DSLR cameras have become a familiar gadget to most mommies now, including me. It is well known that DSLR is a must to produce a clear,full detailed and beautiful photos. Thus, it is a suitable gadget to capture exquisite memories, especially those of engagement,marriage,pregnancies, babies, kids, birthdays etcetra, for people who like to capture the moments themselves. But, how to know, you really need one?I’m no pro(yet hehe) in photography but I wanna share what I have read about this topic 
What is DSLR?
DSLR stands for Digital Single Lens Reflex Cameras.It evolves from the manual SLR (Single Lens Reflex ) camera. The difference is, DSLR camera uses memory card to store it photo files(soft copy), whilst SLR cameras uses film negative.Using film negatives means , you have to develop it by your own or send it to “kedai gambar” to develop it into photo prints. I’m not gonna elaborate much the details of the camera’s spec, because you can read it on internet or in the camera’s manual.
Usually only the professional photographers use DSLRs. It was mostly because, of the price and next,complicated features. Luckily due to DSLR manufacturers rivals to get more buyers, DLSRs can be bought with lower price today(but still pricey) and readable manual.
What is my point,actually?
My points is, how do you know when to buy a DSLR camera?
My history with cameras
I’m a camera junkie since I was….seven, I think. At that time, my father use an old Olympus E-series(I forgots the series actually) with steel casing. But as seven year old I was, I was more interested for posing in pictures. The camera has been for us since my mom was pregnant with my older sister, until I was about 15 years old. It was about 20 years the camera have been in service with us. When I went for boarding school in 1996, I am really in need for my own camera since the old one is broken. My father bought me a Konica compact camera which cost about RM70 at that time. It was quite costly for us since we are in mid-class income family .The camera been with me until 2005.Then, I fall in love with digital cameras. Still very pricey for me who just started working. I have used the digital camera before in uni since I am the self-acclaimed photographer of my clinical rotation group hehe.In 2007, I bought one at RM550, Olympus brand. Again, the camera gave the best performance but it too become broken and unrepairable after 2 years(maybe because of over usage hehe).In August 2008 me and my hubby bought our first DSLR camera , Nikon D60 after 1 year of consideration, and still in awe with it until now.
How do you know when to buy a DSLR camera
Yep, you should already own a compact digital camera which you can just Point and Shoot right? This type of camera will be addressed as P & S camera in further paragraphs. You can use it after just holding it a few seconds, without even to look at the manual! Then, why should you buy DSLR, a much more complicated, and yet a quite pricey camera(RM2K and above)?
DSLR camera have many features that P & S cameras don’t have. By using DSLR, you will gain more control on the camera over the lens, different and better shutter speed( speed of taking picture), automatic and manual mode focus and a bunch of other smaller features like white balance and ISO that you never realize it was important until you depend on the features every day, like I do! Having said this, many people own a camera that’s too powerful and too complicated for their needs. That’s why it’s a good idea to know about both cameras capabilities before you decide whether to spend more money to upgrade your camera to a DSLR (and lenses)or stick to your P & S camera.
What picture to take?
Before you buy new DSLR camera , ask your self. What pictures do you want to take?If that pictures you plan to take cannot be fulfilled by a standard digital P & S camera, then it means it is time for you to buy a DSLR. Like example, I like to take portrait pictures but my P & S and my handphone camera cannot focus too close and will make the subject blurry. I want to focus at the subject eyes only with other details in blur @ bokeh but with P & S camera, it focuses on entire face, not the eyes only and I cannot get the bokeh effect that I want. My P & S camera also cannot take continual action sequence shots for a longer period of time. With DSLR, I can get the action sequence shot in 3 to 10 frames per second.DSLR also allow me to gradually change my lens from kit lens, to macro,wide angle or telephoto lens, depending on the shot call.
Three common advantages of DSLRs compared to P & S cameras:
Bokeh!
Bokeh is derived from Japanese word which means fuzzy.It easily translated as blurred background or out-of-focus background. With DSLR, you can get this bokeh with the subject is still in focus. Which means you can get portrait picture with a very crisp and clear face in front of an out-of-focus background. The DSLR have the abilities to isolate the subject from the background, which the P & S camera can’t. To do this, DSLR have a wide variety of bigger apertures that allow them to do.And you can control them!
Some example of bokeh(see the background of the photos)
Lite bokeh
Little bokeh
More bokeh
Telephoto
DSLR allows you to get bigger zoom range. The lens in digital P & S cameras usually doesn’t allow you to do manual zoom bigger than 2x its magnification. The camera manufacturer know this and their market digital zoom in every P & S camera with 6x or greater. The problem in, digital zoom is not a real zoom, it is merely an enlargement of the picture and you can see the quality is not as good as in manual zoom. DSLR allow you to switch to telephoto lens until 300mm or greater zoom which allow you to zoom much further, you can event take shot of a bird flying in the sky!
If I get closer, this bird might fly away, so I use a 70 – 300mm telephoto lens to get this photo.Plus I can get bokeh too with this lens .
And this handsome shot is taken by my university colleague
Below:Example of manual(optical)-digital zoom comparison
Action sequence shots
When you use a DSLR, voila!You can get continuous photo fire rate! Many P & S cameras, if equipped, can get 2 photos/frames per second max.With DSLR, you can get up to 3 to 10 photos/frames per second.This means the actions will not be missed!This type of photos have to be taken in available light.To do this, just frame the shot, hold the shutter down longer than you take normal sequence. Afterwards, you can choose best pictures from all the action sequence pictures.
Action sequence-creative kids photography.Source: Steve Z Photography
DSLR are better than P & S cameras, but only for specific pictures. These three advantages above clarify the difference between the photos taken by DSLR and P & S camera.
Well, fret not because you might consider this, one of the biggest advantages of P & S cameras are they are small, compact, sleek,colourful and can even fit in your pocket! A DSLR is bulky and the colour is only black(duh!) and you may need more equipment like speedlite(the flash), tripods, and 2 or 3 more different lens which can fit into you luggage! When you use a DSLR, the equipment tends need to be fitted in 2 or 3 special bags.Plus, you also need to buy a special cleansing equipment. If you don’t like the idea of carrying a black and bulky camera gear to everywhere you are going, then , a DSLR is not suitable for you. If you don’t need greater zoom length, wider apertures to take pictures with bokeh feature or fast photo taking ability, you probably won’t need a DSLR. I’m not encouraging not to buy one, though, just want to make sure you are going to get the most out of of your going to be DSLR camera .Satisfaction guaranteed.
I rest my case 
Catlina
Adapted from and credits to: Digital Photography Secrets
Special thanks:Seniduniaku & Dobot
Catlinaflybaby | KedaiGambarKami | Catlina Photography
I really hope I will get to know how to use Mr Asben DSLR…
tried many times and give up nak setting-setting
.-= Rozy´s last blog post ..Nak PhOtObOoK FrEe?? MeH TgK SiNi =-.
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catlina Reply:
May 11th, 2010 at 2:29 PM
rozy, buat kaedah cuba jaya..mcm tu lah sy dgn husband mula2 guna DLSR ni
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Mmmm…bg saya plak, akan beli bila ada duit
**mata terkebil2 tengok org lain beli..sob sob..sroobbbb
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catlina Reply:
May 11th, 2010 at 10:12 PM
insya Allah nanti turn siti
..silap2 siti leh bukak kedai kamera(buat 2 in 1 dgn kedai spek hihi)
.-= catlina´s last blog post ..Tadaaa…. =-.
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Me berminat & teringin nak beli DSLR ni..tp part yg bulky tu rasa mcm tak larat la plak….emmmmm sbb me suka bwk my P&S ke mana2 in my handbag
=-.
.-= Suzi @ Mama Zharfan´s last blog post ..No Monday blues…coz me got double winning today
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catlina Reply:
May 12th, 2010 at 5:43 PM
suzi, dari semalam i try reply tapi tak kuor lak replynye tu huhuhu…ha ah yesss you are right!DSLR memang tak muat dlm handbag yang comey tomey hihi
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dah ada, sony A300 tapi basic je. hajat hati nak beli lens yang panjang2 tuh, so boleh zoom sampai nampak bijih timah yg dalam hidung tuh. hehehehe
.-= CikLilyPutih´s last blog post ..Im off to 1SuperKids-MBP Family Day =-.
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Little Mama™ Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 7:17 PM
cik lily, basic pun ok.. jgn la zoom sampai nampak bijih.. nampak lain takpe
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tq catlina for the tips
)
i liokeee DSLR so much coz suke captured momen especially my Qiestina progress since born till now,so priceless moments.
kalau minat bole beli..tak rugii.
.-= Mama Qiestina´s last blog post ..si cheeky keshayangan ramai. =-.
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catlina Reply:
May 11th, 2010 at 5:16 PM
betull janji jgn hangat2 chicken pop right?nanti rugi je kalau tak pakai..baik bagi sy hahahahaha
.-= catlina´s last blog post ..Tadaaa…. =-.
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wahh.. ada compact canon G11 pun tak pandai2 dan first time dengar “bokeh” , nak buat tak pandai lagi..suka gambar blur2 kat background
abg ngan kak ipar saya pun dua2 ada dslr camera tapi memang dari kecil depa suka dengan camera dan ambil gambar pun cantik..
aku jugak yang tak faham2 lagi.. hehehe
.-= nadnye´s last blog post ..Mama patch premium cloth pad =-.
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catlina Reply:
May 11th, 2010 at 9:36 PM
nadye, kita belajar along the way okeh? the camera have the tricks but the photographer must know the techniques
.-= catlina´s last blog post ..Tadaaa…. =-.
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masa mula2 hubby angkut D60 , i selalu komplen pic di agelap la, x guna beli kamera mahal kalau xreti guna, pastu I komplen sama je gambar dgn guna compact kamera la..macam2 lah i komplen.. selalu jd pengkritik tetap hubby kui3x.
skrg hubby dh agak terror la guna DSLR, so dia mau jual itu D60 dan hangkut D90 together with lens 50mm..i tetap nak jd model dan juga pengkritik tetap je, boleh gitu? eheh
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catlina Reply:
May 11th, 2010 at 5:07 PM
bercakap pasal komplen, sy pernah kena gelak sebab kelek d60 yang gabak besar ni ke hulu ke hilir..dan makcik sy pernah berkata”buat apelah kau beli kamera besar2 ni, kan ade yang kecik?”..which i answer with a smile je heheh..
btw kalau sy, sy akan simpan d60 tu..beli another camera lain version..means, keep the D60, beli je lagi satu D90..(komen menghasut neh hehehe..lariiiiikkkk!
.-= catlina´s last blog post ..Tadaaa…. =-.
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catlina,
i suke article ni i agree with you! before i beli DSLr PUN, I SURVEY all the stuff above. I am into DSLR when i realized many beautiful portrait or picturess that i intend to shoot cannot be produced by regular P&S. So now I have a D3000 for a start (sebb baru berjinak2) already mastered the basics of 3 rules, and finally just got a 18-200mm lense (one i used to shot the dolphine pictures). it’s amazing!
.-= siti fairus´s last blog post ..Freezing the Dolphin in Musandam, Oman =-.
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catlina Reply:
May 11th, 2010 at 2:36 PM
fairus,
ditto!!!that’s why I am so in love with DSLR!Btw, sy suke sgt dgn gmbr dolphin tu, wish I had opportunity like you! 
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My husband beli DSLR sebab terpengaruh dengan kawan2 dia..beli masa we all pergi Jepun so harga memang jauh beza dgn harga kat mesia. Tapi buku manual bahasa Jepun
(saya dah gelak golek2 kat dia. Nasib baik leh download English version kat internet). Tapi now dia tak guna pun ( 
itula cepat sgt terpegaruh ngan kawan). Huhuhu frust sbb dia trade in camera lama yang kecik comel tu masa nak beli DSLR. Saya baru nak mula godek2 . Catlina ada suggestion tak buku apa yang sesuai untuk “budak baru belajar” macam saya for model NikonD5000. Tgk kat amazon mcm2 pilihan.
.-= hayatizain´s last blog post ..Result Giveaway Mother’s Day =-.
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catlina Reply:
May 11th, 2010 at 5:15 PM
hayati, cuba baca sini:
http://noorizamsabran.com/
dan
http://www.digital-photo-secrets.com/tip/
the infos are simple and easy to understands..
.-= catlina´s last blog post ..Tadaaa…. =-.
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Catlina, this is a good post. Thanks for sharing with us here. I too suka guna dslr…coz it allows me to take better pictures of my girls. I am sStill learning about dslr but that’s ok…coz u learn as you go along..kan..
.-= Ica´s last blog post ..Infertility and Me…. =-.
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catlina Reply:
May 11th, 2010 at 5:09 PM
betui betui betui!semakin byk sy belajar, semakin byk yang saya tak tahu adeh deh..:) life itself is a learning process
ewwwaaahhh!
.-= catlina´s last blog post ..Tadaaa…. =-.
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what about those hybrid cameras which you can point & shoot and also have some degree of control over the settings manually?
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catlina Reply:
May 11th, 2010 at 5:00 PM
hui wearn, according to my reading,if judged by quality, images produced by DSLR is better than hybrid.Hybrid camera is also lack of interchangeable lens like DSLR.But hybrid is like a cross between DSLR and compact camera.got some settings you can controls and slightly lebih ringan and less bulky than DSLR.I’d say DSLR is for kipas susah mati(die hard fans)of photography …
but each camera have their own advantages and diadvantages
..it’s up to us to choose and spend money 
.-= catlina´s last blog post ..Tadaaa…. =-.
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owh..thanks for the info catlina, i baru taw yg blurr background tu bokeh namanya—kiut jer bokeh kan?
i pun rasa teringin nak beli tapi never want it so badly yet la…kena belajar dulu kalau nak beli betul2 ni
.-= sirna fadilah´s last blog post ..Sabar atau dayus? =-.
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catlina Reply:
May 11th, 2010 at 5:11 PM
hahaha dulu sy pun tak tau name blurred background tu bokeh..ade kawan yang bgtau dan juga surf wikipedia..:)
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cat: pakai dslr model per? Byk kali hubby ajar setting D80 dier. Ingt masa tu jek. Pastu lama tak practice lupa. Pastu hubby kena ajar balik.
yatie: abe mu nak jual bp rm D60 dier
.-= sue´s last blog post ..Ilham Milestone… =-.
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catlina Reply:
May 11th, 2010 at 9:25 PM
sue, sy guna D60
..itu lah the one and only DSLR buat masa ni..bercadang nak upgrade juga, tapi belum ade rezeki 
.-= catlina´s last blog post ..Tadaaa…. =-.
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my husband yg gile nk beli DSLR ni. skang ni dia cuma ade SLR yg dah berzaman tu. seriously br tau what it stands for. sbb selama ni i do LOVE takin pictures tp biase2 je p&S (term ni pun br tau!)
thanks for this post, doc cat. definitely nk save & forward to my husband
.-= syigim´s last blog post ..Untuk Mak Sedunia =-.
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catlina Reply:
May 11th, 2010 at 9:27 PM
kita sama2 belajar
..sy share ape yang sy tau dan pernah praktikkan 
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Thank You Cat..very informative indeed..Pakai DSLR memang kena guna kaedah cuba jaya..selalu practice and shoot jer banyak kali..Mane la tau in 100 pictures we captured ada satu yang betul2 bokeh kan…
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catlina Reply:
May 17th, 2010 at 6:34 AM
hi mira, ya betul
sy mula2 guna DSLR emmang pakai auto mode, then practice guna mode lain..itupun byk lagi nak dipelajari 
.-= catlina´s last blog post ..Pssttt..nak photobook FREE tak???? =-.
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Thank You Cat..very informative indeed..Pakai DSLR memang kena guna kaedah cuba jaya..selalu practice and shoot jer banyak kali..Mane la tau in 100 pictures we captured ada satu yang betul2 bokeh kan..
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Thank You Cat..very informative indeed..Pakai DSLR memang kena guna kaedah cuba jaya..selalu practice and shoot jer banyak kali..Mane la tau in 100 pictures we captured ada satu yang betul2 bokeh kan..Kalau ada DSLR tapi pakai auto mode tak guna jugak kan..nice knowing you Cat!
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catlina Reply:
January 4th, 2011 at 10:16 AM
ye betulll…sy setuju sgt2
catlina´s last [type] post ..Its official!New Year Giveaway by KedaiGambarKami starts today until 28th Jan 2011!
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Hai.. kali pertama rasanya menyampuk di MBP.
Bagi saya tak mengapa pakai auto mode, untuk permulaan. Lepas ambil gambar, review EXIF data. Kemudian boleh kurang atau tambah untuk kesan gambar yang berlainan… Mungkin ubah pada aperture, atau shutter speed.
Selepas auto mode, boleh beralih kepada mode P. Kemudian A, V/Tv, dan kemudian Manual.
Yang penting sekali sebenarnya angle, komposisi gambar. Jika kita compose gambar dengan cantik, hasil daripada kamera P&S pun lebih hebat drp DSLR.
.-= asniza´s last blog post ..Siti & Family =-.
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catlina Reply:
May 20th, 2010 at 10:57 AM
betul asniza, sy setuju.Sebab ada situasi tak memungkinkan kita nak setting mode ni..kadang2 ada situasi memerlukan kita ambil gambar dgn cepat, jadi auto mode dah memadai.cuma auto mode tak membolehkan adjust aperture & shutter speed.Sy bukan arif sgt sebab sy pun masih belajar2 lagi ni…
berkenaan P & S pula, betul juga tu tapi still, kualiti dia tak sama dgn DSLR
…
cuma,ada DSLR pun kalau angle tak menarik, gambar tak cantik juga..wallahualam..siapelah sy nak komen begini, tapi ini pendapat jujur sy
.-= catlina´s last blog post ..Menggendong bayi kini jadi trend! =-.
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catlina Reply:
May 20th, 2010 at 11:02 AM
oh ya..salam kenal ye asniza..:) lurve all your photos!
.-= catlina´s last blog post ..Menggendong bayi kini jadi trend! =-.
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thanks for the info catlina, i jadi taw, hasil daripada kamera P&S pun lebih hebat drp DSLR
kamera digital panasonic DMC FH20´s last [type] post ..kamera digital panasonic DMC FH20 updated Thu Feb 10 2011 10-08 am CST
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Assalamualaikum kawan-kawan…
arein pon teringin tuk mengomen bersama.. arein masih baru dalam dunia dslr, mohon tunjuk ajar dr semua… tp meminati photography sejak kecil lagi… dah lama berjinak2 dalam dunia fotografi, akhirnya dapat jugak memiliki buah hati dslr… canon eos 550D, tp msh kurang ilmu didada…
are’in´s last [type] post ..Kat Rusia keluar Matahari Berlainan
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