Why DSLR?

[stevage]

I'm at that fork in the road where one moves on from point and shoot (Fuji Finepix F10) and goes either ultrazoom or DSLR. I've become progressively more interested in photography, taking photos for Wikipedia, and finally getting a bit better. So, can anyone summarise the main points for/against DSLR? I basically understand it as follows:

Pros:
- better image quality? (in what way? why?)
- more scope to fine-tune settings (?)
- ability to change lenses, including lenses from analog cameras

Cons:
- significantly more expensive, more expensive accessories etc
- generally heavier, bigger?

There must be a number of guides explaning why/why not DSLR?

Thanks!

[Franko515]

I'm at that fork in the road where one moves on from point and shoot (Fuji Finepix F10) and goes either ultrazoom or DSLR. I've become progressively more interested in photography, taking photos for Wikipedia, and finally getting a bit better. So, can anyone summarise the main points for/against DSLR? I basically understand it as follows:

Pros:
- better image quality? (in what way? why?)
- more scope to fine-tune settings (?)
- ability to change lenses, including lenses from analog cameras

Cons:
- significantly more expensive, more expensive accessories etc
- generally heavier, bigger?

There must be a number of guides explaning why/why not DSLR?

Thanks!

Better image quality because of the fact that you can change glass(better glass=better image) and have more control over settings (i.e. f value is higher, shutter speed is faster etc)
More scope to change settings mentioned above (also lager f value=smaller f #=better bokeh, isolate suject and blur background. I think the term means out of focus)
generally bigger a heavier- full frame especially but they have medium weight 1.6 and 1.3 crops (i.e. 30D, 5D) Also the glass can be very heavy (from 10oz-10lbs or more)

I purchased a S3 IS and came to the forums to check out accessories. I ended up wanting a 30D and lenses. Dont get me wrong i am keeping my S3 IS (great camera) but after looking at some of the images here i was in shock at what could be accomplished with a DSLR (this is where the control comes in) The photographer is responsible for the image and the glass is responsible for the image quality. Have a look in the galleries at pics taken with any camera you are interested in. Also more control in low lighting with DSLRs. you have posted most of the negatives.

Hope this helps
Maybe someone with more knowledge will chime in, as I am only a noobie myself and im sure there are many more reasons they could add. It all comes down to what you happy with ;)