If you want to learn the basics of digital photography, it really doesn't matter whether you're using a digital compact or a DSLR with the exception of these few important differences.

Digital Compacts

One of the biggest advantages to digital compacts is the cost. Another thing to consider when buying a DSLR is that you will need to purchase at least one lens for your camera especially if you want to take distant photographs. Digital compacts always come with a built in lens and sometimes even come with a zoom.

If you have an optical zoom on your digital compact, you can get some good quality telephoto shots too. An optical zoom is always far better than a digital zoom because a digital zoom works like cropping – it takes away pixels. The more you zoom with digital zoom, the lower the quality of your photograph. On the other hand, an optical zoom maintains the quality of your photo.

Some compacts produce such high quality photographs that many a pro will grab the compact if they dont' want to carry all their DSLR gear. The quality of the photo depends largely on the photographer's skill.

Even though digital compacts don't have as many megapixels as DSLRs, they can still produce a good 8x10 print (perfect for an 8x10 picture frame) even if they just have 5 megapixels.

Finally, learning the digital photography basics of a compact is far easier then learning how to use a DSLR to its full advantage.

Digital Single Lens Reflexes (DSLRs)

A digital single lens reflex is the digital version of the SLR. You can call a DSLR a single lens reflex camera but you can't call an SLR a digital camera. With the release of cameras like the Canon Rebel and other moderately priced DSLRs, more photography enthusiasts are enjoying the benefits of using a DSLR.

The big advantage of the DSLR is its creativity and versatility. 

For example, by using a long telephoto lens you can take a close up of an eagle on the top of a tree and you'll never be able to tell from the picture that he was so far away. With a DSLR, you can find all kinds of accessories to suit almost any photographer's need.

Another benefit of DSLRs is their ability to take sharp pictures of sports or action photos in low light situations where a flash won't work. The larger sensor on a DSLR allows you to adjust the ISO and get a good picture, whereas with a compact it usually creates an image with a lot of grain called digital noise.  If you're taking still shots, it's not an issue. The problem with Sports mode in a low light setting is that the shutter must close so fast that in spite of a larger aperture setting, there's just not enough light hitting the image sensor. The only way this can be compensated for is with a flash or a higher ISO setting.

However, you can get rid of most digital noise by using photo editing software like Adobe Photoshop.

Another DSLR advantage is that you can use an external flash which can make a huge difference.

Another benefit of DSLRs is that they have more megapixels than even the best digital compacts so you can take and print high quality big pictures for framing in large photo frames like 11x14 picture frames. And lastly, digital cameras are slower to take pictures than film cameras but DSLRs are much faster than digital compacts.

Although the digital photography basics do start with selecting a camera, the quality of your images will largely depend upon how you use your camera. So no matter what type of camera you have or will be buying, it pays to practice.

Related posts:

1. Photography Basics: What You Need To Know
2. The Basics of Digital Photography
3. Digital Photography Basics
4. Essential Basics In Creating Beautiful Photography
5. The Basics of Learning Photography