I'm going to take a guess here since the technical stuff surrounding these cameras is a bit vague to me.
First, the P&S cameras are designed to be smaller - much smaller - than DSLR cameras, and there may well be no room for an actual shutter. It also seems to me that the sensor in the DSLR cameras is always "on" when the camera itself is turned on. This gives the faster response that DSLR photographers need or want. If the sensor is always on, ready to capture the image, something is needed to be placed in front of it to block the light, therefore the shutter. This may be all wrong, but hopefully it will open up a little discussion about the subject, and you'll get better than what graywolf proffered <vbg> It's something I've sometimes thought about as well, but not very much. Now you've piqued my curiosity <smile> BTW, just a small point - the shutters on DSLR cameras are electronic, or electronically controlled. So they are not purely mechanical in the sense that Spotmatic-era cameras were. I'm sure you're aware of that, and that's what you meant. But as long as we may be going down this path, let's be clear about our definitions and terms. Shel > From: Nenad Djurdjevic <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > I think this has been asked before but I don't recall any concensus or > > convincing explanations: > > Why do DSLRs need mechanical shutters when video cameras and "point and > > shoot" digitals don't (or do they? - my Optio 43WR specs say the shutter > > goes from 4sec to 1/2000sec).
