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[Roger]

Well put, Justin.  Well put.

You kind of mentioned it there, but that is a problem with the P&S cameras: they stop producing good models and make a replacement which isn't as good, but perhaps it has a little more MP, or face recognition AF....with MP being the main factor.  But as long as the images look good on 4x6 paper, no one is going to notice on the consumer end. 

And don't forget JPG processing is a factor for every camera, except that the RAW P&S and dSLRs can override the JPGs.

I don't think you can get the H5 new anymore.  Just like my wife's old P&S.  Tis a shame.

[Tags:]

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[mSummers]

What I think people should consider is:  What do I need from a camera, what do I want from a camera, and how much am I willing to learn from and about a camera?  If the answer is an unadulterated enthusiasm for as much as you can get from it...then a DSLR is a no-brainer.  But if you want lighter and smaller, if you don't want to spend percentages of your annual income, if you don't have aspirations to go professional, if you prefer a more simple interface that doesn't require learning as much...or if you just enjoy snapping some great memories here and there of your trips and events...a good P&S model will probably perform far beyond your expectations and needs and save you tons of money and learning and weight.

My thoughts exactly.  The answer to the question of which is better ultimately comes down to where you plan to go with your photography. 

You kind of mentioned it there, but that is a problem with the P&S cameras: they stop producing good models and make a replacement which isn't as good, but perhaps it has a little more MP, or face recognition AF....with MP being the main factor.  But as long as the images look good on 4x6 paper, no one is going to notice on the consumer end. 

The manufacturers are just catering to consumer demands for more MP.  The average consumer goes out and looks at the camera and thinks if 3MP is good, then 10MP has to be better, so the ask for more and more and the manufacturers are glad to give it to them.  Like Roger said, there is a magic number of pixels the produces a good quality image with low noise for each sensor size.  I can definitely tell a difference at high ISO between my D70s (6MP) and my D2Xs (12MP).  The D70s wins hands down.  That's why I don't shoot above 200 ISO with my D2Xs anymore.  Of course, most of my photography can be done at ISO 200 or less, so I don't have to use the D70s much.

[zackiedawg]

Exactly...the MP race has been the downfall of the P&S market lately, and is starting to creep into the DSLR market too.  Obviously, there's still room to cram more MP onto an APS-C sensor before it really starts to degredate the details and quality...where noise reduction smoothing has to be applied, and where blooming becomes a problem from the tiny squeezed pixels.  Technology does improve...and improvements in processing, improvements in sensor design, improvements in sensitivity, all can help increase MP on a small chip while countering some of the negative effects.  A 12MP 1/1.8 sensor today will perform better and deliver better IQ than a 12MP sensor of the same size would have 4 years ago had they crammed that many pixels on a sensor.  They've encountered the problems and developed some fixes and workarounds that can counter the effect.  But the question remains whether the 12MP sensor of today is better than a 6MP sensor of yesterday...or even further, how much better yesterday's 6MP sensor would be with today's improved technology and processing engines.  I think the 6MP 1/1.8 sensors from a few years ago produced better output than any of the 10-12MP 1/1.8 sensors of today.  And I would have loved to have seen the next in line of the H-series cams for Sony leave the MP alone, and just improve the processing engines, features, speed, etc.

Unfortunately...the average uneducated consumer drives the market - and the question every photographer in the world has heard will continue to be the rage in marketing campaigns.  Come on, everyone's heard the question:  "Nice pics.  How many megapixels you got?".

[Roger]

24.



j/k.