Beginners Guide to Digital SLR Cameras

There comes a time in everyone's life when he or she wonders if there is more to photography than a palm-sized block of aluminum that is the point and shoot camera stowed away in their pocket.

The compact point and shoot camera has come so far in the last ten years that it's tempting to write off Digital SLR's as somewhat irrelevant to a lot of people's lives, not offering enough utility to offset their quite bulky size and hefty price tag. Folks get by now with just a Mobile phone camera, they don't even have a point and shoot!

As soon as I bought my first compact camera, a few years ago, the Canon Ixus, I was in this boat. I asked myself "what more could one possibly need?" I told myself I would never need a Digital SLR. For many months I even used a Phone camera with the Sony image stabiliser and at 3.2 Mega pixels this was a great little camera that almost fulfilled my needs.

How could I possibly need a Digital SLR? Well, some time ago, I owned a Canon 35mm SLR, I used it for some years in fact, I believe the model number was A1. The shots I took with this were very good, the drawback was obviously the film developement, or lack of the facility to perform this myself, after all, at this time you had to set up your own Dark Room, (if you had the space) which I didn't. I was very interested in improving the pictures I took in a sort of artistic way, (not in a technical way). The point and shoot cameras at 10 Mega pixels are adequate even the most tech' people and produce excellent graphic results if you know how to operate the relevant software.

No, what I wanted was to improve the atmospheric quality of the Pic's.... After a great deal of umming and arring I dove in and bought my first Digital SLR, a Canon 1000D, not the most expensive by any means, but hey, I was just dipping my toe in the water. How things have changed. Digital Slr's need no such requirements as a dark room and all the gubbins that you need to print the pictures you want. The requirements are.


A computer.

A quality printer

A reasonable knowledge of the software provided with the camera.
If you have your own software that you are pretty familiar with you can even use this.

My pictures have improved a lot, due mainly to the manual settings I can achieve with the camera and the functions available in the software, if you can't achieve the shots you want with the camera, you can certainly get what you need with the software. When you take a good picture and learn how to use the software the limits are endless.

The conclusion then: If you are interested in improving the pic's you take and preserving them for posterity, get yourself a Digital SLR now. Don't pay the earth, we all have fads and if this turns out to be one you won't have spent the earth. If you aren't interested in improving your photo's, stick with your point and shoot.

Best DSLR Camera For Beginners - Nikon D5000 Entry Level DSLR Review

Have you read camera reviews until your eyes are crossed, and still you waver? How do you pick the best DSLR camera for beginners? As you read every word of this article, keep in mind that there are only a few factors that you need to concentrate on in order to make the right choice for you.

The factors that should be the deciding ones for you are:

Image quality

Ease of use for a beginner

Are all the features you want included

Ratings of current users

The first three factors can be easily found by checking a couple of the more reliable camera review sites. Two excellent sources are dpreview.com and imaging-resource.com.

The final factor can be checked by going to the places where cameras are sold, such as amazon, B & H Photo, or Adorama, where there are reviews by those who have purchased the cameras. Camera buyers are extremely honest in their opinions. After all, what do they have to gain by fabricating a false review?

How does the Nikon D5000 entry level DSLR stack up?

First, the image quality is excellent. DPReview has given its highest rating to the Nikon D5000 - "Highly Recommended" - with this one recommendation. You should shoot your pictures in RAW mode rather than in JPEG mode. This is because the in-camera software processes the images without as much sharpening as Canon's Rebel T1i. To the average viewer, this would not be obvious without it being pointed out. Suffice it to say that the Nikon D5000 produces excellent image quality.

Second, the ease of use of the D5000 is also excellent. The camera controls are well placed and easy to navigate. They are quite intuitive even for a beginning DSLR user.

The third factor could be the deciding one. Nikon has included two very desirable features that are not on the less expensive Nikon D3000 or the Canon Rebel XSi. The first is HD video similar to the more professional Nikon models. This being said, if you are buying a camera expecting the same video capabilities as a dedicated camcorder, you will need to look elsewhere. But the quality of the D5000 video is excellent when compared to other DSLRs.

Finally, checking the users' ratings of the Nikon D5000 on Amazon shows that consumers are very impressed with their purchase. They have given the D5000 an average rating of 4.13 out of 5. And at B & H Photo, the users are just as happy with their purchase. They have rated the D5000 at 4.25 out of 5. (These ratings would actually be higher, except there was a recall of the initial release due to a faulty chip, but that has been resolved.)

SLR Digital Cameras For Beginners

Image : http://www.flickr.com

Remember those how-to books which basically tries to teach everyday dummies anything from how to have sex to baking a pie? Well this articles is a little bit like that. For those who want to be in the know or at least get a sampling about what SLR Digital Cameras are all about then read on to get a better idea.

During the so-called "good old days" professional photographers and "artistes" tend to lug around bulky manual SLR cameras, different variations of lenses, flash, and of course, rolls and rolls of film. Before digital imaging was invented, professional photographers along with hobbyists only relied on their own abilities to create artsy photos depending on their own skill and talent. Just like with learning to first drive with a stick shift, those who want to get into photography may have an easier time dealing with the current SLR Digital Cameras if they have a good background on the old cameras that started it all.

Compared to the normal point and shoot cameras, SLR Digital Cameras tend to be harder to handle. Unlike those automatic cameras where all you have to do is focus on putting the subject at the center and just click away, SLR Digital Cameras still require the user to manually adjust the lens to be able to create different effects for the pictures. This is wherein you will be able to separate the really talented ones from those who are just using their SLR Digital Cameras as a neck accessory. Photography is a fun, fun hobby and if you do pursue it, photography can also turn out to be a lucrative business or career.

Just to get things started, you may want to check out the entry-level SLR Digital Cameras. However when checking out the latest models at the camera shop, make sure that what you are looking at is a SLR Digital Camera because you might end up buying an overpriced Zoom Camera instead, and you would not want that of course. The difference between SLR Digital Cameras and Zoom Cameras is pretty simple, a Zoom Camera is an upgraded and very pricey version of the entry level point and shoot camera while the SLR Digital Camera is of course, the high tech version of the old manual SLR cameras that were used by photography enthusiasts way back when. In order to get more mileage with your new camera, you are definitely better off buying the SLR Digital Camera instead.

Other things that you should take note of when you are going to buy your very first SLR Digital Camera, do not forget to save some money for other photography equipment and accessories as well. Take for example a nice and sturdy camera bag, this is a must to ensure you that you will be able to keep your new camera scratch free and free from any damage. A fast memory card reader should also be something that you should add to your list as well as a decent ring flash, camera neck strap, and different kinds of lenses - but that would be for a whole different shopping trip.