Is a high end digital camera(prosumer) as good as a digital slr~in terms of image quality?
I used a high-end Nikon Coolpix 8700 for two years and the image quality was fantastic. It wasn’t so hot in low light conditions, however. Higher ISO settings resulted in considerable image noise and the AF would hunt for a while before locking on. I also found it difficult to time my shots. Due to the electronic viewfinder, the image was transmitted to the eyepiece (and screen) with a 1/10th second delay. In addition to this, it had roughly 1/10th second shutter lag. The combined effect was that I missed the moment on quite a few candids and action shots. The Coolpix 8700 is 3 years old and things have improved since. But these two drawbacks still hold. You know the advantages of dSLR cameras vs. prosumer models, so I don’t have to tell you this. I just want to remind you to consider more than the image quality: also consider all the shots you simply won’t get with a prosumer camera. For me, this tipped the scales in the other direction – I upgraded to a dSLR.
