Equipment Utterly Lost - DSLR vs Point and Shoot

I'm going to do my best to answer your questions as simply and straight forward as I can, based on my own experiences and trial and error.

That it does what you want it to -- which is an incredibly vague answer, I know, but keep reading.

Interchangeable lenses is the main feature that sets DSLR apart from a P&S, but it's not the only feature.

A DSLR will give you manual control over nearly aspect of a photo. How bright/dark it is, how blurry/sharp it is, how vivid/dull the colours are, how blurry the background is or isn't.

A P&S will set those for you.

A P&S will not give you control over anything except what it focuses on. You won't be able to change how bright/dark the photo is, how saturated/dull the colours are, or anything else. It would be good to learn composition (aka, how you "frame" your photo).

A DSLR will give you control of all of these. You will be able to see immediate differences when you change a setting.

I learned better when I floundered with my first DSLR; I didn't understand aperture, ISO, or exposure until I was actively changing them.

"Body only" means the literal body of the camera -- no lenses. If you see any listings that say "for parts", it means it doesn't work and would be parted out to fix a working camera of the same model. If you want to avoid buying a body and lens separately, steer clear of these listings.

Yes. I went to Best Buy and played with the cameras they had on display, picked the one I liked, then went to eBay and bought an older model for $170. If I bought it retail, the older model would've been $450+.

I also bought a $200 P&S for $10 on my local Craigslist. I don't use it as much as my phone or DSLR, but sometimes I just want to take the damn picture and be done with it.

Yes, there are many. I can't find the site I typically use, but there are many floating around on the internet. If one doesn't make sense to you, just try another.

Don't bother with most of this information right now. Revisit later when you feel more comfortable with whatever you end up purchasing (DSLR or P&S).

 

Please forgive me for the TL;DR here!

1. What exactly do I need to be looking for in an inexpensive camera? Again, this is the very beginning of a potential hobby for me, I'm not going to sink my life savings into something I will never learn to use. I get that you get what you pay for but that's not really what I'm looking for.

If you're gonna buy a point and shoot, and it doesn't really matter, they all have similar functions these days and all that really matters is that it takes photos. If you're going to get a dslr then you can get pretty much any entry level cheap DSLR and it'll do what you need it to, you don't need anything expensive.

2. What is the difference between DSLR and Point and Shoot? Is it really just interchangeable lenses? I hear the term depth brought in a lot but..I guess I don't even really understand what that means in this context. I see photo examples and I still don't get it.

I'm not an expert at all, but the main difference is that DSLRs give you a lot more options to toggle. With point and shoot, you're pretty limited with what you can do. DSLRs let you change settings and change lenses to take drastically different looking images, more on that later.

3. As inexperienced and completely floundering as I am in all this, would it make more sense for me to just try to understand the basics of anything with a Point and Shoot vs investing in something fancier?

It really doesn't matter one way or the other, the main thing with photography, imo, is good lighting. "learning" on a point and click will essentially just be taking images and seeing what works for you. learning on a DSLR means you can learn about the basic important components of photography (shutter speed, aperture, ISO), however, DSLRs have an auto mode where the camera will decide all this for you and the images still come out looking pretty darn good most of the time with auto mode so you don't really need to learn if you don't want to.

4. Why do I see listings that say "body only"? I'm not sure I understand what that means but given how cheap the prices are on them is it just for salvaging for parts? Or does it just mean that it has 0 lenses?

It means the camera doesn't come with a lens

5. Is there such thing as a passable camera under $300 anymore?

Yes, there are! You can easily buy a preowned DSLR for a decent price, it's sometimes cheaper to buy the body and lens separately but just keep an eye out. If you do buy a body seperately and need to get a lens, I'd recommend either buying the basic kit lens (18-55mm) it's a decent all rounder and takes good photos. If you want something a bit better, you can get a 35mm lens, those are used for portrait photography so they're perfect for taking portraits of your dolls.

6. Are there any external resources that are geared toward complete dummies like me who really just aren't taking to this at all and really need the basics explained to them as if we are 100% clueless?

When I first started learning about this stuff, I found these tutorials that really helped me out.
beginner basics (ignore what he says at the start about shooting RAW unless you plan on editing your images in lightroom or a similar program, if you're not gonna edit your images much just use JPG)

Aperture and F stops explained (really helpful because he shows you examples of what the different settings look like

How to set ISO


7. I see a lot of terms thrown around on this subforum and I don't have a clue what any of them mean. Like..shutter speed and field depth and what DSLR even stands for and how it's different from SLR which I see too, and what macro means in the context of all of this, or what these different lenses and numbers affiliated with them are and mean? I Google this to try to understand I'm still confused.

Shutter speed is how fast the camera takes a photo, the faster it takes the photo, the less light it lets in and the less likely your photos will be blurry. The slower the shutter speed the more light the camera lets in, but it also means that if your hands shake at all, the image will blur. If you're going to take images with a slow shutter speed you should use a tripod to avoid that. You don't really need to worry about that, you'll likely be using a fast shutter speed for your photos.

Depth of field is how far your camera can "see". A shallow depth of field means your camera will focus in on things that are closest to the camera and it'll blur out the background, this is a desirable effect in portrait photography. A wide depth of field means your camera will keep more things in focus. This depth of field stuff is controlled by your aperture on your camera. My camera has a dial for me to adjust aperture, the lower the aperture, the more shallow the depth of field, the stuff furthest away from the camera will be out of focus. Here's a great tutorial about depth of field, with image examples.

Macro photography is taking photos of small things extremely close up, like bug eyes and flowers and junk. You don't really need to worry about that because you won't be taking those kind of photos!

DSLR and SLR are the same thing, "A digital single-lens reflex camera (also called digital SLR or DSLR) is a digital camera that combines the optics and the mechanisms of a single-lens reflex camera with a digital imaging sensor, as opposed to photographic film."

I was in much the same boat as you when I started, there's a lot of information to take in and it's all so damn confusing and most of it does seem to be geared towards people with a basic understanding. But honestly, it's really not as complicated as it seems and once you start learning it'll come easy to you. Learning to use a DSLR is really just messing around with settings.

You can go with a point and click but if you want to take nice photos, I really do recommend looking for a secondhand DSLR. You can't usually change many settings in a point and click so you're quite limited in the types of images you can take, DSLRs allow you to take different looking images with these extra settings so it's really worthwhile imo. I also only take photos of dolls (and my pets occasionally) and I don't regret buying my DSLR at all, I love my camera.

 

Since everyone else has answered perfectly the only thing I can add is that unless you’ve never owned a cell phone, a point and shoot is a lot like that. At this point in time I wouldn’t spend money on a point and shoot because I just have my phone camera. But I understand it’s not a thing everyone has or can afford and a P&S will usually be cheaper versus a cell phone (though the Nexus 5X was $150 and shot gorgeous pics!)

For dolls, I hands down prefer a dSLR for all the points mentioned above by others. I control it all and there’s less post process work for me (I love to edit pictures afterwards. It’s my zen thing.) But see, with apps on your phone or free software on the computer you can help your point and shoot or cellphone pictures be... better. I did another speed video here to show it. Of course the focus of these edits were for social media like Instagram, but it can give you a gist that you can take what you’d think is a bad picture and then it at least into a decent, fun one.

One thing is true; a dSLR won’t magically make your pictures better. It’s a tool with a learning curve and even when you do learn there can be some post process (or touch ups) involved to get it exactly how you want.

 

OK, I'll take a run at this also.

1. What exactly do I need to be looking for in an inexpensive camera? Again, this is the very beginning of a potential hobby for me, I'm not going to sink my life savings into something I will never learn to use. I get that you get what you pay for but that's not really what I'm looking for.

Today, more images are made with an iPhone than with all other image capture devices combined. That has pretty much killed off the market for point and shoot cameras. If you decide to get one of them your best bet is probably eBay.
true that
2. What is the difference between DSLR and Point and Shoot? Is it really just interchangeable lenses? I hear the term depth brought in a lot but..I guess I don't even really understand what that means in this context. I see photo examples and I still don't get it.

DSLR has interchangeable lenses and more importantly a larger sensor which gives you a higher quality image and better low light performance. It is ***NOT*** true that Point and shoot cameras do not allow control of aperture and shutter. They also absolutely do allow exposure offseet. It is more difficult as these are frequently menu functions so more difficult to access than on a DSLR. Also, the least expensive ones do indeed lack these functions but to categorically say that P&S cameras don't do these things is wrong.

3. As inexperienced and completely floundering as I am in all this, would it make more sense for me to just try to understand the basics of anything with a Point and Shoot vs investing in something fancier?

You need to learn something about photography, maybe take a class at your local community college or a decent online class. I think you'd find it easier and less frustrating to learn with an entry DSLR than with a P&S.

4. Why do I see listings that say "body only"? I'm not sure I understand what that means but given how cheap the prices are on them is it just for salvaging for parts? Or does it just mean that it has 0 lenses?

It means without a lens.

5. Is there such thing as a passable camera under $300 anymore?

Not new! (See #1 above) I'd go to eBay where you can get quite passable cameras for $100 or less.

6. Are there any external resources that are geared toward complete dummies like me who really just aren't taking to this at all and really need the basics explained to them as if we are 100% clueless?

Find a beginning photography class. Before you can take good photos of anything you need to learn the basics.

7. I see a lot of terms thrown around on this subforum and I don't have a clue what any of them mean. Like..shutter speed and field depth and what DSLR even stands for and how it's different from SLR which I see too, and what macro means in the context of all of this, or what these different lenses and numbers affiliated with them are and mean? I Google this to try to understand I'm still confused.

Before you go out and buy gear think about what you intend to do wth the images. If you're going to make large prints for gallery walls you'll want different gear than if you'll only be posting web images

Good luck! Photography can be an endless satisfying endeavor.

 

Tonight I took one of my dolls out to play and she was so cute I took a picture with my phone and then I just brought out my dSLR because I wanted something of better quality to capture the moment. So, the pictures were shot in the same place, under the same light, and later edited with equal effort (to make each look best in their own way.)

Spoiler: Comparison Picture

The phone picture is on the left, the dSLR on the right.

(Please note that any deterioration of quality could be due to the app used on my phone to make this collage since I didn't edit this on my computer, but rather mobile apps!)
​

I know the OP is asking about P&S vs dSLR, but I know other people curious about the topic might run into this thread in their search and maybe this comparison photo will help them see the potential of each. Many people think phone cameras are on par with P&S (I constantly hear this actually) and while I don't personally agree that a phone replaces a P&S — that's another topic for another time.

The bottom line is your equipment is only half the battle. Good lighting is the key to everything. You can improve pictures afterwards with Photoshop and mobile apps, but if your base is good you can get more creative with your edits. I personally prefer 100% the results I get with my dSLR vs a phone or a P&S, but that's because I like to have control over everything and shoot in manual mode and RAW and am generally involved in photography/editing work beyond dolls.

For me the true fun begins when I edit a picture I take. Being able to change the colors, the mood, the ambiance even further by using Lightroom, Photoshop, and mobile apps... that's really where it's at for me when it comes to BJD photography. The results you get or how much you can do to a pic will depend on the quality you start with.

I think P&S is fine, it works, but I no longer like the "auto" results; I like the "me" results, with my settings and calibration and the different lenses and how they change the look or help my composition. But sometimes, when you're starting out, all of that can be overwhelming.

For me, I started with a dSLR. I had a P&S (which I owned before dolls) and took about 10 doll pictures before I said: "Nope, I want the results I see the people on Flickr getting," and I went out and got it. And that's what actually got me interested in photography in general and in photo editing... and photo manipulation, etc.

 

@dollsoflace Those photos are beautiful, you really can't tell that one is taken by a phone, they proof your point well. My biggest issue with phone cameras is the angle of view. Until very recently most phone cameras are wide angle only (24mm or so), and they distort the faces of dolls and humans in portrait shots. For phone photography of dolls, I feel that is best to get one of the newer phones with a second lens for portraits. What do you think?

@akaisha0 In my experience the camera is the least important part of the equation. As @dollsoflace demonstrated you can make do with a phone camera. The trick is in learning lighting, composition, and post-processing. In addition, there are now small cameras that give you the full control like dSLRs. Just as an example, the Sony RX100 series is excellent and it is tiny. For $300 you can get a used first generation RX100.

 

That was shot with an iPhone 8 Plus. I think the phone requires better lighting to do well, so this picture itself could have been majorly better if I had added a small mobile phone ring light that you can clip on to the phone or hold.

And yes. Post processing, in my opinion, is the thing that can greatly improve any picture. And these days you don’t need Photoshop or hours at the computer. Both pics were edited using 3 phone apps: Snapseed, VSCO, and Meitu. The only of these three that distorts quality after save is probably Meitu but both Snapseed and VSCO preserve quality well.

And as you said the problem is the angle with a cell phone. The lens in them requires you to play around a lot with posing, sometimes forcing me to skew the image which can lead to either a fix or more weirdness. Hah!

You recommended a great P&S. I used it for a trip (borrowed because I forgot my camera in my packing) and it was awesome.

What it boils down to is asking yourself what you need from your camera and finding the one that checks off those boxes.

 

I would argue that the wide angle lens in a cell phone "invites" you to be too close and at strange
angles rather than "requires". Perspective is only a function of camera position relative to subject
position. The wide angle lens invites you be too close and poorly positioned. If you back off a few
feet and align the phone to be parallel to the doll's body you'll do fine with a cell phone. You'll
need to crop it...

 

True, @TomB. It’s not a requirement (poor expression on my part) but most people feel it when they hold the phone and since they don’t usually edit pictures after (they don’t think about the cropping) so I often see the same “distortion” on Instagram especially. And, for me at least, I just wanna grab a quick shot if I ever use my phone, so I step back and zoom 1.5x usually, since I don’t get too much noise in good light.

 

There is a Nikon D5000 DSLR on eBay for $89 at
the moment with 2 lenses. The 28-300mm lens
is designed for Nikon's full frame sensors and is
itself worth more than is being asked for everything.
That's an older camera but a good one.

Nikon D5000 SLR Digital Camera 18-70mm & 28-300mm Lenses~Lowepro Bag & More | eBay

 

Sorry, that's an auction item and will likely go
a fair bit higher. If you could get it for $125 or
so it would be a heck of a deal.

 

Thank you OP for this thread. I'm still learning about cameras and photography and have similar feelings; it's very useful to have things explained in simpler terms here.