The basics of digital photography are pretty much the same whether you're using a digital compact or DSLR (also referred to simply as an SLR), but there are a few important differences.

Digital Compacts

One of the biggest benefits of digital compacts is the low cost. Also when you purchase a DSLR you will also need to purchase at least one lens, and if you want to take pictures from afar, you'll also need a good telephoto lens. Digital compacts always come with a built in lens and sometimes even come with a zoom.

If you do have an optical zoom on your digital compact then you'll also be able to take some good quality telephoto pictures. An optical zoom is always far better than a digital zoom because a digital zoom works like cropping – it takes away pixels. The more you zoom with a digital zoom the lower the image quality. On the other hand, an optical zoom maintains the quality of your photo.

Some compacts produce such high quality photographs that many a pro will grab the compact if they dont' want to carry all their DSLR gear. The quality of the photograph is largely dependent upon the photographer's skill.

Even though digital compacts don't have as many megapixels as DSLRs, they can still produce a good 8x10 print even if they just have 5 megapixels.

Finally, learning the digital photography basics of a compact is far easier then learning how to use a DSLR to its full advantage.

Digital Single Lens Reflexes (DSLRs)

A digital single lens reflex is the digital version of the SLR. You can call a DSLR a single lens reflex camera but you can't call an SLR a digital camera. With the release of cameras like the Canon Rebel and other moderately priced DSLRs, more photography enthusiasts are enjoying the benefits of using a DSLR.

One of the big benefits of a DSLR is its versatility and creativity.

For example, by adding a long telephoto lenses, you can capture a close up of an osprey at the top of a towering pine tree or a child at the soccer goal post when you're at the other end of the field. With a DSLR, you can find all kinds of accessories to suit almost any photographer's need.

Another advantage to the DSLR is its ability to take crisp, focused sports and other action shots in places with low light where flash isn't allowed. The larger sensor on a DSLR allows you to adjust the ISO and get a good picture, whereas with a compact it usually creates an image with a lot of grain called digital noise. If you are taking still photos, it's not a problem. The problem with Sports Mode in a low light setting is that the shutter must close quickly so there is just not enough light to hit the image sensor even with a large aperture setting. The only way this can be overcome is with a flash or a higher ISO setting.

However, you can get rid of most digital noise by using photo editing software like Adobe Photoshop.

Another advantage of using a DSLR is that you can use an external flash instead of always having to use natural light.

Another benefit of DSLRs is that they have more mega pixels than even the best digital compacts so you can take and print high quality big pictures. And lastly, digital cameras are slower to take pictures than film cameras but DSLRs are much faster than digital compacts.

Remember, digital photography basics start with choosing a camera, but the quality of the photographs largely depend on the skill of the photographer. Regardless of what type of camera you have or will be buying, you have to be willing to practice and enjoy taking lots of pictures with your camera.