Digital SLR Camera - How to Find the Best Digital SLR Camera

STEP 1: WHAT KIND OF PHOTOGRAPHER ARE YOU?

When you're seeking a significant other instead of a digital camera, one of the main issues is compatibility. a high-strung type A personality probably won't get along too well with a laid-back slob. A social butterfly will have a hard time in a relationship with an introvert. Whether you're swimming in the dating pool or looking for the best digital SLR camera, the first thing you need to have is some awareness of what YOU are like.

Here are a few questions to get you thinking:

• Do you take most of your photos indoors or outside?
• Do you tend to photograph people or places?
• Do you want subjects to stay still or do you prefer them in motion?
• Do you take photos in dim light or where light is plentiful?
• Do you just want to capture stills or both stills and video?
• How often do your print your digital images? At what sizes?

Once you've got a clear sense of self, you'll have a much better chance of quickly building a short list of cameras that you're interested in. After all, if you don't have any criteria at all, then EVERY camera out there might be a match. Narrow the field by knowing what types of photos (and video) you expect the camera to capture.

STEP 2: WHAT THE HECK IS ISO?

Trying to grasp digital SLR jargon can be a lot like going out on a blind date with someone who speaks a foreign language. Go to any major web site that provides information about digital SLRs (or any brick and mortar store for that matter) and you'll be barraged with terms like megapixels, ISO, HDMI, Live View and LCD.

But what if you don't know megapixels from monkeys? How can you make an informed decision about getting a camera with built-in image stabilization and face-detection autofocus if you're really not sure how these features benefit YOU, the photographer?

Before you talk to a single salesperson or start comparing features online, have at least a basic understanding of the jargon. There's no need to become an expert - leave that to the people who have spare time. Instead, take just enough time to grasp the fundamentals. This is absolutely essential. Here's why: if you don't have a handle on a specific feature or term, a salesperson can leverage that lack of knowledge to sell you more camera than you really need. Standing there in the store, it can be quite easy to justify the need for an 11-point autofocus paired with a 5 photo-per-second continuous capture speed. But if these features aren't a very good match for the type of photos you want to take (which you already know, right?) then you're spending an awful lot of money on something you'll rarely use.

STEP 3: MAKE YOUR MATCH

You now have two valuable pieces of information at your disposal:

1. You know what types of photos you want to take with the camera
2. You have a basic understanding of the industry jargon

Armed with this knowledge, NOW is the time to head to your local camera store or start browsing the specifications of different camera models online.

In an ideal world, you'd find a perfect match between your individual photographic style and a camera with only the features you needed and nothing more. This scenario isn't very likely - you'll either have to settle for a camera that doesn't quite have every feature you want but is within your budget, or you may wind up spending a bit more for a camera with a couple of features you'll never use. The important point to keep in mind is that at least you won't wind up with a digital SLR that's completely disconnected from your photography style. While it might not satisfy your every photographic need, at least it won't leave you feeling disappointed with your purchase.

STEP 4: READ REVIEWS

By this point, you should have a short list of one to five digital SLR cameras that you're interested in (or three to five dates, depending upon how you're reading this guide). These are the models that seem like a good fit for your individual needs. Now you just need to determine if the cameras really work the way the manufacturers would have you believe, or if it's all just a lot of marketing hype. One way to figure this out is to read online reviews of the cameras from professional camera reviewers and other regular consumers like you.

The good thing about professional reviews is that they go in-depth into the functionality of the camera, and investigate every little knob, dial and menu setting. If there's something quirky or bizarre about how a camera operates, you can be sure that it will be called out. The bad side to professional reviews is that many assume that you are a quasi-expert in digital SLR camera technology, and the reviewer may not have the same photographic style that you do.

That's where the consumer reviews come in. If you look hard enough, you'll find hundreds of individual reviews of every digital SLR camera on the market today. While some of these reviewers will also be quasi-professionals (and will automatically assume you know the jargon) many others are average folks who want to share their experience with others.

STEP 5: TRY BEFORE YOU BUY

Once you've got a pretty good idea of the ideal digital SLR camera for you, then the next step - if possible - is to drop by your local camera store (or major electronics retailer) to hold the camera in your hands.

While the camera manufacturers write long-winded press releases about how cool their autofocus is (and why it's better than everyone else's) they often don't address a key issue: ergonomics. Some cameras will simply fit into your hand better than others: this is partly due to the size of your hand but it's also due to the shape of the camera. Don't discount the importance of how a camera "feels" when you hold it. A camera that's incredibly comfortable to hold will find its way into your hand more often - one that's uncomfortable will find itself gathering dust on a shelf.

Closely related to ergonomics is the issue of how the manufacturer has laid out the controls and menus on the camera. Some menus are big and bright (and hence easy to read by people with bad eyesight) while others require a magnifying glass to decipher. Some cameras have laid out their buttons in a very intuitive manner while others require frequent readings of the user manual just to make simple adjustments.

These types of issues will never come to light if you just read online reviews - but the minute you get a camera in your hands, you'll immediately know if you've found the right fit or if more research is required.

STEP 6: BARGAINS TAKE PATIENCE

Here's a fact - the price of every digital SLR camera has dropped a few months after its initial release. What does this mean for you? If you can resist, don't buy any digital SLR if it's brand new on the shelves. Digital SLR technology advances at an absurd pace: cameras that are merely a year old are already being rendered obsolete by the latest models.

The bad news here is that a year from now you may have the urge to upgrade because the latest and greatest new feature (not included in your camera) is now available. The good news is that the manufacturers are well aware of the limited lifespan of each one of their cameras.

Since this is the case, they release new camera models at relatively high prices to take advantage of the buzz built up by the marketing campaigns. But a few short months later, the price on a camera can drop anywhere from $50 to $200 (depending upon supply and demand). When it comes to new digital SLRs it pays to wait...literally.

IN CONCLUSION

Finding the best digital SLR that will last you for years to come is not an easy task. After all, these cameras are expensive, and you want to be sure that you're making a great choice and not just throwing your money down the drain. You also want to pick a camera that will satisfy your photographic needs for several years to come (so you don't have to go through this all over again within 12 months). Now what if you've read this entire article and STILL don't have the slightest idea what you want to photograph and how you might leverage the power and performance of an SLR? For you - and you're not alone - there is a solution: buy a used digital SLR that is several years old.

First, there are plenty of options to choose from. Many people want to upgrade their cameras every couple of years, so they sell off the old to make room for the new. Second, these cameras are cheap: you can get an SLR with tons of features for less than the cost of a new camera with just the basic features. Finally - and here's the key point - you can use this old, used SLR to determine what you REALLY want to take pictures of.

As you use the camera, you'll come to recognize how it limits your photographic abilities. As you come up against these barriers, write them down. You'll wind up with a detailed list of what your current camera can't do that you really wish it could. And guess what? You've also got an exact list of the features that you need to look for in a new digital SLR camera when you're finally ready to upgrade.

This should give you the confidence to go out there and find the best digital SLR camera that will keep you happy (and taking great pictures) for a long time to come.

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Chris Roberts is a photographer and SLR enthusiast who's been snapping pictures with digital SLR cameras for over 5 years. His web site - the Digital SLR Guide - provides information and resources for beginning photographers about cameras, lenses and accessories.