This article is aimed at entry level photographers trying to decide what they should purchase as their first digital camera.
While camera bodies such as the Rangefinders, Dual Lens Reflex, and the hot items of the year: Four-Third Interchangeable Lens Cameras all have their strengths, the Single Lens Reflex (SLR) is by far the most popular camera to own. However, if you walk into a consumer electronics store or do a search on an online retailer like Amazon, you’ll find multiple manufacturers with up to dozens of SLR in their lineup. Which should you pick?
Choose Nikon or Canon
According to Flickr’s user base, the 2 biggest player in the SLR market are Nikon and Canon. These two makers have a huge community of followers to provide feedback, reviews, and support to other users. No offense to other camera makers, their equipment also create amazing images. But let’s narrow down our search to these 2 brands.
The Simple Answer – Choose Ergonomics
Walk into a store that has a large selection of Canon and Nikon cameras you can put your hands on. Find the one that’s within your budget and best fit in your hands. That’s the one you want to buy. Done, you can stop reading now if you want, and start shooting pictures with your new toy!
To define the value of a picture based on its image quality is a shortcoming of most entry level photographer. In most cases, focus and sharpness get too much attention and what REALLY make a picture great: the subject mater and composition, don’t get enough emphasis. Today’s modern digital SLRs (even the entry level ones) are all capable of creating phenomenal images. Find a camera your hands are comfortable with and start taking pictures!
Mega Pixel Myth
A question a LOT of first time SLR buyer asks: Shouldn’t I always get the camera with more Mega Pixel because they make better picture?
The answer is “no”, Mega Pixel count is mostly a marketting push. Image quality has nothing to do with how many Mega Pixel a camera can crank out. The MP count is a factor to the image size. Basically, If you don’t plan to print anything in billboard size, all current models of Digital SLRs have enough Mega Pixel for most consummers and hobbyists.
This article did not going into a lot of technical details. Technical details are overrated anyways, especially for someone who’s looking for their first Digital SLR. As a beginner, you shouldn’t pay much attention to the camera, and concentrate on composition to make better pictures. I know a guy who has owned his camera for ove a year, but keep messing around with its techinical capabilities and playing around with different lenses. He has taken less than a hundred shots and still have no sense of basic composition. Don’t be that guy.
Choosing Your First Digital SLR
This article is aimed at entry level photographers trying to decide what they should purchase as their first digital camera.
While camera bodies such as the Rangefinders, Dual Lens Reflex, and the hot items of the year: Four-Third Interchangeable Lens Cameras all have their strengths, the Single Lens Reflex (SLR) is by far the most popular camera to own. However, if you walk into a consumer electronics store or do a search on an online retailer like Amazon, you’ll find multiple manufacturers with up to dozens of SLR in their lineup. Which should you pick?
Choose Nikon or Canon
According to Flickr’s user base, the 2 biggest player in the SLR market are Nikon and Canon. These two makers have a huge community of followers to provide feedback, reviews, and support to other users. No offense to other camera makers, their equipment also create amazing images. But let’s narrow down our search to these 2 brands.
The Simple Answer – Choose Ergonomics
Walk into a store that has a large selection of Canon and Nikon cameras you can put your hands on. Find the one that’s within your budget and best fit in your hands. That’s the one you want to buy. Done, you can stop reading now if you want, and start shooting pictures with your new toy!
To define the value of a picture based on its image quality is a shortcoming of most entry level photographer. In most cases, focus and sharpness get too much attention and what REALLY make a picture great: the subject mater and composition, don’t get enough emphasis. Today’s modern digital SLRs (even the entry level ones) are all capable of creating phenomenal images. Find a camera your hands are comfortable with and start taking pictures!
Mega Pixel Myth
A question a LOT of first time SLR buyer asks: Shouldn’t I always get the camera with more Mega Pixel because they make better picture?
The answer is “no”, Mega Pixel count is mostly a marketting push. Image quality has nothing to do with how many Mega Pixel a camera can crank out. The MP count is a factor to the image size. Basically, If you don’t plan to print anything in billboard size, all current models of Digital SLRs have enough Mega Pixel for most consummers and hobbyists.
This article did not going into a lot of technical details. Technical details are overrated anyways, especially for someone who’s looking for their first Digital SLR. As a beginner, you shouldn’t pay much attention to the camera, and concentrate on composition to make better pictures. I know a guy who has owned his camera for ove a year, but keep messing around with its techinical capabilities and playing around with different lenses. He has taken less than a hundred shots and still have no sense of basic composition. Don’t be that guy.