Why choose digital SLR?
Why Digital SLR over point and shoot? Although an SLR can be far bulkier than the average digital point and shoot, the results of an SLR versus a point and shoot are comparable to VHS resolution versus high definition tv. The reality is, while point and shoots are improving year after year, they will likely never match the quality and flexibility an SLR readily provides.
If you’re constantly looking at your point and shoot camera photos and wishing you had been able to capture a photo with controlled lighting, greater details, more motion capture, and better subject framing, than a digital SLR camera may be a good option to help you achieve the results you desire.
A digital SLR allows you to control far more aspects of the image capturing process than a point and shoot could ever dream of providing. Digital SLR’s achieve this greater control through different functions that sound extremely complex and complicated but in fact can be easily comprehended with a clear and articulate explanation.
This site will guide a new or non-expert user through the basic functions of an SLR camera to allow the user to start obtaining those great shots they’ve always wanted.
Photography has always been a very expensive hobby to enjoy, the cost and time involved in developing shots always kept many people away from the professional equipment. With the advent of digital SLR cameras, consumers are now free to snap away taking useless photos while educating themselves as to the different results their SLR can provide. This aspect of digital SLR photography is truly amazing, and industry changing. It will undoubtedly drive a large growth in the number of SLR users as consumers expect more professional results in their photography.
The first thing to understand about digital SLR cameras is that buying your first SLR is not a light decision. When you buy an SLR, you will undoubtedly begin to collect various lenses to achieve the different results you desire. Under no circumstances is the acquisition of lenses inexpensive or an easy decision. In reality, the fact that lenses are so expensive should serve as a warning flag to those that they are getting into a very costly hobby. When purchasing your first SLR, you will be committing to the lens format of the manufactuer. When you buy a Canon SLR, you can only use lenses designed for the Canon lens system, likewise if you buy a Nikon, you can only use lenses designed for Nikon SLR bodies. Luckily there are third party manufacturers such as Sigma and Tamron who market multiple versions of their lenses and usually at a savings to a lens of similar specification from Canon or Nikon.
The Purchase
I personally use Canon SLR camera bodies, this was a decision I made in the mid 1990’s and have stuck with in order to continue using the lenses I have acquired to date. I am happy with Canon and their products, and find them to be of very high quality and also affordable.
If I were advising someone as to how to acquire the new SLR they want to purchase, I would suggest reviewing the prices of online retailers such as amazon.com and newegg.com. There are many “deal” websites out there, the main one I would recommend is www.slickdeals.net. These deal websites provided the latest deals on digital SLRs. If you do your homework you can save hundreds of dollars on your SLR body purchase which can then be used in the purchase of lenses and other useful photo accessories. If you look closely, you will be able to squeeze every penny out of your purchase and get the most bang for your buck. Your end goal is to equip yourself with the equipment and accessories required to do battle in the photography world. Saving whenever and wherever you can will allow you to achieve this far more quickly and comfortably.
I advise any of my friends, family, and you to seriously consider purchasing your camera from a reputable seller such as amazon.com, newegg.com, or B&H Photo Video (a brick and motor store in New York City with a web store for the rest of the country). B&H Photo Video is the one unique brick and motor store I am comfortable recommending, because they have a vast selection of accessories in stock, and their prices are usually in line or not too far off of amazon.com’s.
If by some chance you buy equipment from amazon.com, make sure that the actual purchase is coming from amazon.com. Often times there are 3rd party vendors selling through amazon.com, you want to avoid these vendors at all costs. While they savings might be appealing, in reality you are probably better off with peace of mind that comes from purchasing from a reputable and accountable seller. My experiences with 3rd parties sellers have been less than satisfying, I have incurred long shipping delays, no contact or responses, and previously used products marketed as new.
If you do have a problem with your equipment, amazon, newegg, and bhphoto stand by their sales and offer various return/exchange policies that will help protect you from a bad purchase. Again, the main benefit to purchasing online is great cost savings over your local photography store. If you can save $300 on your camera body, that’s $300 you can spend on a nice lens and filter. Local stores will try to scare you into thinking your camera will have no warranty if you purchase it anywhere else but their store. Amazon.com, newegg.com, and BHPhoto.com are all authorized retailers and in fact sell a lot more than your local store. Canon has a repair center located in New Jersey, if there is any substantial problem with your camera, you can take it to the store and they will ship it to Canon for you, or you can cut out the middleman, save time, and send your camera directly to the repair center. Do not be fooled by the local camera store, the only service they provide in this day and age is the ability to get your hands on a physical product you don’t own. While they feel this is an amazing service which vindicates their prices, to me there are far more than enough product reviews and sample photos out there for an up and coming photographer to rely on in making an educated purchase. Most cities have lens rental businesses, that rent lenses by the day, week or month. There are online lens renting services as well – all of which can be used to further test the equipment before purchase. And in reality, if you are unhappy or not satisfied by your purchase, you can return it or resell it, lenses retain a significant amount of their value.
So what do you need to begin?
SLR manufacturers sell their cameras as body only or as kits which include a starter lens. Initially the lenses provided in these kits were not very good, but their quality and features have slowly been increasing with time. In the end, an SLR user will want to replace these lenses once they see the result quality lenses can provide. The “kit lens” is useful if you want to begin taking shots right out of the box without owning any other lenses. If this is your first digital SLR, I would advise purchasing a camera with the lens kit. You can then play with the camera and determine what type of photography you would like to first explore. Once you have decided what type of photography you want to pursue, you can purchase your first quality lens with the savings of avoiding the overpriced retail store.
When you order your camera, you will also need to purchase digital memory cards. Again the online retailers amazon.com and newegg.com will likely save you over 50% of the local in store retail prices. I highly advise purchasing your memory card needs online in order to cut costs dramatically. Don’t forget this step, have your memory card ready so you aren’t tempted to run out and over pay for that memory card. I also recommend getting a memory card that comes with a memory card reader, this way you can plug the memory card directly into the computer and do not need to unnecessarily involve the SLR to transfer photos.
So read the manufacturer websites, read product reviews, research prices, think about what kind of budget you have and choose the camera manufacturer you think provides the equipment and accessories you will need at an affordable cost. Place your order and wait for the camera and memory card to arrive.
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