Digital SLRs- what are they, really?

Question

i have seen many types of cameras coming up in the market recently. and i have also been mesmerized by the "professional" look of the digital slr cameras- you know, those black colored cameras with that big lens. i have an interest in photography and i feel like getting this camera. can someone explain how is this digital slr camera any different than a normal digital camera?

Answer 1

Hi
I just recently bought an SLR myself. I am having great fun wit it and my pictures are beautiful.
There is a massive difference between your ordinary "point-and-shoot" cameras and an SLR.

Let's start with the lens. I have a Nikon 18 - 200mm zoom range which is much much better than the lens on a point-and-shoot (it would be something like 7.4-22mm). Another very important part of the lens is the aperture. It varies the amount of light that enters the camera. It can create very bright or very dark shots. This is also known as F-stops. The lower the F-stop, the better. My lens is F3.5-5.6.

The actual body of the camera is also important. I know that Canon and Nikon make really good cameras. Canon has better electronics while Nikon makes very good lenses. My camera, a Nikon D80, is 10.2 megapixels, has a frame rate of 3 frames per second, and has 11 AF (auto focusing) points. With the AF points, I can make an object in the forground look blurry while focused on a person in the background or vice-versa. It makes really nice pictures. When you look in the viewfinder, you will see a grid of 11 little dots that you can highlight with the cursor button
in which to focus on different place in your picture.

With a point-and-shoot camera you cannot do thing like focal points or what I like to call "super zoom". They are only used for tourists who want a memory of where they have been. With an SLR you have the ability to create art.

I don't recommend buying an SLR until after you have taken a course or two. You must also be prepared to put out lots of money to get these cameras. I would recommend getting a Nikon D40. It is a brand new camera (not out until Dec. 1) and it is perfect for starters. I don't recommend getting lenses like Sigma or Tamron. The Nikorr (Nikon) lenses have much better technology in them. I would suggest getting a lens like the Nikorr 18-200mm VR lens. It's a great lens with a great focal length.

Hope this helps

Answer 2

SLR stand for Single Lens Reflex camera = one single lens and you can see trough this lens using a small mirror inside the camera. That so the viewfinder is not on the side of the lens like on small compact camera.

With 35mm film cameras the technical difference was very clear. You see or not the subject using the main lens or the side viewfinder.

With digital ...the border between SLR and compact is a bit ....blurry ...I mean look at any digital super-zoom class. Like FZ-30 (I am using FZ-30). The electronic viewfinder is a small LCD which let me see trough the Lens and I don't have any other "on the side optical viewfinder"...in fact when you are using the LCD to do a picture (even in compact class camera) you actually see trough the lens.

Now ...keep in mind ...a big lens means lots of light = quality of that frame/photo. + you can add optical filter such as a circular polarizer filter or neutral density. DSLRs are more versatile just because you can change the lens ...from a macro lens to a telephoto lens (with image stabilizer). I recommend the new Canon Rebel XTi + Canon EF 18-85mm IS USM lens (not the standard one from the kit). I did a test - one full month - with this new XTi ...is very good.
http://picasaweb.google.com/dand370/CanonXTiDSLR

Answer 3

SLR = Single Lens Reflex

An SLR camera is very versatile because it lets you see the actual image that the camera will capture (either film or digital). Another great advantage is that you can interchange the lenses according to your needs. Of course, these lenses are of better optical quality than those of bridge cameras or point-and-shoot cameras.

If you are serious about learning photography, expect to spend more money on a good lens than on the camera body itself. For starters, I would recommend a Canon XTi and a Sigma 30mm f1.8 lens. Zooms are usually slower and of less quality but you may try a Sigma 18-50mm F2.8.

If you buy a SLR make sure you don't get the cheap kit lens bundled with the camera.

Answer 4

Its the optics which is different and thats mostly what u pay for. If u can afford and carry then it is great thing to have. I dont think they just look professional they are almost professional.
Lenses are detachable and u can use lenses for ur situation.

One difference (apart from the technical jargons) is that in most of the digital camera u dont get to see the picture on the LCD screen before u take the pictures. It was little bit incovinience but soon I got over it. But if u are interested in photography that shouldnt matter. SLRs have fast shutter time.

I would sure recommend reading on web on the concept of SLR. You can try something cheaper in range of 1000$ before actually moving to the bigger and costlier professional camera's.

Answer 5

SLR stands for single lens reflex so the camera only has one lens - you look through it when framing the picture and then, when you press the shutter, a mirror comes into operation so the photograph is taken through the same lens. Therefore what you see is really what you get - no nasty surprises with fingers over the lens etc.

Answer 6

Actually it's not the mount that's EOS. Canon started using that term when they came out with original EOS cameras = Electronic Optics System - that means basically auto focus and auto exposure = EOS. All the Rebel line are EOS are virtually the entire Canon line of digital cameras because they all use auto lenses.