What Dslr Would You Recommend For A Beginner

4 Responses to “What Dslr Would You Recommend For A Beginner?”

tom n says:

January 13, 2010 at 00:57

vicseo, did you just call your p&s panasonic camera a Leica? Hmm.
Lily of the Valley

P&S cameras are ok for snap shots, however it sounds like you want to be more involved in your photography. For this you need a camera with a lens mount which can accomodate all types of lenses and filters, extention tubes and maybe even bellows.

There are two types of camera that fit the above description in small format photography. First one is a rangefiner (this is what Leica is famous for) and the second type is an SLR camera. SLR’s are the most popular small format camera. Nikon are the market leaders at the moment, with Canon a close second. All other manufacturers are just playing catch up. Sony are ones to watch for the future, but are still a far cry from the two I previously mentioned.

The reason I talk about market leadership is that when you buy an SLR, you are buying into a ‘system’. If you buy Nikon, you buy Nikon lenses or Nikon equivelant lenses. Same with Canon, Sony et al. Nikon and Canon have the largest range of lenses and accessories available to use and in fact you can use fifty year old Nikon lenses on brand new DSLR’s.

Which ever brand you decide on, I strongly recommend that you start with a prime lens. By this a mean a lens of a fixed focal length (not a zoom). I would start out with a 50mm lens. These are usually the cheapest lenses and replicate roughly the way the human eye sees things. Come to grips with the focal length, learn how it reproduces the images you take. Use it, and nothing but it for three months (depending on how often you shoot). Then change to another focal length such as a wide angle, then onto a telephoto. Another way to do this, if you do not wish to own prime lenses (perhaps your camera comes with a kit lens), is to set the zoom lens to 50mm* on the marking on the lens, and have the dicipline to keep it at that focal lenght until you have come to grips with, as described above. Do not be tempted to zoom in or out.

The problem with zoom lenses is that most people who learn with them, end up using them incorrectly. The correct way to use a zoom is to visualise the desired focal length of the image you want to take (this is something you will learn to do, especially if you use the method I described earlier), set the zoom to the desired focal length, then look through the viewfinder and frame the shot. If your subject is not big enough, then use your feet to step forward. If it is too big, then step back. Zooms are only designed to eliminate the need to carry several focal length lenses, not to just stand in one spot and zoom in or out like you would on a point and shoot camera.

So to give a recommendation, I like Nikon. Nikon D40.
vicseo says:

January 13, 2010 at 02:53

If you are really on a budget and want the best quality for the money, check out the P&S Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28 which has more features than most pro DSLRs that require auxiliary lenses not even equal to the single initial full-range lense that comes with the FZ28.

It’s an all-in-one 10.1 megapixel DSLR camera which includes
(1) built-in image stabilization;
(2) HDTV quality video [Quicktime];
(3) a 18x zoom [27 - 486 mm (35mm equiv.)] “Leica” lense for nature photography;
(4) up to 0.39 inch macro option; (v) up to 6400 ASA; (vi) takes up to 380 pictures per 120 min. battery charge;
(5) has a “burst speed” of 13 fps;
Good luck!
blue guru says:

January 13, 2010 at 09:12

I started w/ the Canon Rebel years ago in college, and I move to the Rebel DSLR when I went digital. I moved up to a pro soon after and like that my lenses are universal so I can use them on any Canon body. Rebel is a really nice starter DSLR. Nikon is popular, too.
Sakura says:

January 13, 2010 at 15:18

Nikon D40 or Canon Rebel XT