Alexander's

The other day a friend of mine wanted to buy a DSLR^[1] camera because “those are definitely the best cameras for the engaged amateur”. So I thought about comparing a small camera to an entry level DSLR with the kit lens. In this case a Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 to a Canon 550D^[2] with the 18-55mm kit lens.

I take the DMC-LX5 as an example, because of the super wide 24mm f2.0 zoom. To get a better idea of the focal range a typical engaged amateur uses I’ll take my Japan photos as a reference.^[3] Surely your usage will differ a bit, but frankly I don’t think it will matter that much.

I’ll only consider two things:

1. Exposure Value — this gives a general idea how bright the environment was.
2. Focal Length used — The graphic above shows my usage and is true for cameras with a crop factor of 1.6.

Exposure Value

Both cameras/lenses have image stabilization. But while the DMC-LX5 has a maximum aperture of f2.0 the Canon kit lens only has f3.5. On the other hand the 550D has less high-ISO noise.

In the end this equals itself out quite well. So both cameras can probably shoot ok photos down to what Wikipedia calls Floodlit buildings, monuments, fountains and Christmas tree lights light levels.^[4]

Focal Length

Panasonic 24-90mm vs Canon 28.8-88mm (18-55mm with crop factor)
Looking at my photos the Lumilux would have enabled me to take about 87% of them (the green & turquoise range), while the Canon Kit-Lens would only enable me to shoot 77% of them (the turquoise range).

Everyone loves to brag about the tele range, but most people shoot a lot more wide angle photos than they realize. Also almost no one wants to carry an extra lens when sightseeing.

My Conclusion

A DSLR has many advantages over a small pocket camera, but for most photos I take a Lumilux would be almost as good. The lighter weight would mean I’d carry it around more and ultimately take more photos.

Don’t misunderstand me! I greatly enjoy my DSLR, but often times I wish I had a small and light weight camera instead of my big and heavy monster. Also when traveling, unless I know I’ll be sitting in a bus most of the time, I hardly ever carry two lenses with me.

If you know why you want a DSLR go and buy one, but your photos are not magically going to improve just because you have a heavier and more expensive camera.