Size. A p&s will always be way more portable then an slr. Being small and pocket sized, you can take them just about anywhere. Whereas with an SLR, your going to have to have a small shoulder bag to throw it in (and if you bring more lenses then a bigger bag). The new Canon 400D's are pretty small though and seem to be a good trade off for those with a concern about size. They're a reasonable price too.

Adaptability. Because of its nature, an SLR can be adapted to suit almost all situations, whereas a p&s isn't as versatile. The main thing about SLR's, is that you can change their lenses, meaning you can buy a lens to suit whatever you want to photograph. If its sport, you can get a telephoto with alot of zoom, if its landscape you can get an ultra wide angle or fisheye lens to get as much in the picture as possible. P&S cameras typically have a reasonably good zoom range - from quite wide to a reasonable amount of zoom however you cant add another lens if it doesn't suit your needs. They also don't fair as well in low light situations, but most have a good flash now days and some even have IS (Image Stabilizing). The trade off of being able to change your lenses is bulk and cost.

Cost. P&S cameras are cheaper then SLR's. I guess this is a given cus there is less to them then an slr. Also, if you want to buy alot of lenses thats more cost to the camera (though not always necessary. You can buy a 2 lens set for a good price now days). I spose it depends on your budget. When you say $300 - are you talking $USD or $KWD?

Quality. When buying a camera, don't just judge it on the number of megapixels it has. Think about what size your wanting to print your images at (if at all). You might not need a 10mp camera when your not going to make huge prints. You might be better off buying an 8mp camera with image stabilizing instead - because you can take better photos in low light. This is something to take into consideration.

As for recommending a camera, well I'm very pro Canon, so I wouldn't do too well advising on something from another brand, though I stand by canon and their cameras as all 4 I have had are Canon. If you go for an SLR, I recommend a Canon 400D - they're small, light, very good price for an slr, and canon have a good range of lenses (this is something else to consider if you get an slr - the range and cost of assessories). If you get a P&S - Maybe a Canon IXUS 850 IS. And as a note, these cameras might be named something different over there (I think the 400D is called the Rebel XT or something like that).

Anwyay, have a look around on google, I'm sure someone has said what I'm trying to say in much better words - and make sure you do your research on image quality and maybe look up some comparisons or reviews on the cameras.

Hope that kinda helped. If you have any more questions - give me a yell.

___________________________________
Luke Cottle
Visualisation Specialist
Parsons Brinckerhoff Australia Pty Limited
www.pb.com.au

As to other brands, I agree with Luke on Canon's.  Can't go wrong there.  I've also had good kuck with Sony P&Ss and Nikon SLRs. 

Glen Loyd

Lead Design Visualization Specialist  | Parsons Brinckerhoff
www.pbprojectviz.com

What camera/lens were you using (didn't see any EXIF data) and how what was the fstop and exposure time? It looks like it was about a 1 minute or so going by the length of the star trail.

Keep up the good work

___________________________________
Luke Cottle
Visualisation Specialist
Parsons Brinckerhoff Australia Pty Limited
www.pb.com.au

I use a Nikon D80, for the night time Seattle shot it was an F22 and an 18-55 lens, I tried a lot of exposures, can't remember specifically this one, I think it was aound 20 seconds. All of them ranged from 8 to 30  seconds not more.

I am attaching another one I took at the train museum last week.

playing a little bit in macro.

Jay

Sparrow - see attached.

An old Canberra Bomber

Perth City at Dusk

Brisbane City at Dusk

And something .. abstract. Not really a macro but I liked it all the same.

___________________________________
Luke Cottle
Visualisation Specialist
Parsons Brinckerhoff Australia Pty Limited
www.pb.com.au

Glen Loyd

Lead Design Visualization Specialist  | Parsons Brinckerhoff
www.pbprojectviz.com