Digicam v/s DSLR

A neighbor who plans to buy a camera soon asked me, "What is the difference between a digital camera and a DSLR? Why should I prefer one over the other?" As someone who uses a 12 MP DSLR, a 12 MP mobile phone camera and a 14 MP digicam, I wouldn't have any hesitation in recommending a DSLR. But  I wasn't really confident about the right way to answer the question, and decided to do some online research

Two very good pages I found in this regard were  this one and  this one (disclaimer: I don't vouch for their content). Based on their analysis and my own experience, I decided that the best way to present my case would be to write down the strengths and weaknesses of the DSLR, and see how the digicam stacks up

DSLR Strengths

1. Image Quality: Clearer, more "zoomable" pictures. The best digicams can match DSLRs in good light conditions but cannot beat them. In low light situations, DSLRs win 11 times out of 10

2. Lenses: Various lenses can be used, along with different accessories like filters, extension tubes, external flashes, etc. as per the situation. The same DSLR can be used to capture the pollen grains on a bee's leg and to click the crowd at junior's birthday party. Even the best digicams cannot offer that kind of adaptability

3. Accurate Viewfinder: What you see in the DSLR's optical viewfinder is what you get. Period. In digicams, the viewfinder is unreliable but what you see on the LCD screen is close enough to the clicked image

4. Manual Mode: More control over the exposure but now many digicams have started offering this

We shall ignore some other strengths that are not of much use to a newbie, such as greater ISO range 

DSLR Weaknesses

1. Price: The number one deterrent. The camera body is costly. Good lenses are even costlier. Most digicams are reasonably priced. My advanced digicam cost about a third of my entry-level DSLR

2. Size and Weight: Entry-level DSLRs are not quite unwieldy but they do weigh you down. Not suitable for morning walks and treks. Most digicams are lightweight and would fit into your jeans pocket

3. Noise: They make a "clunk" noise, which can be trouble. Try photographing a butterfly with a DSLR, especially one of the sensitive species. You can always turn off the "click" sound of your digicam

4. Complexity: The first few days, I could only use the Automatic mode of my DSLR. Experiments with Manual mode would mostly end in disaster. But then, this could happen even with a digicam
5. Dust on Sensor: The mirror that creates the viewfinder image opens and shuts for every click. So you are likely to get dust on the sensor quite often. Cleaning it yourself, though possible, is not easy

So, at the end of the day, the digicam is more affordable and easier to carry around. But if you are serious about photography and want to capture the best possible images in a given situation, go for a DSLR. That is what I shall advise my neighbor, the next time we meet

Startups and Funding

The startup I have been assisting finds itself in a bit of a tight corner financially. On one hand, we don't have enough money to expand our team because we only have a few small projects in the pipeline. On the other hand, we can't get bigger projects till we expand our team, in terms of both headcount and skill sets. Despite all our efforts, we haven't been able to attract any VCs or angel investors. So I asked myself - what is it than an investor looks for in a startup?

First and foremost is a business plan. A good business plan shows your would-be investors the company's potential and convinces them to invest their hard-earned cash in a startup. It tells them what you would provide your target audience that is different from the offerings already in the market, attracting customers  towards your firm and growing its market share. After all, why would an investor put money into a company that doesn't promise good returns

Next comes a good core team. An entrepreneur (or set of partners) may have a great idea, which has the potential to be the next Facebook or Twitter. But do they have the right mix of skills to develop the idea and start earning money? If they have a good set of people to start off with, they may be able to gradually build a strong and successful organization around it. The core team should cover all aspects of the business, from technical work to management

Last but not the least, the entrepreneur must be clear about his goal and must remain focused on it. It is easy to get swayed by trends and deviate from your business plan. For instance, jumping on to a bandwagon like Android apps just because everyone else is doing it (just an example, no offence intended to Google). Angel investors especially would be very attentive to this aspect, since they generally remain invested for longer than Banks or VC firms

Today India has many firms that provide both capital and business advice to startups, especially those in the IT and telecom sectors. Any one with a business plan that leverages the power of the Internet, but in a way that is different from the competition, has a good shot at getting funds. The impact of the recession on this sector has been relatively mild. For a budding Indian entrepreneur who follows the above rules, this is as good a time as any to attract funding