If you looked at an image, can you tell if it came from a point-and-shoot or a digital SLR camera?

Would you be able to distinguish which it came from?

The image would be straight from the camera and won't have any post-processing applied to it.

If I saw a print, maybe not. If I had it on my computer, absolutely.

See http://www.flickr.com/photos/7189769@N04... to compare an image from an SLR vs. one from a point and shoot. They are both 10 MP, so it's almost an "apples to apples" comparison. The P&S is the larger 1/1.8" sensor, so it is better than about 80% of P&S images out there.

Click on "All Sizes." You should already see a difference, but if you don't - click on "Original" and the difference will be immediately obvious.

Yup. :-) If you printed each at 8x10, they'd be close but still distinguishable. I did it with this exact example and the P&S print looks acceptable until you see the SLR print next to it. Report It

I couldn't. There are tons of REALLY good point and shoot cameras that look very professional. Some people only get SLRs for the higher mega-pixels, even though there are lots of point and shoots with mega-pixels just as high or higher. At flickr.com you can search different cameras and see pictures taken by them and I've never been able to tell the difference between SLR and high quality point and shoots. There have been many pictures taken by point and shoot cameras that I've thought were of much higher quality than some SLRs.

A small image, NO
A large image, Yes
because of the pixels in the print would give it away

I might be able to tell by the depth of field. Or maybe be the amount of red eye. It really depends on the photo, but a photo at a party or gathering probably not.

Most likely, unless you are using a REALLY cheap camera for the point and shoot camera, most people cannot tell. Some giveaways would be if it was a picture close up (point and shoots are more likely to be unfocused), the depth of field( SLRs usually give a smaller one- your subject being in focus and the background being blurry; point and shoot usually have a larger one where almost everything is in focus), or if you are enlarging a photo to a large size. These are just some things people may find different, but only if you are looking for differences!

No not really - people take pictures not cameras - it's all design. SLR's just allow for more creatvity.

yes. I can tell by the resolution and the pixelation very easily. You just have to know what to look for.

No what you'd likely be able to determine is if it came from someone who understands lighting and exposure versus someone who just pointed and shooted.