With smartphone cameras becoming more and more advanced, you might wonder if you need anything more—who needs a telephoto lens when your smartphone packs a pretty hefty optical zoom itself, not to mention all those filters and easy-to-use editing apps?

High-quality photos may be unnecessary when it comes to taking that random selfie of yourself at a concert or a picture of your perfectly-prepared dinner martini to share on social media; but when it comes to a more professional, artistic looking image, smartphone cameras simply can’t offer what a digital camera can.

There are many reasons you might want to upgrade, but whatever the reason, it’s easy to get lost inside the terminology of digital cameras. With all the different makes, models, and technicalities, it can feel almost as complicated as buying a car!

We have distilled the factors down to a few of the most important things to consider when choosing a digital camera.

How You’ll Use Your Digital Camera

Perhaps the most important factor when selecting a digital camera are the ways you will be using it—will you be traveling through different countries and landscapes that you want to photograph? Are you using the camera as a marketing tool for your business or blog? Or, for the most part, will you be using your camera as a fun tool to better capture everyday life?

DSLR vs. Mirrorless Digital Cameras

While there are point-and-shoot cameras that offer a better quality than your smartphone, in general, when you want higher quality, you will end up choosing either a DSLR (digital single-lens reflex) or a mirrorless camera.

DSLR
DSLRs are considered the cameras of professionals—from fashion shoots to wildlife photographers, these digital cameras are the rock stars of the photography world. With a variety of lenses to choose from, and a superior capacity to handle low-light conditions, they work for just about any situation.

DSLRs work like their predecessor, the 35mm—they utilize a mirror and a prism to give you a preview of your photo through the viewfinder. That image is captured exactly as you see it when the shutter opens. DSLRs generally have superior autofocus speeds, and are considered easier to shoot with in terms of expected results—what you see through the lens is what you get.

However, with all the various lenses as well as the mirror mechanism, DSLRs tend to be bulkier than their counterparts.

Mirrorless Camera
With mirrorless camera models, the light passes directly through the lens and onto the image sensor. There is no reflection on the mirror, and the image you see through the viewfinder is more of a simulation than an exact optical picture of the final result.

This type of digital camera has an appealing lighter and more compact design; but in general, they perform less well in low-light situations. They also don’t quite measure up to the DSLR when it comes to photographing from a distance (such as sporting events or wildlife)—the long lenses that are available with DSLR simply aren’t as varied with mirrorless digital cameras.

However, because there is one less step in the mirrorless digital camera process, they tend to move more quickly than a DSLR when it comes to taking multiple photos—so if you need to have a flurry of photos taken in seconds, this is a factor to consider.

In general, mirrorless cameras are a strong choice, given their better portability. Depending on what you are shooting, a mirrorless camera could be the best choice for your situation—so don’t rule it out.

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