I do a lot of instore presentations, in which I explain what to look for when buying different types of technology – notebooks, televisions, speakers and, of course, digital cameras.

One of the most frequently asked questions I receive from shoppers is whether they should buy a digital SLR or a compact digital camera.

My answer is always the same – budget-wise, the digicam is the way go — there are plenty of good models down to $200 and less — but if you want to develop as a photographer, only a DLSR will do.

It’s true that premium level compacts now provide a great range of features and convenience. But there’s good value to be had in a DLSR with lens for just a few hundred dollars more.

These regularly retail for well under $1000 and if you want two lenses and maybe a higher resolution image sensor, it’s worth excising the cappuccino from your daily spend to save up the $1500–2000 you’ll need.

Talking of resolution, megapixels remain a real point of confusion for most shoppers, with many equating bigger numbers with better cameras.

I routinely tell people that the resolution figure they see splashed all over retail catalogues is best thought of as in indicator of how big a picture they’ll be able to print from their digital image.

Most people are surprised to learn that any camera with 6 megapixels on its image sensor will produce a 25 x 17cm print, which is bigger than they’ll probably ever need.

While we’re talking numbers, zoom is certainly better understood than megapixels. In this case, the bigger the number the better.

High optical zoom figures reflect the camera’s versatility for wide angle and telephoto framing – or for focusing subjects that are close to and faraway from the shooter.

Most compacts have a 3x fixed zoom, although some higher priced models have impressive maxi zooms of 15x and on up to 24x.

Most DSLRs are sold with an interchangeable kit lens, usually a 3x zoom that is lightweight, satisfies most people’s needs and, if they’re anything like me, excites them to buy more lenses.

For gadgeteers, the ability to expand your kit with gear that enhances creativity and produces superior pictures is the real attraction of DLSR photography. It’s another reason why, when image quality is the goal, I tell people that a DLSR is the way to go.

Underscoring this, most DSLRs have larger image sensors (CCD or CMOS) than compacts, so you mostly avoid picture-marring artifacts such as digital noise, light spill, blocky pixels, loss of detail and more.

While some higher-priced compacts offer a range of exposure, light metering and auto focus modes, the options are far wider in a DLSR camera.

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