Top 5 Tips for Buying a Digital SLR Camera

Just a few short years ago picking the best digital Single Lens Reflex (SLR) camera was a snap: there were only a few models to choose from, and they all cost well above $2,000.

Today making a similar choice is not so cut-and-dried. New manufacturers have plunged into the market and there is greater competition and a wider range of cameras being offered.

So what’s a consumer to do? Approach your digital SLR purchase as if you were buying a new car. While the costs are considerably different, the steps you should take are almost identical.

TIP #1 – Know What You Want to Photograph
A single male living in the city doesn’t need the same type of car as a soccer mom living in the suburbs. In the same fashion, not everyone needs a top-of-the-line digital SLR camera.

It’s important to decide what you want to take pictures of before you go looking for the best camera. Do you enjoy taking portraits of friends and family outdoors, or are you trying to capture your son’s indoor basketball games?

The answers to questions like this will help you focus your search for the best digital SLR camera.

TIP #2 – Understand the Jargon
When you’re buying a car, it helps to be informed. When the pushy dealer tries to sell you on a twin-cam fuel injection system you’ll be able to reject the offer only if you are REALLY sure you don’t need it.

The same thing applies to digital SLRs: before you get involved in a conversation with a camera dealer, learn about terms like ISO, anti-shake and megapixels (hint: more megapixels DO NOT increase the quality of the image) so you don’t buy more camera than you really need.

TIP #3 – Hold Some Cameras
You wouldn’t go out and buy a new car without taking it for a test drive first, would you?

A test drive is your best opportunity to see if you like the way the car handles, if there’s enough room in the interior and how easy it is to adjust the stereo when you’re doing 70 on the Interstate.

Digital SLR cameras come in a variety of shapes and sizes - since you’re going to be taking a lot of photos with it, you should get a sense of how the camera feels in your hands before you make a decision to buy.

TIP #4 – Read Reviews
You’ve done your homework and you’ve taken a test drive. Are you ready to buy the car of your dreams? Well, not quite yet.

Before you make a final commitment, you’ll probably want to read reports about how well the car fared in crash tests and whether or not there is a serious defect with the vehicle make and model.

Since digital SLRs are just small computers with lenses on the front, they are subject to the same types of malfunctions that can plague your home computer. This is not to say that most digital SLRs fall apart within months – they don’t.

But some are more temperamental than others, and the only way to find out if you’re about to buy a real lemon is to read reviews from current owners.

TIP #5 – Buy From a Reputable Dealer
This last tip is VERY important.

When buying your car, you can either go to a dealer that others have recommended or you can take your chances with that shifty individual down at the used car lot.

Digital SLR cameras fall under the heading of “home electronics” and there are plenty of sleazy companies out there looking to make a quick buck by luring you in with unbelievable prices.

If you’re doing some price comparisons and come across a company selling a camera for half of what everyone else is selling it for, don’t walk, RUN away.

This is a bait-and-switch: they hook you with a low price and then sell you a lot of accessories that you really don’t need. End result? You actually wind up paying MORE (and spending a lot of your valuable time) than you would have if you’d just purchased from a respected and reputable dealer in the first place.
Source : Ezine

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Digital SLR Cameras | Should I Buy One?

The price of digital SLR cameras continues to fall. It is not so long ago that these were only affordable by professional photographers. Even then it was considered a major investment to buy one. As technology has advanced allowing prices to drop you will find digital SLR cameras now being owned by an increasing number of photography enthusiasts.

As the market for digital SLR cameras has expanded this has had a knock on effect in the range of compact digital cameras that are available. We are now seeing less and less advanced compact digital cameras that have features similar to those found on an SLR. These are effectively being squeezed out of the market by the cheaper SLR cameras. This in turn forces more people to buy an SLR if they are looking for a serious camera with a wide range of features. The biggest advantage from buying a digital SLR is the improvement you are likely to see in picture quality. There are two main reasons for this. The first is the size of the sensor that sits inside the camera and captures images. A sensor inside a typical SLR is far larger than one in a compact digital camera. The second reason is the quality of lenses. Those available to add to an SLR are of a much higher standard than you will find on a standard compact digital camera. You are also likely to find higher quality components and controls in general. The combination of these features all add up to better picture quality.

Another advantage is that you can build up a system of lenses over a period of time. The beauty of SLR photography is that you can buy specialist lenses for specific tasks. For example you can buy a wide angle lens for landscape shots and a macro lens for close up work. You will find that the largest part of your investment is in the lenses rather than the camera itself. This means that if eventually you would like to upgrade your camera or buy a spare one then your lenses should also work with the new camera.

It is important that you set aside a decent budget for lenses. Buying a cheap lens will lead to a reduction in picture quality. To help keep the overall costs reasonable when you are starting out you can consider buying a kit that includes a camera and one or two lenses. Always shop around for value. You will find prices really do vary from store to store.

If you own a traditional 35mm camera then you should be able to use the lenses you already have with a new digital model. This is true as long as any camera you buy has the same lens mount as your original camera. From time to time there are some restrictions that stop older lenses from working. I would always advise you to double check the compatibility of your existing lenses with the manufacturer before purchasing your camera. This is much better than being disappointed after you have spent your money.

There is one point to look out for with existing lenses or if you are planning to buy new ones. Any lenses made for 35mm cameras will have their focal length affected by the size of the sensor on a digital SLR. This occurs because the sensor inside a digital SLR is usually smaller than 35mm. This increases the telephoto capacity when the lens is used on a digital SLR and decreases its wide angle capability. New lenses have been introduced specifically for digital SLR cameras to alleviate this issue.

The leading brands are Canon and Nikon. Other established players are Fuji and Olympus. Konica Minolta has withdrawn from the market. Later entrants are Sony and Panasonic.
Source :Ezinearticles

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Canon's D60 Digital Cameras

Canon's D60 Digital Cameras
By Dorota Wysocki

Nick Muskovac, PPSA Palm Harbor, FL wrote very interesting article about Canon`s D60 digital camera. His article is inspired by individual experience and observation.

Author is active user of canon digital cameras. First one he had was Canon D 30. Comparing the canon D30 with D60 Mr. Muskovac finds than, the major difference is that the D60 has much more pixles - 6.3 million pixels which beats the D30 with 3.25 million pixels.

He emphasis that D60 is using the CMOS which draws less power and therefore the camera can shoot more pictures on one battery than most Point-and-Shoot cameras without the loss of image quality. The major specifications in Mr. Muskovacx` are:

D60 Specifications:

Type: Single Lens Reflex; 36 bit full color; CMOS direct imaging sensor

Compatible lenses: All Canon EF lenses

Lens focal length: 1.6 X indicated lens focal length

Imaging element: High sensitivity high resolution large single plate CMOS sensor

Effective sensor size: 22.7 X 15.1mm

Effective pixels: 6.29 million pixels (3072 X 2048)

Aspect ratio: 3:2

LCD monitor: TFT type color LCD monitor

Picture size: 1.8 inch

Recording method: Media--CF card (type I or II)

Formats: JPEG, RAW

Auto focus type--AF

Focusing points: 3 point (1 + 1)

AF working range: EV0.5 to EV18 (ISO 100)--This is a big improvement over the D30 with a range of EV2 to EV 18.

Focusing modes:

(1) One shot AF: AF locks when focus is achieved

(2) A1 servo AF: Tracks subject movement until the actual start of metering

(3) A1 focus AF: Automatically switches between one-shot AF mode and A1 servo AF.

(4) Manual focus: Manual focusing can be used when focusing mode switch on lens is set to manual focus (M)

Exposure control: 35-zone SPC and TTL open Metering

(1) Evaluative metering

(2) Center partial metering (approx. 9.5% of viewfinder area)

(3) Center weighted average value metering

Exposure modes:

(1) tv (time value) Shutter speed priority

(2) av (aperture value) Aperture-priority

(3) Auto depth of field priority

(4) Full Auto mode

(5) Manual mode

ISO speed range: Equivalent to 100, 200, 400, 800, 1000

Exposure compensation:

(1) AEB +/- 2 stops in 1/2 or 1/3 stop increments.

(2) Manual compensation +/- 2 stops in 1/2 or 1/3 stop increments.

Shutter type: Vertical travel focal plane shutter with all speeds controlled electronically.

Speeds: 1/4000 to 30 seconds. Bulb, and X-sync at 1/200 second.

Self-Timer: Electronically controlled, 10-second delay.

Drive modes:

(1) Single shot

(2) Continuous

(3) Self-timer (10 sec)

Number of continuous images:

Approximately 3 images/second; In One Shot AF mode at 1/250 second or faster, to a maximum of 8 images.

Built-in flash type:

Retractable E-TTL autoflash and auto popup flash.

Guide No. 39 at ISO 100 (ft.)

Recycling time: approximately 3 seconds.

Power Supply: operates from one BP-511 Battery Pack (lithium ion battery)

Number of images that can be taken with a fully charged battery:

540 (50% flash, normal temp.)

Camera Body

Flash contacts:

(1) Accessory shoe: X-sync contacts

(2) Sync terminal (with locking thread) on lower corner of camera body.

External flash system compatibility: Compatible with E-TTL auto sync.

In my opinion, the D60 camera's most valuable specification and feature is, that it will take all of Canon's EF (auto focus) lenses.

This was a very important consideration for me since I already own Canon EOS equipment and the following EF lenses:

20mm 2.8 28-135 IS 4.5/5.6
100mm 2.8 macro 75-300 IS 5.6
70-200mm2.8 100-400 IS 5.6 300mm 2.8
Putting the camera in action he took few shots and analyzed the quality of the pictures. He used the Canon 100mm 2.8 macro lens. Then he explains “Its focal length is 160 mm when mounted on the D60, an ideal macro lens. I use a twin macro flash, which I have been using for years with my EOS 1N. I shoot in the manual mode with this flash, using the guide number to gauge the distance. The shutter speed of the camera is set to 1/200 sec. I vary the f-stop depending on the distance of the butterfly from the imaginary film plane. The f-stop is generally varied between f16 and f25. When the distance to the subject exceeds 1 1/2 feet, I change the ISO setting from ISO100 to ISO200 instead of opening up the aperture. In this manner I could still use a small aperture value and maintain a good depth of field. With the D60 and 6.3 million pixels, I was able to make a very good 10 X 15 inch print using the largest jpeg image storage mode. Figure 1 shows a Coolie Butterfly taken at ISO200, 1/200 sec, f22, and a distance of about 2 feet”.

When he used evaluative metering on the snowy egrets against a green background, the egrets were overexposed. Then he concludes that “the same is true to a lesser extent when using Center Partial Metering and Center Weighted Average. To get the proper exposure on the White Egrets, an exposure compensation of -2/3 to -1 stop was used in the evaluative metering mode. I shoot most all my pictures using the evaluative metering mode”.

He pays attention to file numbering systems. We may choose from: (1)Continuous. (2) Auto reset. In the Continuous mode the numbering is continuous between cards. Then he points that Canon software assigns the folder numbers. The image number in each successive folder picks up where the previous folder left off, thereby providing consecutive numbering of images. The time/date is also permanently stored with each image file. Convenient storage functions allows to place Images in folders in groups of 100.

In the Auto reset mode the number resets to 0001 each time you insert a new card.

The D60 image numbering system only goes to 9900. It would have been nice to allow for 100,000 images. Heavy shooters will shoot more than 10,000 images in a year.

Here is an example of how the folder and image numbers work:

Folder Image Range

CANON100 IMG_0001 to IMG_0100
CANON101 IMG_0101 to IMG_0200
CANON102 IMG_0201 to IMG_0300
CANON198 IMG_9801 to IMG_9900
CANON200 IMG_0001 to IMG_0100
CANON201 IMG_0101 to IMG_0200
By keeping images in different folders, duplicate image file names can be identified and then renamed if necessary.

The D60's has nice 1.8 inch TFT color LCD monitor, It allows us to review your images right away.

Important is his comment about the battery life Usualy with 50% flash use and review mode on, he usually can perform between 350 and 400 images on one fully charged battery. He concludes “Reviewing the images does use a significant amount of battery power”.

According to the author following features of the D60 that I consider important:

1. D60 can use all Canon EF lenses.

2. Changing ISO settings in mid-roll.

3. Review your picture :immediately after making the exposure.

4. Having a built in 1.6 X extender.

5. Shooting 3 images per second and up to eight continuous images.

He gives the D60 a good grade. Most of all he is impressed with the image quality. According to him “the camera has interchangeable Electronic Focus lens capability, and multiplies your long lenses by a factor of 1.6X. Overall it looks that the D60 is a great camera

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