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