Superzooms vs DSLRs

If you have several thousands of rupees to spend and are wondering whether to buy a DSLR or a superzoom camera, there are some things to bear in mind. For the ultimate in image quality, nothing can beat a DSLR, but there are a number of reasons to consider a superzoom instead. A superzoom's lens can't be changed, but you'd need to buy several lenses for a DSLR to match the zoom range of any of the models on test, and this could cost thousands of rupees or more.

A superzoom camera, then, is as much about convenience as it is value. Zooming from a panoramic 24mm right through to 800mm and beyond is a sight to behold, and takes mere seconds. Swapping lenses on a DSLR takes far longer, and opens up the possibility of dust and dirt getting into the fragile image sensor.

Some may also appreciate the greater depth of field that a superzoom and its smaller sensor inherently brings, especially for macro shots. This is one area where superzooms win out, as virtually all can focus down to l cm. You'd need an expensive macro tens to enable a DSLR to do the same. 

These huge zoom lenses do have their disadvantages, though. Barrel distortion is common at the wide end of the zoom, but a more important limitation is aperture. Although superzoom lenses tend to match budget DSLR lenses for their maximum aperture, it's possible to buy prime lenses with much larger apertures such as f/1.8 for less than 10,000 INR. This makes them far superior for low-light photography, as well as creative shots with out-of-focus backgrounds.

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A DSLR's greatest asset is its larger sensor. The diagram shows the huge difference between the APS-C sensor used by a typical entry-level DSLR, and the miniscule version that superzoom cameras have. This means less light is captured by each individual photocell, leading to longer shutter speeds that have to be counteracted (to avoid blurry photos) by high ISO speeds, causing noise to appear. The camera's processor deals with as much of this as it can, using noise reduction algorithms, but this inevitably smothers details, so photos look "smooth" or smeary. If manufacturers had resisted the urge to cram ever more pixels into a l/2.3in sensor, image quality would be far better. DSLRs aren't immune to noise, but their noise reduction systems don't have to work as hard.

Finally, DSLRs are also king when it comes to performance. Several of the cameras on test this month have closed the gap considerably, but most DSLRs turn on and allow you to shoot almost instantly, which means you're more likely to capture that special moment. Even Sony's expensive HX100V takes almost three seconds to achieve the same feat.