dSLR?

[xaviersmith]

Hi! I am Xavy. I currently have a Kodak V1253 but I'm itching to have a dSLR. Most of my friends have one and I've always loved the quality of the pix when taken with an SLR cam. What is the cheapest SLR cam in the market?

[Tiberius]

Considering that when you buy a dSLR you aren't buying a camera, but a camera system, you should be looking to enter a system that is capable of growing with you as your skills develop. if you don't, you might find yourself switching between Canon and Nikon, for example, which would require you to learn two camera systems.

Canon and Nikon are the two leaders, but Pentax and Sony also have some good cameras out there. However, each of them uses their own lenses, so a Canon lens won't fit onto a Nikon camera.

All the brands make some pretty decent entry level dSLRs. The best advice I can give you is to make a list of what you want in a camera body (ignore the lenses at first, because you can always buy more later). And a high mexapixel count should NOT be among your must haves! Megapixels mean very little. Some things to look for are the image quality at high ISO ratings, how comfortable it is to hold (bearing in mind that with a lens and a flash they can get quite heavy), the range of lenses available, image quality and how easy the features are to use (for example, you don't want to have to go through five different menus to change the white balance!)

After you have a list of what you want, decide how much you are willing to spend. You should plan on starting out with a camera body, and a zoom lens that has a focal length of around 17-50mm. most brands have "kit" lenses around here. They aren't the best quality, and don't give the best image, but they are a fairly decent place to start.

Then, go to a good camera shop. They'll let you hold the camera and take some test photos with it in the store. if they don't, then they aren't a good shop and you shouldn't go back. Take a memory card (look online first to see what cards the cameras you are interested in take!) so you can have a look at the full size pics when you get home.

Also read reviews about the cameras. You aren't going to get a full feel for the camera just by playing with it for five minutes in a shop.

After that, you'll be in a much better position to chose which camera system is right for you.