SLR vs Compact (Fixed Lens) cameras

SLR Cameras:
Advantages:

·         Normally better image quality which stands out indoor or in low light compared to small compact cameras

·         Provides to ability to control Depth of Field (or selective focusing) to keep certain things in focus everything else out of focus. The kit lens are limited in this capability but you can achieve greater control with fast or wide aperture lenses.

·         You can change lenses and use many accessories like external flash, remote control, filters, extension tubes, macro tubes etc.

·         Better build, better life.

·         Normally they offer lot of manual controls

Issues:

·         Bulky and difficult to carry around

·         Normally expensive. Accessories like lenses etc can also cost significant money.

·         In good light or in outdoor use, there is not much advantage unless filters are used.

Compact Cameras:
Advantages:

·         They are cheaper.

·         Easy to carry around. Compact in size.

·         You can get tremendous zoom up to 60x in some of the cameras. This comes vary handy in outdoor photos and in travel. It is difficult to get this kind of zoom in SLR cameras.

·         In outdoor, good light, they are as good as any camera. They work great in landscape cameras or in situations where you want most things in the scene in focus.

·         Compact cameras offer macro shots. In macro mode, camera can focus on things very close to camera. To get similar ability in an expensive SLR, you will need a dedicated Macro lens. By nature, compact cameras offer great macro photography.

Issues:

·         Many models do not offer enough manual controls

·         They struggle in low light or in indoor photography

·         Don’t have options to use many accessories like different lenses, filters, external flash etc.

·         It is difficult to achieve bokeh or background blur with small sensors and tiny lenses.

Nikon D3200 vs Canon T3i (600D)- comparison

Which camera is better? Nikon D3200 vs Canon T3i/600D

Both are capable cameras and should be more than enough for most consumers (not professionals) but if you want to make a more rational purchase, go for Nikon D3200:

Here are some advantages for D3200 over T3i
* Much better image quality 81.0 vs 65.0 More than 20% better image quality
* Significantly lower noise at high ISO 1,131 ISO vs 793 ISO. The D3200 has a slight edge (0.5 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
* More dynamic range 13.2 EV vs 11.5 EV 1.7 f-stops more dynamic range
* Better color depth 24.1 bits vs 22.1 bits Distinguishes 2 more bits of color
* Significantly higher true resolution 24.1 MP vs 17.9 MP Capture more than 30% more detail in your photos
* Significantly less startup delay 400 ms vs 1500 ms 3.7x less delay when turning on
* Video autofocus Contrast detection vs None Automatically focuses shooting video
* Larger sensor APS-C 23.2x15.4mm vs APS-C 22.3x14.9mm Around 10% larger sensor
* Smaller 125x96x76 mm vs 133x99x79 mm More than 10% smaller
* Longer battery life 540 shots vs 440 shots More than 20% more shots per battery charge
* Slightly more focus points 11 vs 9 Set focus accurately within the frame
* Slightly more lenses available 169 lenses vs 162 lenses Almost the same
* Shoots slightly faster 4 fps vs 3.7 fps Around 10% faster continuous shooting
* Thinner 3" vs 3.1" Almost the same
* Lighter 505 g vs 570 g More than 10% lighter

On the other hand T3i/600D has a flip screen, LCD has better resolution and has built in focus motor.

As such, you will not go wrong with any one of them. Both of them are very capable cameras. Here is one interesting article about which DSLR to buy.