a break from manual, or if your photographic anticipation fails you, at least your camera is capable of taking your standard-quality digital photo.
Adjusting the F stops and shutter speed is nothing like your traditional camera. One has to twist the “menu” dial to “F stop” or “shutter speed” mode before adjusting the settings. On the traditional film cameras, there are separate dials for these features, and hence you can adjust more than one thing at a time, as well as cut out a step in the process.
Digital view is really nice when looking through the lens… Although on the digital camera, you have to press a separate button to preview what your normal “mirror image” would look like. Also, your settings are visible inside the eyepiece so that you can move things around with less of that “automatic hands-on experience”.
So what separates your standard digital camera with the digital SLR? You can do a lot more with your frames! You can adjust the depth perception – you can make the background/foreground blurry; you can adjust the shutter speed – for capturing the trails of motion; you can adjust the aperture – for deliberate washed out look, etc. These things are unavailable or they take much longer to set up on a regular digital camera.
Despite the great new horizons one can experience with a Digital SLR (specifically with this Canon), I would wait and hope for a new hybrid that is closer to the feel of the traditional film camera. It is nice to have digital copies and immediate viewing after shooting, but there is one last thing – for the price, it isn’t worth these amenities. I can compromise photo compositional quality for a while until something better comes around.
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