Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Who Wants The Best Digital SLR For The Money?

By Chris Campbell

So, you've decided to make the jump from simple point and shoot cameras into the realm of SLR photography. If you've done any sort of research, your mind and eyeballs are probably reeling from an overload of information. Digital SLR photography, is one those hobbies that is rich with technological jargon.

It gets worse, if your one of the perfectionist type that really likes to minutely analyze any major purchase . . . intent on getting the best digital SLR camera for your money. You could be in for a long bumpy ride. Today it's time to shorten that ride and smooth out the bumps.

Lets get right to it. It's very true, that the immense popularity of digital cameras (SLR and otherwise) and rapid technical advances have produced a glut of choices and features that can be bewildering to the average consumer. Those same trends have also pushed manufactures and retail establishments to be highly competitive in both design and pricing. That's something that can only benefit the consumer. In a couple of ways actually. Not only do you have a bevy of choices, but the vast majority of those SLR choices are really good cameras.

So, don't worry, you will get a good SLR with pretty much any camera these days. I'd stick with the major brands, and reputable retailer to hedge your bet. The best prices are still online, and the big online stores are as good or better than local stores with their return policies. Online buying is not just for price comparisons anymore. Olympus, Nikon, or canon are all reliable choices these days. For under a grand, you'll find a lot of entry level SLRs to choose from. The Canon Rebel line-up with the XT, XTi, XSi, XS, and soon to be release T1i are definitely worth a look.

Something to think about when upgrading to an SLR, is to upgrade your own photography skills. Due to the complexity of these cameras, you will likely find that the biggest factor contributing to the quality of your images, is your own ability. Not to mention, you'll be a more informed consumer when you make your purchase. A photography course would be a good investment. Having spend some time with a SLR before buying one can provide some valuable insight into what features are important to you.

Try out as many models as you can, taking pictures of people, things, shadows, and any odd lighting areas of the store you can. Try different lenses to. Have lots of questions for the sales people, but take their answers with a grain of salt. They are sales people after all.

Don't get overly hung up on technical specifications for each camera. A few extra megapixels here and there aren't going to make much difference. For a first time SLR buyer, as long as you get a good lens, with at least 8 or 10 megapixels, and a solidly constructed camera body, you'll be content.

Still feel a need to look some more? That's fine. Like I said there are a crazy number of choices when it comes to digital SLRs. It never hurts to take a peek into what Canon, Nikon, Olympus and others are offering as the latest and greatest SLR cameras. Just remember, the more time you spend looking for a camera, the less time you spend taking pictures. - 2361

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