GoPro vs DSLR Which is better ?
To all the travel freaks out there, planning to buy a new camera to capture your memories while travelling?
With different new technologies coming in the market in a very short time it has become harder to choose a suitable camera than to buy instead. There basically are two types of cameras suitable for travelling
- GoPro – Small , compact and portable
- A DSLR – Larger in size and a bit difficult to carry
Confused between the two ? Difficult choice to make ? Well , I will be showing you what camera you should choose based on your needs and cameras features and basic difference between the two.
GoPro (let’s say the latest, GoPro hero 7) is designed and built as a video capturing camera capturing steady videos whereas capturing quality pictures is a secondary concern .Hence ISO range for a GoPro is small as compared to a DSLR meaning they can’t shoot in low light. A GoPro comes with a hell lot of accessories with it like chest mount, head mount, a shooting stick. They are designed waterproof. They don’t have a lot of settings or features in them.
Here are listed GoPro hero 7 (black) specs.
Sensor Size | 1/2.3″ |
Aperture | f/2.8 |
Dimensions | 62.3 x 44.9 x 33 mm |
Weight | 116 g |
Video Modes | 4K60, 2.7K120, 1440p120, 1080p240 |
Stabilization | Hyper Smooth |
Enables Loop Recording | Yes |
Has Live Streaming | Yes |
Has Time Warp Video | Yes |
Still Image Resolution | 12 MP |
Photo burst | 30 FPS |
Connectivity | WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS |
Battery | Removable 1220 mAh, Li-Ion |
Water Resistance | 33ft (10m) |
Touchscreen | Yes |
Also Read – Ways to Take Good Pictures
Unlike a GoPro a DSLR is mostly used for capturing high quality still images .They are a bit large in size and hence heavier and difficult to carry around .They are complex electronics and never meant to get wet .They aren’t waterproof at all .They generally are very complex with a bunch of settings not easy to learn and apply .But they do have auto mode that itself sets the best setting according to the scenario .
Here are the specs of Nikon D7200 (a mid range DSLR) :
Pixel count | 24.2MP | |
Optical low-pass filter | No | |
ISO range (expanded) | 100-102,400 | |
Maximum frame rate | 6 fps (7 fps in 1.3x crop mode, 5fps with 14-bit Raw) | |
Buffer depth * | 18 Raw, 100 JPEG | |
Maximum video quality | 1080/60p (1.3x crop mode) | |
Flat picture control | Yes | |
LCD display | 3.2″ 1.2M dot RGBW | |
Wi-Fi | Yes, with NFC | |
Battery life | 1110 shots | |
Which is better ? GoPro vs DSLR:
Image Quality – GoPros aren’t really meant to take quality pictures while DSLRs capture high quality and focused images and are meant for the same.
Winner? DSLR obviously.
Video stabilization – Primary concern to capture a video is its stability .You never would want your video to be unstable and blurry .As said earlier, no DSLR can beat the in-built stabilisation provided by the GoPros.
Hence GoPro wins the battle easily.
Size and weight – I personally prefer cameras having compact size and light weight but it depends on the user right? The smaller your cameras is the lesser are the chances that your display gets damaged easily. So I would choose GoPro over a DSLR when it comes to size and weight.
Waterproof – Don’t need to mention it again right? GoPro is clearly better.
User Friendly – GoPros aren’t complex .They don’t have much features or settings in them while a DSLR does .For a beginner it will be easy to use GoPro than any DSLR .
Lenses – GoPro has a small fixed lens .You can’t replace it .While with a DSLR you can try many lenses different from the one that came with it like the zoom lens. A DSLR lens is much larger and allows more light to enter (as well as have a 24MP sensor) and does have a lot of more options available.
Which Camera you should choose ?
That again brings us to the starting point “which is better ? GoPro vs DSLR “.You see that is a tough choice to make because that depends on user to user .They both have their pros and cons.
- High Image Quality (great for 1080p and tripod situations)
- More Lens options (quality images, zoom, blurred backgrounds)
- More complex Image settings available (highly configurable, changeable)
Do leave me a comment if you like my article or else if you find any information missing or wrong on “GoPro vs DSLR , Which is Better ?”
