Finding Just the Right Digital SLR Camera
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Digital SLR cameras is an ever expanding market. According to an IDC report titled 2007 Worldwide Digital Camera Market Share Review, of the 131 million units of digital still cameras sold worldwide, 7.5 million of those units were digital SLR cameras. Canon, Nikon, Sony and Olympus emerged as the top digital SLR manufacturers in terms of sales, with Canon leading the pack with a 43% share. Nikon, Sony and Olympus have 40%, 6% and 6% share, respectively.
The IDC report showed that Canon had been running alone atop the digital SLR camera market, but Nikon closed the gap, thanks to such popular models as the Nikon D300 and the Nikon D40x. In Japan, Nikon surpassed Canon in total digital SLR camera sales. “Nikon has always been the strong leader among professional photographers” says Minneapolis photographer Bob Dale.
Digital SLR, often abbreviated dSLR, stands for digital single lens reflex. The terminology single lens reflex refers to the fact that the camera lens has a mirror behind it that sends the captured light to the viewfinder.
In other words, there is light coming in through the lens, which is then sent by a mirror placed at a 90 degree angle to the pentaprism. When you take a picture, it is as simple as the mirror being lifted to allow the shutter to open. The light then is captured by the image sensor behind the shutter instead of being reflected by the mirror.
If you’re looking to buy a digital SLR camera, you’ll have plenty of choices. The most popular brands today are Canon, Nikon, Panasonic and Pentax. It’s not a coincidence that these manufacturers are also the top manufacturers of 35mm film SLR cameras.
Canon digital cameras are high quality cameras. In fact, the digital SLR cameras in the Canon EOS digital camera series are some of the best around. These Canon digital SLRs get high reviews in terms of picture quality, ease of use and a variety of other features.
With the Canon EOS line of digital SLR cameras, you will typically get about 10.1 megapixels of resolution. This is true of the Canon Digital Rebel series as well.
If you take a look at digital SLR camera reviews, you’ll see that the Canon cameras are typically at or near the top of the ratings charts. Product tester reviews and user reviews alike give Canon digital SLR cameras high marks.
Nikon is another respected manufacturer of digital SLR cameras. The recent Nikon D series of digital SLR cameras has carried on the strong reputation for Nikon cameras as being among the best in the world.
The Nikon D300 is the top of the Nikon D series line. With the Nikon D300 you get a large LCD screen to look at in place of the viewfinder. With a price at about $1,700, this is a good entry-level professional digital SLR camera. It is a good investment for those who need to take high quality digital photos.
For those who don’t need all of the professional features of the Nikon D300, the Nikon D40 is an excellent, budget alternative with a price of $450 to $650. You will get great shots with this 6.1 megapixel digital SLR camera. It features a compact design for people on the go. “It’s a super choice for doing travel photography” says professional digital photographer Bob Dale.
Still there’s the Nikon Coolpix P5100, one of the top rated digital SLR cameras in the point-and-shoot category. This camera has both automatic and manual control (zoom, focus and exposure), making it ideal for casual photographers. It has a 2.5-inch LCD display that you can use when setting up your shots instead of the viewfinder. This digital SLR camera retails between $200 and $300.
The Panasonic Lumix DMC line of digital SLR cameras is one of the best values on the market. From 2001 to 2007, Panasonic produced over 60 Lumix DMC digital SLR camera models, with the last of that era coming with 10.1 megapixels and a 12.5x zoom standard on each camera.
Panasonic digital cameras in general tend to be portable and reliable for taking pictures on the go. With most new models being in the $400 range, the Panasonic Lumix DMC cameras provide good pictures without requiring a big photography budget.
Just as Pentax was once a respected name in 35mm film SLR photography, it is gaining respect as a manufacturer of digital SLR cameras. Pentax cameras have a reputation for quality at fair prices. Pentax still remains competitive in these areas.
You can purchase Pentax digital SLR cameras for either casual photography or professional photography. The Pentax K lined of digital SLR cameras and the Pentax Optio line of digital SLR cameras both get good reviews. With these Pentax lines, you will get good digital photos and you can expect the standard sets of features found on modern digital SLR cameras.
You have far more options in digital SLR cameras than can be discussed here. Whatever your price range, if you do a little research, you can find a digital SLR camera that will take quality pictures for you. Price and features are the main variables when you compare your digital SLR options.
A few of the other things you’ll want to keep in mind when comparing digital SLR options are battery life, battery cost, camera warranty, and storage media options. But mainly, you will want to get a memory card that can hold 1,000 or more high resolution photos. After you invest a great deal of money in a camera, you will want to be sure you won’t run out of storage space when you’re out shooting photos and you visualize that perfect picture.
