In spite of the price slashing of digital SLR cameras, they are still costlier than compact digital cameras. However, you can get fast performance and great picture results in digital SLR Cameras, which make them worth to pay its price. As soon as you press the button, it powers-up instantly taking no lagging time and allows you to take the shot. In case of compact digital cameras, you may find the power-up time delayed for few seconds.

As far as size and weight is concerned, the digital SLR cameras come in double than the size of compact digital cameras. Additionally you would need to carry lenses separately. Digital compact cameras come in pocket size, which can fit into your pocket and the lenses comes in the body itself.

Although video capturing is a common feature of both the cameras, the digital SLR cameras are still one step ahead. In the former case, you can watch the captured movies and still photos on the television while setting the DSLR camera on HD video mode.

In digital SLR camera, you have to zoom manually as the zoom lenses are detachable from the camera. However, you can zoom the lens in and out as fast or as slow you want just by twisting a ring and change the view. And, the compact digital camera comes with electronic zooming system. The lens can zoom in and out just by pressing a button. As far as zoom range is concerned, in DSLR, you need to buy either one zoom lens with 10 zoom power or buy two different zoom lens to cover wide angle and telephoto shots respectively. Whereas in compact digital camera you get two in one facility because of mega zoom lens. That is, you can take both type of shots with same lens with 10x or 12x zooming power.

Looking to the battery life of digital SLR camera, you will find its battery long lasting owing to the limited use of LCD screen which is used just to view the images. Once the battery is charged, you can take around two thousand shots. In case of compact digital camera, the battery life is very short as its one time battery charging can allow you to take about five hundred shots.

DSLR could be the best choice if:

• You are a professional photographer or even if you are not but you want to give your pictures a professional look.
• You want to get rid of the hassle of slowness of your current compact camera.
• You want the facility of changing the lens of the camera according to the views and shots.
• You often want to shoot the pictures at night or in dim light.