DSLR 101

First of all, this post is not for the professionals, or even the advanced level photographers. This post is primarily for those people who are sitting on the fence on upgrading to a Digital Single-Lens Reflex camera (DSLR), or to those who want to buy a camera but not sure if they are ready to jump straight to a DSLR.  Also, don’t expect this post to be very technical, this post is based mainly on my experience of using DSLR for past three years.

If you are thinking of buying an advanced (high-end) compact camera, and if the portability (size) is not an issue for you, then you should go ahead and buy a lower end DSLR. If you can afford, then you can even shoot for a higher end DSLR . The camera I have now, Nikon D40, costs around $400 -$500, with kit lens.  A higher end compact camera will easily cost you from $350 -$500.  I understand, it’s not always advisable and possible to carry a bulky camera around, but for those “Kodak moments” you always have your cell phone camera. The camera’s in the cellphone, today, are far better than my very first 2MP HP digital camera

The biggest secret of a DSLR taking great pictures, even when a novice is operating it in an Auto Mode, has to do with it’s larger sensor designs. These sensors can capture more light, even in darker conditions, hence producing crisp images with reduced noise.  Compared to compact cameras, DSLR normally focuses faster and shoots fast without the shutter delay. Think of the times you wanted to take a picture of some event, when you finally clicked your compact camera, and that event has passed. Also, you can take very fast continuous shots of an object. These qualities alone will make Geoff Boycott say “Even my mom could take better picture with a DSLR”.

Unlike the compact cameras, with DSLR you can change the lens based on your requirements. For starters, let say choosing from your kit lens of 18-55mm to take pictures inside a room (closer objects) or choosing 55-200mm to take pictures of birds (farther objects) on the field. The sky is the limit, when you think  about the type of lenses for different occasions, the more you know about them, less you feel you have known. If you want to learn more, check this site to see some of the DSLR lesnes.

Now let me talk about my experience with DSLR. Like some of the available texts recommends, and based on my own knowledge, never fall for the megapixel trap. Paying more money to get higher megapixel camera is no longer worth it. My six megapixel Nikon D40 can easily produce excellent16x20” pictures, now why would you want to pay more for higher megapixel camera (unless you often require very BIG prints)?

Unless you are a “very serious” photographer, don’t invest much on your camera. A hobbyist photographer like me, in three years time, still haven’t figured out all the functions of my “lower end” DSLR. It’s very easy to get carried away and buy a higher end DSLR , the functions on it will definitely overwhelm you. If you are like me, it’s very unlikely that you will be requiring all those extras.

Save money on your camera, and if possible use those savings on the lenses. The best thing about DSLR, I feel, is not the camera but the lenses that you can use with it. The quality of the images primarily depends upon the lenses you use. The lens you buy now can be used on higher end DSLR too, if you ever graduate from your current one. My camera came with two kit lenses: 18-55mm and 55-200mm.

If I was this wise three years ago, I would have still bought the Nikon D40. However, I would have purchased a  35mm lens (fixed zoom) and a zoom lens of 18-105mm (or 18-200mm, budget permitting). A 35mm lens because I have slightly graduated since last three years, and I want different lens to further fine tune my photography. A zoom lens of 18-105mm, applicable to all prospective DSLR buyers, to save from constantly switching of the lenses. Unless you are into some specialized photography, you would really want to play a lot with the zoom for taking pictures. Imagine this, you are outdoors and you see a nice bird on a tree. You take out your camera, which has 18-55mm lens on it. You are not satisfied with the zoom level, so you replace the lens with 55-200mm. Now you got a real close up, and you are very happy with the pictures you captured. You get to your home, and now you have to take pictures of your family. The current lens won’t be able to zoom-out enough to compose all your family members within the view, you again have to change the lens back to 18-55mm. In all this process of interchanging, you not only can miss out on some of the events but your camera’s sensor is also likely to be affected with dust. I highly recommend buying a single zoom lens instead of trying to use the combination of two, especially for the starters. This would cost you more, but will definitely make you more satisfied in the long run. If money is THE issue, you can still be very happy with just one 18-55mm lens.

I can go on more on the filters for the camera, or the external flash; but I would like to stop my post on DSLR 101 here. I hope my post will be very helpful for the starters; and if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. For more resources, check out one of my favorite site, it’s simple and full of common sense.