Digital Or 35mm Camera - Time For A Change?

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My family says I am stuck in the 70s. They have their reasons and there are many. One example is photography. I have used a 35mm single lens reflex camera since - well 1974. Yes, the same camera. This was a no frills, all manual, fantastic camera. I had the standard lens, 2 zooms, 2 wide angles, extenders, dozens of filters, flash, and macro adapters. The camera has served me well for more than 30 years. My family thought it was time for a change and that a digital camera would bring more enjoyment to my bird watching and nature walks. It was like saying goodbye to an old friend as I shoved the large camera bag to the back of our closet.

I finally have a digital camera. After holding out for several years for a digital camera with changeable lenses, I finally got the camera I wanted. Almost. Ok, this camera does not have the interchangeable lenses. I did some homework and studied the major differences in picture quality between cameras. Everything I read said "optical zoom" outperformed "digital zoom" for picture quality. But why? Simply put, optical zoom works throughout with the same number of pixels while digital zoom does not. Say you compare two 5 megapixel cameras - one with optical zoom and the other with digital. The optical zoom uses "optics" or lenses to magnify the image. This means the image retains 5 megapixels throughout the zoom range and therefore retains image quality. Not so with digital zoom. Again we start with a 5 megapixel image. Digital zoom enlarges a portion of the digital image. If your zoom ends with an image that is an enlargement of 25% of the original, this image will now have 25% or 1.25 megapixels. Quite a loss!

The camera I now have has a 15X optical zoom with a 2X digital zoom. There is also something called "smart zoom". This handy feature allows you to retain a higher number of pixels even when using the digital zoom, resulting in a clearer picture that will stay clear at larger print sizes. Other brands now offer this feature under different names, so do your homework. Comparing these numbers to my old camera and its several lenses, I have in 35mm equivalents @ 40 to 205 with the optical zoom and 80 to 410 with the digital zoom on. All of this comes in such a compact package. No large bag, no changing of lenses, built in light adjustment - no filters. Maybe I waited too long!

The proof is in the using though, isn't it? One of my hold backs to making the jump to digital is the lag time between the pushing of the button and the taking of the picture. I found that by turning off several options - focus size and face recognition are two - this lag drops considerably. In the most basic "automatic" setting, the lag time is cut to 7 milliseconds per the manual. Not bad, but enough to miss that action shot.

I took the camera on a road trip. After a few photo stops with a caravan of fellow British car owners, I became more impressed with my new toy. I like that pictures can be zoomed, cropped, and saved in the camera after a picture is taken. Night photos were awesome. The sensitivity - even in low light was something I could not have managed unless my 35 was on a tripod. This camera has image stabilization and apparently it works! Our next test was inside a cave. My son took most of the photos and again they were great. We used the flash and the low light settings and WOW was all we could say about the results. Sure, I could have gotten the same shots with my 35, but much slower and again the tripod would have been a must. The camera had passed every test to this point.

Nature photography was next. I like to photograph birds, deer, and whatever comes along during nature walks. Here, I found my first drawbacks. My old camera weighed several pounds with the long zoom lens and because of the lens length, the left elbow found a prop against my chest for steadying the camera. Not so with the digital. It is so light and small, I did have trouble holding it steady. I assume this is something I will grow accustomed to. The armadillo I surprised darted just as I snapped. I got him, but only partially - that lag cost me the shot. A grey heron was next. Some great shots until he started flying. I could have followed him with the 35, but with picture review on, this was a hopeless cause (being a male - I will read how to turn this auto review off later). Slightly frustrated, I tried unsuccessfully to catch up to a red tailed hawk. My fault - not the camera's. Remember, patience with nature gets the best shots.

Then came "the shot". Two monarch butterflies were flitting on some nearby flowers. I eased closer and started snapping. Still frustrated by the picture review, I was pleased nonetheless. Still butterflies are easy. What about flying butterflies? I was successful part of the time. The lag again did me in. But overall, the butterflies looked pretty good.

We began comparing these shots at home, zooming them in the camera. The missed armadillo shot was amazing. Sure, it was the head, shoulders, and one leg, but the clarity of his eyes and the vibrant colors were far better than I could have done with the old 35 under the same conditions. The butterfly pictures blew me away! I was shooting at 8.1 megapixel at full optical zoom. Using the 2x smart zoom, could that be what I think it is? WOW! Several of the butterfly pictures actually had the tongue of the butterfly, shown crystal clear, delving into the various petals! Amazing! Maybe with the 35, I would have gotten one. But not from the distance I was shooting and not this clearly. I am sold!

The bottom line is that with practice, reading the huge operators manual, and lots more shutter time this should become another great friend with which to share many outdoor adventures. Will this camera fill all my needs? Maybe. There are things I like and things I don't. I must become more familiar with the settings that reduce lag and focus time. Still, I see great adventures and amazing photos ahead. I think maybe I did wait too long, these digital cameras are great. Do your homework and compare before you buy. Most importantly, remember that optical zoom is always favored over digital.