Advice On Buying A DSLR Camera
Posted on: Mon September 10, 2012
I get asked a lot for advice on buying a new camera, this often comes from someone who has a clear interest in photography and is probably already taking quite good photos with a compact camera and wants to move up a step and go from good photos to great photos.
A DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) is often the best route to take. Single Lens Reflex means you actually look through the lens of the camera via a mirror prism system. Meaning you actually see what you’re taking and a lot of people prefer this over an electronic view finder or using the LCD on the rear of the camera that can often be hard to see in daylight.
A DSLR is probably easier to use than a compact cameras and most interchangeable lens mirrorless cameras. This is because most of the common settings you need to reach quickly are right at your fingertips and you don’t have to navigate your way through complex menu systems on the LCD.
An SLR has great image quality, much better than a compact camera and this is mainly down to the image sensor size, not megapixels! The actual physical size of the sensor is usually referred to as APS-C and is a little bit smaller than what would have been a piece of 35mm film. You can also buy full frame digital SLRs which have the same size sensor as a piece of 35mm film. Most entry to mid-level SLRs have an APS-C size sensor and will be capable of achieving very high quality results. In contrast, a compact camera has a sensor that could be half the size of this or even less, this gives poorer results.
So let’s assume you have decided to opt for a digital SLR, you now have to choose which one!
If you can, I would be tempted to go with one of the 2 main camera manufacturers, Nikon or Canon. You might pay a touch more over other manufacturers but you will give yourself the benefits of having a huge range of lenses and accessories for your camera.
At the time of writing this (10th September 2012), the two current entry-level cameras by Nikon and Canon are:
Nikon D3200
Nikon Website
This camera has super high resolution with a 24MP image sensor.
HD Video recording.
An ISO range of 100-6400 to enable you to shoot in very low-light.
This camera also as an optional wireless adapter to share photos to a phone or tablet!
Nikon have a huge range of lenses that can be used and are perhaps some of the best lenses out there.
From around £480 with the 18-55mm VR zoom lens.
Canon 1100D
Canon Website
This camera has a smaller megapixel count, but still a very healthy 12MP which is capable or producing large prints.
HD Video recording.
An ISO range of 100-6400 to enable you to shoot in very low-light.
Canon have a huge range of lenses that can be used.
From around £360 with the 18-55mm IS II lens.
If you want to know more about individual specs, you can go to the camera manufacturer’s websites which I have linked to under each product or you can compare each model side by side on Digital Photography Review.
DP Review
If you decide to buy either of these cameras you will probably want to buy it with what is referred to as the ‘kit lens’. A zoom lens that is usually around 18-55mm in focal length. These lenses are not the best lenses in the world, but to be honest if you just starting out or coming form a compact you will think they are amazing. The beauty of an SLR of course is that you can add to your kit later on by upgrading lenses etc.
Extras
One thing that people often ask me is how to achieve shallow depth of field, usually in a portrait. They want to take a portrait and make the background blurry. This can be done with a digital SLR fairly easily, but to make this effect look best and most extreme the use of a prime lens is recommended. A prime lens is simply a non-zoom lens, a fixed focal length. This is better for blurry backgrounds because prime lenses tend to have a wider aperture, say f/1.8 instead of f/3.5 on a kit zoom lens – this may not sound all that much but actually it makes a big difference.
Both Nikon and Canon offer excellent 50mm f/1.8 lenses at fairly reasonable price, £80 upwards. Anyone interested in taking photos of their kids or portraits in general should have one of these in their kit bag. The 50mm lens is also useful for other types of photography but I would say portraits is the best use.
A hotshoe flash is also a good accessory. Ideally you would be looking for a model that will tilt and swivel, because this gives you the option to bounce the flash off of a ceiling or wall etc, a much more flattering way to use flash. Obviously check the flash is compatible with your camera model.
A tripod is very useful too, especially if you’re wanting to try night photography or landscape photography. This is one of those ‘how long is a piece of string’ debates, but you can spend anywhere from about £15 to about £1000. If landscapes are your thing then I would recommend opting for a smallish lightweight carbon tripod at around £100.
Top Models
If you want to jump straight to the top there are some great cameras out there at the moment, both the Nikon D800 and Canon 5D MkIII are superb and are probably the best DSLR cameras that we have seen, certainly in this price bracket. So what are we talking about, cost wise? Nikon D800 (body only) from about £2,350 and the Canon 5D MkIII (body only) from about £2,690. In my opinion these cameras are no more difficult to operate than an entry level camera, in fact some might say they are easier. So if you can stretch your budget to buy one of these fantastic full frame digital SLRs then you would be buying some of the best image quality and camera build you can buy.
Photography Course
I offer photography courses and often teach people who have just bought their first SLR. I sometimes give those people advice on what camera to buy before they do their training so they can come along with the camera that suits them best. If you’re the sort of person that does well with reading manuals and looking online for tips then you might be okay, but for those that don’t get on with manuals very well, something like one of my 1-2-1 camera courses would really work wonders for you. I think that between 2-3 hours training will give you the basic knowledge you need to start taking great photograph and go on to gain a greater understanding of your camera. My courses start at £100 and are offered in the south east of England. Please see the photography courses page here, for more information.