Blogging Tips | DSLR vs. Point & Shoot Cameras

The big debate in the blogging world. DSLR vs Point & Shoot. Photography has been a recent passion of mine as I have become more and more engrossed in the world of blogging, and the great question of the difference between the two has always intrigued me.

For my DSLR, I have the Nikon 60D, and I use the lens it came with which is their 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 lens. My point & shoot camera is a Canon Power Shot S110, a popular vlogging camera for Youtubers. The zoom lens on this one is a 5.2-26.0 mm lens. Please keep in mind that this is my experience with these two cameras and these two cameras only. All cameras perform differently!

original, unedited photos

Background Blurring | Although the leaves in the P&S shot appear clearer, the real focus of the picture is the nail polish itself, as that is what I am trying to feature. I personally prefer a blurred background as that draws the eye to the product, and the background was completely blurred in the DSLR shot. My P&S can do a great job blurring a background, but it tends to only do this when I am getting a close-up shot (and by close-up I mean even closer than this). The P&S does have auto-focus as well as a manual focus by simply clicking on the touch screen (something my DSLR does not have), but in general, my DSLR does a better job at naturally blurring the background.

Photo Quality | The quality of the P&S photos are by all means great, but the DSLR shots are simply better when viewed close up. Everything from shadows to depth perception is handled seamlessly by my DSLR.

Zoom Capabilities | My P&S wins hands down. To be fair, the lens on my DSLR is not a macro lens (a zoom lens), but it still sucks when I am trying to get an up-close product shot. On average, I have to be at least two inches away from the product for the picture to be taken. Whenever I need detail in a picture, such as the tiny pores in a beauty blender or an eyeshadow swatch, I turn to my P&S. I am constantly amazed by how incredible the zoom capabilities are.

Brightness | My P&S produces much brighter photos, and it does a wonderful job at picking up light in the darkest of places. My family was eating dinner at restaurant one night, and the lighting was quite dim. We asked a waiter to take a picture of us, but he assumed he would need flash to take the picture (no way sir), so I asked him to try it without the flash. When he saw the photo afterwards, both he and my family were amazed by how bright it was. If I am ever taking pictures outside at night, I will always turn to my P&S. However, during the day, my P&S sometimes lets in too much light if that's even possible. As seen in the P&S photo above, the light washed out the color of the nail polish.

Photo Accuracy | I am not sure why, but my P&S has tendencies to "distort" my photos. Products appear in odd angles that I never deemed possible. It's very hard to explain what I mean by this, but all I know is that my DSLR gives me exactly what I seeing through my lens whereas my P&S takes on its own interpretation to a slight degree. Nothing drastic, just a bit odd.

Editing | Since my P&S takes a much brighter photo, it is a lot easier to achieve a white background when editing. My DSLR tends to leave a grey cast over my photos which is quite hard to edit at times. If you are a person who does not know how to edit at all, a P&S is the camera for you.

Conclusion | I prefer my DSLR over my P&S, but with that being said, a P&S can by all means make a great blogging camera. P&S cameras are quite multi-functional as they are most often video cameras as well, and the quality is superb for a reasonable price. My DSLR is my all around best friend, but my P&S is my faux macro lens as I like to call it. If you have the money to invest in a DSLR, do it, but if you don't, there is nothing to worry about as a P&S will leave you with excellent quality photos (I promise I won't tell your secret.)

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-Emily