Regardless of whether you're a newcomer to digital photography or an experienced photographer looking to upgrade to a camera with higher resolution and a wider range of adjustable controls, the latest digital SLR (DSLR) cameras have plenty to offer. They're smaller, lighter and their sensors have enough resolution to produce A3-sized prints. ... [more]How many megapixels? What type of sensor? How much do you need to spend? Professional vs enthusiast cameras; build quality and functionality; control; accessories; how important is brand loyalty? DSLR constraints; dust on DSLR sensors. ... [more]The lenses supplied with most enthusiast DSLRs (and a few pro-sumer models) are a good starting point but involve certain compromises so, once the early learning period is over, most photographers look at how they can extend the range of subjects they cover by purchasing additional lenses. The quality of the camera's lens is as important as the size and resolution of the sensor. It's also important to match the lens to both the camera body and the types of pictures you want to take. ... [more]If you've never used an SLR camera before, coming to grips with the many controls and settings on a DSLR camera can be daunting. And, even if you're familiar with the mode dials and menu systems on a film SLR, things are often done differently on DSLRs as additional settings are involved. ... [more]Exposing correctly is the key to successful photography - both analogue and digital - and DSLR cameras provide photographers with all the controls they need to create correctly-exposed pictures. ... [more]Enthusiast DSLRs generally provide a range of pre-set 'scene' modes to help novice users choose appropriate exposure settings for different types of subjects. Sometimes they are selected via the mode dial, while at other times a special set of pages in the shooting menu is used. Some cameras use a combination of mode dial and menu settings and a few provide sample illustrations and/or text explanations on the LCD monitor to explain what the selected mode does. ... [more]If you've moved from using a film SLR camera to a digital SLR, there are a couple of new controls that handle aspects of image capture that were formerly dealt with in your choice of film: sensitivity and colour balance. One of the benefits of a digital camera is the ability to change these parameters on a shot-by-shot basis, instead of being committed to the film's pre-set values. Fortunately, both settings are easily understood and simple to relate to similar aspects of film choice. ... [more]The focus control is used to make subjects look sharp in photographs. All DSLR cameras come with both manual and automatic focusing (AF) controls. The AF systems in modern DSLRs are generally fast, effective with most subjects and easy to use. Most cameras offer several AF modes; typically single and continuous AF, predictive or tracking AF, multi-area focusing and spot AF. ... [more] |