Critiques for a Cheap P&S Photographer

[Yojiirill]

Okay, so I've been doing photography for almost two years now, which none of my cameras exceeding $200. Currently, I use a Samsung SL420, which is just a cheap $179 P&S.

Recently, though, I've been thinking about upgrading to a DSLR, and I'm wondering whether it'd be worth it for how good I am. I love my Samsung, but it infuriates me that the white balance settings are right next to the language settings.

Here are some pictures I've taken in the past year to judge whether I'm ready for this:

Most of these were completely unedited, by the way.

What do you think, guys? Am I good enough to upgrade? Or am I good enough now that I should just save the money?

 

[jeevesofRKdia]

I definitely like how you're pushing the boundaries of your P&S. You seem to have some idea about composition and lighting.

Perhaps start learning more about DSLRs and things like exposure, aperture, shutter speed, ISO, lens types, etc. before making the $800+ plunge. That way you get some time to learn what you would need, improving your pics now and also save enough money to know for sure if a DSLR is what you need.

It's less of a privilege to own a DSLR and more of a need-based thing. If you think your P&S is limiting what you want to shoot, a DSLR may be the right thing for you. Especially since the nut behind the camera is what creates the photographic magic, not the camera itself (there are caveats to that statement, but you get the point).

 

[jackerin]

I like some of them, like the first and third. It's worth remembering though that the lens that comes standard on DSLRs is not ideal for macro work, which seems to be the basis of your images.

A DSLR doesn't have to be a large investment either, you can easily pick up an older model second-hand for not much more than 200 USD, so the leap may be smaller than you think.