Choosing a Camera
If you continue your photo lifestyle for any length of time, you will eventually graduate from your digital point and shoot camera, and be ready for an SLR. This will lead you to the daunting task of choosing a camera.
There are many models and styles to choose from and you will have to do the research and look into choosing a camera that suits your particular needs and budget, but I heard a very easy to understand explanation yesterday that may help point you in the right direction.
There are many cameras to choose from and they are all adequate. Some we will not discuss today are excellent choices, but many people end up narrowing their choice to the Canon Rebel, the Canon EOS 40D, or one of the better Nikon cameras.
The Canon Rebel comes in a 10.1 or 12.2 megapixel version, and has a relatively low list price of $600 to $800. It’s designed as a first SLR for people who are just stepping up from a pocket camera, and don’t want to spend time learning how to use it. The purpose was to create a camera with the power of an SLR, an affordable price point, and the menu driven ease of use of a pocket camera. The cost has been driven down by using less expensive materials, so the Canon Rebel is not as sturdy as a full SLR, but is much smaller and lighter for ease of use. If your purpose for choosing and SLR is to take better pictures of family and vacations, but you don’t plan to make your photo lifestyle a serious hobby, the Canon Rebel is the camera of choice for you. Some great features are a self cleaning dust detecting interior, and an anti movement feature that allows you to be all shaky, and still take clear shots.
If you want to get a bit more serious about photography, you may be a prime candidate for the Canon EOS 40D. Yes, I know the 50D is the newest model of the EOS, and has a whopping 15.1 megapixels, but honestly, unless you’re planning to create and sell large poster sized prints, I can’t imagine needing, or wanting to store a file that large for each photo you take. The Canon EOS 40D is a more modest 10.1 megapixel camera for a list price of $1099. That’s without a lens, and is $400 less than the 50D. For most people, unless you achieve semi-professional status, the Canon EOS 40D will be all the camera you need for a lifetime of pursuing the photo lifestyle. It will take some time to learn to use all the features, but being a top of the line Canon, will last until you are too old to have an interest in photography, or until you dump it into the lake, whichever comes first.
Most of the professional or semi-professional photographers I know here in Japan are using a Nikon. If you’re choosing a camera for a more serious professional application, you may be interested in their top of the line models for several thousand dollars. They are more technical to learn to use, but offer the widest possible range of manually tweakable features, and will deliver a stunning result with the proper knowledge and skill.
There are other cameras out there that are worth looking into. Sony has just come out with an antishake viewfinder that looks interesting, but I think if you have these three basic levels in mind, you’ll have an easier time comparing the different models you’re considering in choosing a camera.