Newbie to dSLR: Taking the next step beyond point-and-shoot cameras

I made the move to a digital SLR 2 years ago and I have been happy ever since. The following is a list of suggestions.

- Remember that the image is still captured through a lens, so stay with manufacturers of high quality lenses.
- The website dpreview.com is a great site to use to sort through different cameras and to compare them at a technical level.
- No matter where you purchase the camera, go to a camera shop and hold the cameras in your hand to determine if it seems comfortable.
- If you have a film SLR, your existing lens(es) maybe compatible with the digital version. This was true in my case, allowing me to use my existing 70-300mm telephoto.
- With regard to continuous shooting, you can see the specs for different cameras at dpreview. Pay special attention to not just the intial fps number but also the number of frames over a 30 sec. period. You also need to pay attention to the write speed to the memory card and plan on buying a better card if you want to shoot in continuous mode.
- Shutter lag is not a problem in most of the SLRs, even the entry level ones. With my entry level SLR, I can turn it on and shoot as fast as my fingers will move.

I hope this helps.

You have made a right decision to go for a dSLR and these cameras are available now with an affordable price.I feel that you should not give too much stress on mega pixels.Maximum 6 mega is enough, as the image can be enlarged up to size of an A4 sized paper,without effecting the resolution and without causing any distortion of your original image. I do not think that your requirement is more than this.What you should look for is good lens system.Starting from a good wide angle lens to a telephoto lens of at least 80 to 100mm focal length.Try for an effective Macro lens which can go up to 0mm(Super Macro) As you have rightly decided that the lag period of shutter should minimum.Along with auto mode it must have some manual modes like portrait,night,landscape,sports photography and so on.Because once you muster your camera in auto mode you will like to go for the advanced features.The flash should have a good range and yes never buy a camera without an Image Stabilizer software.
Regards
Prashant

My friend,

Remaining a very advanced yet amateur photographer for last 3 decades and obtaining fancy certifications from India's and the world's institutes and occasional prizes too, has not answered my two basic questions.

First, when computer aided auto-focus and auto-aperture lenses were invented and perfected, why did the camera manufacturers of the globe keep on manufacturing Single Lens Reflex cameras with mirrors and pentaprisms to overcome the obstacle of the error of parallax and fixing correct Exposure Values? Was an SLR actually needed after autofocus lenses and auto exposure shutters were perfected? Autofocus compacts with motorized zoom lenses did everything the heavyweight SLRs using interchangeable AF lenses could do and were far easier to handle!

Second, when the CCD (Charge Couple Display) chips were invented and placed in the accutately measured rear focal nodes of autofocus autoexposure lenses to make digital pixels visible on LCD screens on the camera backs, (I am talking of a digital cameras here) what was the need to give another mirror-pentaprism focal plane eyepiece (view finder) in addition to an SLR type lens interchangeable body OR more significantly a range illuminated eyepiece in a compact non SLR body? The photographer was already viewing the LCD screen showing him at least 95% of what the printed image would be!

Now to fool the world and to keep the diehard SLR enthusiasts, camera giants like Canon, Nikon and Sony are building digital SLRs and auto zoom auto exposure heavies using same AF interchangeable lenses! The norms for 35mm format is forgone and forgotten and you have equivalent zoom readings in these new zoom lenses for your digital focal format.

As a beginner, my advise is that do not spend your hard earned money on digital SLRs but go for 8-10 Megapixel digital compacts having equivalent configurations to 35mm 28-200mm range zoom film compacts, and carry lightweight and easy to use equipment. Excellent models of these types are available from Kodak, Olympus and yes Cannon, Nikon and Pentax too!

However if you are a wildlife shutterbug shooting lions from 100 meters distance or a sports photographer sitting on the edge of a huge stadium and focussing on one player in fast movement 200 meters away, you will need a digital SLR with a zoom lens 12 times heavier than the camera body that needs a even heavier tripod for manoeuverability!

Hi Stefan,

Regarding Dslr. Just got a Nikon D40 and the price is between the $500-$700 range. It's a great dslr especially for newbie's like me.I recommend it for beginners coz it's easy on the budget, compact and it's features are not far from the advanced dslr.

The good news is that there are many wonderful cameras that fit your criteria. However, my recommendation would be to start by focusing on a single camera, using it to learn about digital SLR?s, and then branching out from there. Which camera to start with?

I?d consider the Nikon D40x. This relatively new entry addresses specific needs you?ve called out with a 0.18 second startup, split-second shutter response and rapid shooting at up to 3 frames per second. My similar (but older model) Nikon D50 has an excellent automatic focus system and special modes which facilitate taking both landscape and close-ups.

The D40x can be purchased with a 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens for under $800. I use this lens with my D50 and have found it to be extremely versatile as the 18mm wide angle setting allows me to take pictures in close quarters and the 50-55mm range is perfect for portraits. The lens is surprisingly adept at taking close ups.

The automatic modes and excellent built-in flash of the D40x will allow you to begin taking excellent photos straight ?out of the box.? Should your interest in digital photography grow, the D40x?s 10.2 Megapixel Imaging Sensor should allow very large enlargements. Further, the wide range of lenses available from Nikon will allow you to grow as your interest in the hobby evolves. For all of these attributes, I feel that exceeding your budget by $100 would be money well spent over the long term.

I don?t mean to sound like an ad for Nikon. I just happen to be more familiar with their line given my experience with the D50. In fact, once you?ve thoroughly learned about the features and benefits of the Nikon D40x, you?ll be well equipped to evaluate competing offerings from other manufacturers. A local camera store, photography magazine reviews, and Digital Photography Review (www.dpreview.com) might be useful resources.

Two of my friends have recently purchased the Rebel XTi. It is a 10 megapixel camera that incorporates much of the Canon 30D technology into a great camera for about $800.00. The kit includes a 18-55mm zoom lens. It utilizes Canon's CMOS sensor and DIGIC II image processor. Check out the specs on Amazon or DPreview.com I think you'll be impressed. The feature I really like is the self cleaning sensor. It has been a well known fact that dust on your sensor creates white spots in your images. Canon has finally addressed this by building that function into a reliable, affordable camera.

DSLR's are probably not for starters but if you have an idea about digital photography then my advice is don't go cheap. You're buying something worthwhile and need to buy well. The new Canon 400D would be my recommendation. Stay away from the PRO series because they are purpose built and a little heavy. You will find the 400D does all that you want and, as you get better, you can add bigger and better lenses.
Ian M

Hi, I am very lazy and don't like to change and/or carry many lenses, so for years I have used only ONE lens macro/28-135 mm feature. I would add only a 70-300 mm. Before you buy a digital camera, rent one and see the results: snap as many pictures as possible, print, burn them into a disc, and then decide. The plus of the digital is 1) you see the picture right away for quality checking 2) you can delete immediately what you don't want. I myself am very disapointed with digital cameras and going back to 35mm with a digital as back up. Good Luck, Monique

Hands down would be Canon's XTi EOS.
Roughly $750 - $850 bare bones, and no limit of lens options.

I have the Canon 30D @ 8-MP which is it's slightly bigger brother.

If I was to get a second DSLR, I would get the XTi which has 10MP.

You could also go to the upper end camera shops to put these cameras in your hand and try the different lenses.

Bring a compact flash card with you so you can see the results on your screen.

Use the store as a shooting studio to assume your in your home with the kids. The lighting is similar, and the objects within the displays are your subjects.

Take shots with and without flash to see how well it handles the available lighting.

Now take this knowledge and shop around for deals.
I like buying from local shops even if the cost is a little extra.
It's worth it in the end.

Best of Luck...

Definetely look at the Canon Rebel XTi 400. It is probably all the SLR you will ever need unless you become a pro...and it can expand .
great slr for the money...

my pc always came out a windows that will restart the pc with some note that say something like this "emergency restart on RPC...." that really make me mad when i was stick to my internet...

The biggest problem I have seen from friends and acquaintances is that they seem to think that the laws of photography have somehow changed with the entrance of the digital age.
Most of the pics I see are out of focus. Either their camera didn?t keep pace with the changing scene or, far more often, they didn?t hold it steady enough.
This knowledge of the basics, and following the rules, is going to be far more important when you switch to an SLR. Just as it was when you went from a point and shoot film camera to an SLR film camera. That beautiful setting sun is going to require a tripod as are most other critical light situations. CCDs are not as fast as film and don?t have nearly as much resolution, at least those in the -$1000 models. Even the high end models don?t compare too well against fine grain film. In both cases the problem is speed. And the problem with that speed is keeping the subject in focus and the camera from shaking. Yes; I know that they have ?steady cam? technology but it only goes so far. The trick is understanding the rules of exposure and the depth of field.
The great thing about the new SLR digitals is that the prices have fallen to the point that many more can afford them. There is a big difference between looking at a display versus looking through the lens. The downside is that they require at least some knowledge of photography to allow them to do what they are capable of doing.

As to what to look for in a camera:
1. Good glass makes good pictures! Look for lenses that are top notch like Carl Zeiss or other great lenses.
2. Forget about ?digital zoom? it means nothing!! What you want is optical zoom. Get as much as you can within your budget but don?t trade away lens quality to get more zoom.
3. Make sure that the camera is capable of using the largest available memory storage devices. While we are talking about storage chips look at the device ?chip? and ask yourself if it looks like it can stand up to constant handling without damage. Some of the chips are just too flimsy and remember that if you ?flex? them they are history.
4. Don?t forget the accessories; a good tripod will do far more for a sharp picture than any stability technology they can build in.

In closing I will say what my first photography professor told my class on the first day. ?SHOOT, SHOOT, SHOOT!!! Get out there and practice as often as you can!?
That great vacation isn?t the time to start figuring it all out and without knowing your camera you will be disappointed with the results. The digital age has brought real photography within the budget of so many more people now that we don?t have to pay for the film and processing. So don?t be a miser with your camera. Take a LOT of pictures and you will end up with some great ones.

Hi Stefan!

Looks like the Olympus E500 2-lens kit is just the thing to suit your needs. It is in every sense of the word a REAL DSLR, but it also has a lot of features which a first-time DSLR user can find really handy. Namely the pre-set scene modes. You also have the option of going fully manual should you wish to do so.

Biggest selling points to me were 1) price, perfect for under $700USD, with 2 excellent kit lenses (28mm to 300mm equivalent!) and 2) effective dust removal system. Dust IS a HUGE problem for DSLRs, it's not for Olympus cameras.

Stefano, there are two types of digital SLR cameras you might consider: true single lens reflex cameras that have removable lenses, and 'SLR-like' cameras that look like an SLR, but have a non-removable lens.

The 'SLR-like' cameras are considerably cheaper, but have some disadvantages. They have an electronic viewfinder, rather than an optical one; electronic viewfinders don't render fine detail as well, and can be hard to focus manually. The don't have a removable lens, which greatly limits their flexibility; and they tend to have smaller sensors, which translates into higher noise levels at higher sensitivity ratings. However, they are undeniably cheap. One good example in this class is the Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ8. The camera features a superb 12X lens, has a 7.38 megapixel sensor and can be purchased for as little as $283.00.

In the true SLR range, I would suggest that you consider either the Nikon D40X or the Canon EOS 400D /Rebel XTi. Both cameras feature a 10 megapixel sensor, which will provide you with resolution sufficient to make 20 X 24 inch - or larger - prints. Both of these entry level SLR cameras are going to stretch the upper limits of your budget envelope; but they both represent excellent value, and will do everything that you seek. In both cases, the body sells for around $700, and the lens is extra. The general 'word on the street' is that the inexpensive kit lens supplied with the Canon is actually a very poor lens; you will be much better served to purchase a better canon lens, even though this will elevate you above $750. The Nikon kit lens is better than the Canon, but still is not a superb lens; again, you might want to consider purchasing a better lens.

The cameras run neck and neck, and both have many fans. I find that the Canon is too small to hold comfortably; the ergonomics on the Nikon seem better. I also find that, for my needs, Nikon lenses are superior. However, the Canon is an excellent instrument, and Canon has served generations of photographers very well.

The camera industry is going through a metamorphosis. Konica merged with Minolta, and then Minolta got out of the camera business altogether and sold their imaging technology to Sony. Pentax, long revered as the manufacturer of the legendary Spotmatic film SLR, recently called off a planned merger with Hoya (a filter manufacturer). Bronica called it quits, and the word is Mamiya is on the ropes. For this reason, I would caution you against buying a camera from a lesser known name; you might well find that three years from now, your camera company has disappeared. I think Canon and Nikon will be around for a while, but I'm not sure of anyone else.

I would also caution you against buying a lens other than an original equipment manufacturers lens. That is, put a Canon lens on a Canon camera, and a Nikon lens on a Nikon camera. Don't be tempted to put a cheaper, 3rd party lens from another manufacturer on a camera body. The reason for this is that camera manufacturers regularly make system updates available; and frequently, those system updates can cause something like the autofocus or autoexposure on the lens to stop working, due to incompatibilities between the camera and the 3rd party chipset in the lens. Tamron has had a number of problems in this regard.

Don't be too influenced by 'megapixel wars'. Realistically, anything of 6 megapixels or more is going to produce good 16 X 20 prints, which is larger than most images ever get printed. And to double the resolution of a 6 megapixel sensor, you would need to find a 24 megapixel sensor! This is larger than any commonly available sensor; even the high end Canons, in the 5 grand price range, max out around 17 megapixels.

Of more interest is the physical sensor size. Smaller sensors need more electronic amplification, which turns into more electronic 'noise' in the background image. This can be minimized with aftermarket image processing programs such as Noise Ninja, but you're better off avoiding that road. Bigger sensors = better images.

I hope this helps you find a camera that suits your purposes. Good luck, and keep on clicking! Best wishes, Charlie Worton

Hi Stephan

Most entry-level dSLRs (Nikon, Canon, etc.) capture frames at 2.5 or 3 frames a second. You need to figure out if that's enough for you for those 'high-speed' moments. Last year I was in the exact same boat as you are now, but eventually I took a loan and got the Canon 30D.

On more than one occasion (and I'm NOT a pro photographer!) I was so glad I had made that decision for its 5 frames/sec. My dad has a Nikon D70 and my sister a D70s, a friend the Canon 350D..... I have 'played' with all of them quite a bit, know all the features on all of them pretty well, but my 30D remains the favorite. I have big hands, so a major feature is the size and weight of the camera as well, it feels good in my hand, not like a kids toy, which a lot of the others do feel like. And for those evening parties, a flash like the 580EX is indispensable. Another thing to look at is the main lens. I made the choice to go for the 17 - 85mm USM IS lens, instead of the normal 18 - 55m lens. So you get a bit of a longer zoom and a built-in image stabilizer (some cameras have image stabilisation built into the body) which helps, especially in low-light conditions.

Hope this aids you in making your decision somewhat!

I would suggest you look instead at one of the so called " Bridge cameras" These are cameras like the Fuji 9100 (9600 in UK) OlympusSP-550UZ, Canon Powershot S3, or Panasonic DMC FZ8. These all offer long zoom lenses upwards of 10x. Macro focussing for close up subjects, and the long zoom for far away subjects. They are all reasonably chunky cameras with the real SLR feel. The primary difference being that the lens is permanently fixed to the body - whilst you might imagine this to be a disadvantage in reality it is not as the lens provided offers all the range of focal length you will need. In addition the fact that SLR lenses can be detached is a major WEAKNESS as it allows the entry of dust and other foreign bodies into the camera - if or perhaps I should say WHEN this alights on the sensor (CCD) you will be faced with the expense of having it removed professionally or put up with the dustspecks on every subsequent photo. This was not a problem on film SLRs but is a very real problem with Digital SLRs and one which the manufacturers would prefer you not to know about!

My wife has a Sony Rebel SLR. She is a photographer. The portrait and telephotic lenses both work great. The zoom is manual and the forcus is either manual or automatic. There is absolutely no shutter lag and it can take up to 6 frames per second. The 8.something megapixels makes for excellent quality pictures. (The top-notch professional portable slr's run at 11.5 Mpxls)

The cost for a brand new Rebel is around $1000, but is worth it if you are looking to make money off of you're pictures. If you just want a nice new toy, a Rebel that is a year or two old will do the same things for about $300-$600. They are sturdy(yes I've dropped my wifes camera, from 6' no less) and they can perform.