Hybrids
With modern technology getting cheaper, somewhere along the way manufacturers decided to give their buyers a pro-looking camera that's a bit smarter than compacts but in no ways can it be as efficient as an SLR. These cameras are the hybrids. They are usually far more expensive than compacts - although they don't provide as good quality as an SLR.
What is a Hybrid? A hybrid has interchangable lenses, usually high resolution in images, but does not give the photographer the possibility to directly view their subjects. Instead they use an LCD liveview screen.
They might seem to be a good choice to buy as they look professional but they cost a bit less. However to recall a photographer's online comment that I liked very much: "The day that I'd like to take compact-quality pictures with a close-to-DSLR-priced camera, that's when I'm going to buy a hybrid."
Hybrids were a good choice when they first appeared on the marked, as back then compacts were no good with their lenses for you if you wanted a little bit of quality. Also they were not much good at image size and shooting speed either. Then came hybrids with 8+ MP resolution and medium-quality lenses (not to mention optical zoom). However todays compacts offer even around 10x optical zoom and 10+ MP resoltion, so really... there is not much point for hybrids anymore.
There is one more thing I can say on behalf of the hybrids: quiet work. SLRs due to their working mechanism generate quite some noise when taking pictures and yes... there are situations when you'd like that sound to just shut up. That's when hybrids could come in, as they are fully digital, having only the lenses with moving parts: there is only a very small bit of sound coming out.
What is a Hybrid? A hybrid has interchangable lenses, usually high resolution in images, but does not give the photographer the possibility to directly view their subjects. Instead they use an LCD liveview screen.
They might seem to be a good choice to buy as they look professional but they cost a bit less. However to recall a photographer's online comment that I liked very much: "The day that I'd like to take compact-quality pictures with a close-to-DSLR-priced camera, that's when I'm going to buy a hybrid."
Hybrids were a good choice when they first appeared on the marked, as back then compacts were no good with their lenses for you if you wanted a little bit of quality. Also they were not much good at image size and shooting speed either. Then came hybrids with 8+ MP resolution and medium-quality lenses (not to mention optical zoom). However todays compacts offer even around 10x optical zoom and 10+ MP resoltion, so really... there is not much point for hybrids anymore.
There is one more thing I can say on behalf of the hybrids: quiet work. SLRs due to their working mechanism generate quite some noise when taking pictures and yes... there are situations when you'd like that sound to just shut up. That's when hybrids could come in, as they are fully digital, having only the lenses with moving parts: there is only a very small bit of sound coming out.
Samsung Hybrid camera
(notice the lack of viewfinder and the lens-eject button to the right)
