Buying a Digital SLR Camera and Lens System
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Store to see cameras mentioned here.
In the past 4 years or so, since digital SLR (single-lens reflex) cameras began to come down in price so that the photography enthusiast could afford them, more photographers have been making the jump to SLR models. Digital SLR cameras offer the top image quality for serious photographers. Those who are more advanced shooters or who have deeper pockets are interested in such models as the Canon 40D, 50D or 5D and the Nikon D90 or D300 or other mid-range models. There are also many good entry-level models to choose from made by Canon, Nikon, Sony, Olympus and Pentax, and most models can be purchased with a kit lens or two.
Digital SLRs have the following advantages:
1. You are actually
seeing through the lens so, basically, what you see is what you get. The viewfinders
are larger and brighter so you can really see what you are shooting. Some have Live View
as well.
2. Faster startup and shot-to-shot times, shooting 3 to over 6 frames per second in high-speed
mode.
3. Low noise, resulting in cleaner images in low-light situations where it is necessary
to use higher ISO values.
4. High-quality interchangeable lenses from wide-angle to telephoto to suit your shooting
needs.
5. External flash units are available for better photos. They can be mounted on the camera’s
hot shoe and can be bounced off the ceiling or walls to avoid washing out your subjects
and harsh shadows created by on-board flashes.
6. Most have a large number of buttons and dials that allow very fast adjustments of settings
including Exposure Compensation, Metering modes, White Balance, Aperture and Shutter speed,
ISO, multi-shot/single shot mode, and focus points without using menus, which makes it much
faster and easier to change settings to suit the shooting conditions.
7. Digital SLRs focus and shoot extremely fast under most conditions so you won't miss the
shot and many have a special focus mode for moving subjects.
Considerations:
Digital SLR cameras
are larger and heavier than compact digicams. If you like to keep a camera in your pocket
or purse,
then an SLR may
seem overly large, but you can always have
a 2nd inexpensive "take-anywhere" pocket camera. The size is actually easy to get
used to after a short time and any inconvenience is more than made up for by the superior
image quality. This is especially true if you are shooting with a longer zoom lens which
generally produces a better image than shooting distant subjects with a compact digital camera,
sharper and much more detailed images are the rule.
Even though an SLR may have fewer or the same number of megapixels as a compact point-and-shoot
digicam, the actual resolution is much higher because they have larger sensors. For example,
a 6 megapixel SLR will produce a more detailed image than an 10 megapixel compact digicam,
and will allow you to print larger images that look great. Due to the larger sensors, SLRs
have less “noise” at high ISO settings than compact digital cameras with the same number
of megapixels. And keep in mind that reviewers have noticed little difference in prints up
to 11 x 14 from models with 8 and 10 megapixels. That is not necessarily true with
compact digital cameras where higher megapixels often causes higher noise levels OR
the deterioration of the images due to high in-camera noise suppression. The camera manufacturers
keep adding more megapixels to the same small sized sensors and some of these high
megapixel cameras don't produce better image quality than the preceding models with fewer
megapixels.
Camera and Lens System
When you purchase your digital SLR, keep in mind that you are purchasing a system which will include not only the camera, but lenses and external flash units and other accessories that you might be interested in later on. Therefore you should do research on the whole system including any lenses that you might be interested in purchasing later. Often quality lenses cost more than the camera especially if they are stabilized or professional quality. You might start out with the kit lens which is generally a shorter focal length of less than 100 mm and soon find that you need more reach for distant subjects such as wildlife or scenery. Or you may want to add a better quality wide-angle lens for shooting buildings and landscapes that takes better photos in lower light. You should, therefore, be aware of which lenses are available and what the prices are in the various systems from different manufacturers.
Canon and Nikon are the leaders in number of lenses available and generally Canon has the most and has lower prices on their stabilized and pro models. Also keep in mind that the 3rd party lens manufacturers Tokina, Sigma and Tamron make some very good quality lenes which are cheaper than Canon and Nikon and other camera brands and are now making stabilized lenses! Their quality control is not as high as Canon and Nikon so be sure to buy at bhphotovideo.com or adorama.com where you can return one for exchange if it is not up to par.
Lens Availability, Price, and Quality
Look at differences in price for the lenses you are interested in. You can check all the available Canon lenses here and the available Nikon (Nikkor) lenses here Then go to B & H to check prices.
If you are interested in Sony, Pentax or Olympus models, you can go to their sites to check lenses also.
Canon has a large assortment of lenses available and many are moderately priced. Read this great article on Canon lenses!
Image stabilized
lenses should be considered if you don’t want to use a tripod most of the time to avoid
blurring from camera shake at longer focal lengths. Some cameras from Sony,
Pentax and Olumpus now offer anti-shake technology in the camera, making any lens stabilized,
although this is a little less effective than stabilization in the
lens
itself.
So keep in mind, when shopping for a digital SLR, to consider not only the camera body, but
look at the whole system of lenses and accessories. Look for a manufacturer that offers a
wide range of lenses at prices you can afford, flash units, and other accessories you might
want. If you decided to upgrade your camera body in the future, you
will be able to use the same lenses and flash from major manufacturers. You can also purchase
3rd party lenses and accessories from vendors such as Sigma, Tamron and Tokina for Canon
and other brand cameras. A few of the new models from Sigma and Tamron even have stabilization!
Digital SLR manufacturers
Digital SLR models are manufactured by several companies. Currently, Canon is leading the market, with Nikon in 2nd place. Others include Sony, Pentax, Sigma, Samsung, Olympus and Fuji.
My Recommendations:
It depends on what your needs and budget are, but generally I recommend the Canon Rebel XSi as it has outstanding image quality, low noise, 12 megapixels, and you have a large assortment of quality Canon lenses to choose from. But you should make you own decision and let your budget be your guide. If you have a larger budget, look at the Canon 50D or the Nikon D90 or D300. If you have a smaller budget, look at the entry level Canon XS, Nikon D60 or several Sony, Pentax and Olympus models. (I would choose Sony over Pentax and Olympus.)
I don't recommend the Canon 28 - 135 IS lens. I got one and it's not very good! Check out the new Sigma 18 - 200 OS Optical Stabilizer lens. I know several who have it and are well satisfied for the price and range.
Current Canon EOS models:
Rebel XS - lowest
priced Canon Rebel, 10 megapixels - check prices for body and for kits
Rebel
XSi - top Rebel model, 12 megapixels - check prices for body and kits
Canon EOS 40D - mid-priced
model, 10 megapixels - will be available through the end of the year at least, price dropped
from $1300 to less than $1000 online for
body only - ISO
100 - 1600 (standard)
Canon EOS 50D - new
mid-priced model, 15 megapixels, ISO 100 - 3200 (standard) - $1400 body only
If you already have a collection of Nikon lenses, or you like the features you might want to go with a Nikon SLR.
Current Nikon models:
D40 - budget-priced
model - 6 megapixels
D60 - nicer entry level model - 10 megapixels
D80 - 10 megapixels $599
D90 - 12 megapixels (New
- will replace D80) around $1000
D200 - 10 megapixels $1000
(older model now)
D300 12 megapixels
- newer advanced amateur model, around $1600
Other SLRs:
Several Sony Alpha models such as 200, 300, 350, and 700
Olympus Evolt -several models
Pentax - several models with
Shake Reduction
Please visit my Camera
Store to
see some cameras mentioned here.
Lens recommendations
You obviously need a lens to go with your new SLR. You might want to start with a normal-range lens such as the kit lens that is available with most models. Or you might want to purchase the body only and choose a better quality general purpose or different focal-length lens instead of the kit lens if your budget permits. Normally kit lenses are not very high quality, with a couple of exceptions, so you might want to research lens quality online before making your purchase. Go to http://dpreview.com for help with lens choices in their Discussion Forums as they have one for each camera manufacturer and various models too and lens forums.
Lenses come not only in specified focal lengths, but are also have specified apertures or f-stops that refer to the “speed” of the lens. A lens with a wide aperture such as f/2.8 or less is referred to as a “fast” lens because it can let in more light resulting in faster shutter speeds. Many lenses have slower maximum apertures such as f/4 or 4.5. They are mainstream lenses and are good for outdoor photography with pretty good available light or indoors using flash. They are physically smaller, lighter weight and usually less expensive than fast lenses.
Keep in mind that you get what you pay for with lenses! If possible, purchase lenses with good reviews or "L" Canon lenses. If you purchase a Canon SLR, consider the 70 - 300 IS USM lens if you want a long telephoto lens. It is the best inexpensive long focal-length zoom lens Canon offers and has good reviews and the price isn’t bad, around $550. That’s about the same price as the 17 – 85 IS, which is a good “walk-about” all-purpose lens. A popular lens that costs about twice as much is the Canon 14 – 105 L lens. Also consider “prime” lenses, which have a single, fixed focal length such as 35 mm, 50 mm, 85 mm, 100 mm, etc. These lenses are generally a little sharper than zoom lenses and sometimes they are cheaper and faster lenses.
There are also are a few good 3rd party lenses for Canon and Nikon, such as Sigma, Tamron and Tokina, but most don’t have built-in stabilization. The newer ones do, so check them out to save money.
If you can get the camera body and kit lens for only about $100 more, that would be worth having. Be sure if you get a Canon camera sure to get the new Canon 18 - 55 IS with stabilization as it's a lot better than the older model without stabilization. Ask questions on the forums before buying if you are concerned with lens quality!
Digital SLR accessories
Memory Cards
Most SLRs use Compact Flash cards but some smaller ones use SD cards. Your camera will produce big files, especially if you shoot Raw, so get several memory cards in the 2 – 8 Gb range.
Also pay close attention to the SPEED of the card. Make sure you get at least a 50X speed card, such as the Kingston Elite Pro. Cards come in several higher speeds so get a fast one. AVOID cards that show no rating or less than 50! I think Sandisk Extreme III or Ultra II cards are the most reliable and they are inexpensive and fast.
Most photographers don’t use small cases for their SLRs. Instead, invest in a camera bag than can hold all your gear; camera, lenses, flash, lens hoods, batteries, cards, etc. These come in several styles from Tamrac and Lowepro, among others; backpacks, shoulder bags, rolling bags, and combo bags that can be shoulder/backpack/waist bags.
External Flash Units
The advantage of flash units is that they can be pointed upward or at an angle to provide bounced flash that illuminates the subject with soft, diffused light rather than harsh, direct, “in your face” light that can whitewash your subject and cause harsh shadows behind the subject. They can also be used off the camera on a bracket or in another location.
Filters
Many
people like to use a UV Haze filter
over their expensive lenses to prevent scratches or damage to the surface of the lens and
for
easy dust cleaning. If you want to purchase
a filter, get a good brand such as a Hoya Pro 1 (Multicoated) or even better, B + W brand
filters to avoid lessening the quality of the images. Polarizing filters are also popular
for reducing
reflections
and deepening blue skies, like polarizing sunglasses. I buy my filters at http://2filter.com
Lens Cleaning
Be sure to purchase a microfiber cleaning cloth and some lens cleaning solution. Never drop the solution directly on the lens. Put one or two drops on the cloth and clean the lens or filter. 2filter.com sells a great cleaning solution and cleaning cloths.
Sensor dust cleaning
You are not likely to have a problem with dust on the sensor if you change lenses inside a home or vehicle or in any other clean environment. If you change lenses outside or often, then you might find dust on your sensor. Read my sensor cleaning article for information.