Retta on February 28th, 2010

Some things you will want to consider when looking to compare and buy digital SLR camera are:

Megapixels – Most SLR's these days come with at least 10 megapixels, but if you will be wanting to do a lot of cropping and/or large prints, you may need more. 10 megapixels will be enough for most things you want to do, but it is something you should think about.

Fit - Before deciding on an SLR, you might want to go to a store and see how they feel in your hand. Once you get an idea of the look and feel of some cameras, it will be easier to know if a camera will be right for you.

LCD Screen – You may not realize that on some digital SLR's, the screen is not "live". You can use it review your photos, but you cannot use it to frame and shoot your photo. I myself prefer to look through the viewfinder, but some people do not.

Nikon D90 This camera is from one of the best rated digital camera makers.  It has 12 megapixels, excellent image quality and dynamic range.  Its versatility and ease of use are both good.  The maximum ISO on the D90 is 3200 and with the supplied battery you should be able to take 850 photos before running out of juice.  The D90 is one of the top rated digital cameras on the market, with it's 3" LCD screen you can take 4.5 fps, and the price comes in around $900.


Sony DSLR-A550  Sony is another well known brand name in cameras, although they are better known for their point and shoot lines of cameras.  The A550 is a highly rated 14 megapixel camera that comes with a 3" LCD and weighs in at 24 ozs.  The image quality, ease of use and dynamic range are all excellent, and the versatility is very good.  It has an ISO capability of 3200 and you should be able to take 1000 photos before the battery gives up.  If you are looking for speed, this camera can shoot at 7fps and the price range is around $900 also.

 

Pentax K200D Pentax has long been a known name in the camera world, and they can be counted on for quality cameras.  With this 10 megapixel camera they have dialed in the dynamic range with this camera with excellent results, and the versatility, ease of use and image quality are very good.  It might be considered a little on the slow side with only being able to fire off 2.8 fps and the ISO range only comes in at 800.  The amount of picture taking you will get out of a battery life is lacking also, only coming in at 400.The price range on this camera is about $500.

 

Canon EOS Rebel XSi  Canon is a powerhouse in the camera world and this 12 megapixel model will provide you with excellent picture quality, dynamic range and ease of use.  The versatility lags a bit behind, as does the ISO, which only comes in at 800.  The battery life range is 500 pictures.  It has a nice 3" LCD screen and will shoot 3.5 fps.  I have to admit to a partiality to this camera, as I own the XTi, and I have to say I have never had a better camera.  The picture quality is indeed excellent.  The price range on this one is $550.


Olympus EVOLT E-510  Olympus is another well known name in the camera business, but this camera does not seem to rate as highly as some of the competitors I have mentioned so far.  Even though this 10 megapixel camera has very good image quality, dynamic range, ease of use and versatility, it does not get the high marks that the others did.  The ISO runs at 800 and the battery life will get you 650 pictures.  This is one of the lighter weight cameras, coming in at only 16.4 ozs.  The lighter weight is partly achieved by its smaller, only 2.5" LCD screen and it can shoot 3 fps.  The price range for this is $600.


Check out the store, it will be a great help for you to compare and buy digital SLR cameras.

So when you are ready to compare and buy digital SLR do some research and you will not be disappointed down the road with your purchase.

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Retta on February 15th, 2010

Digital cameras are here to stay.  They are a great investment and are easy to use.  Photo storage becomes so much easier with a digital camra, since the media is digital, you no longer have to have large photo albums, you can put everything on cds.

 

 

Here is a solution for helping to download your photos to your computer without having to hook your camera up. Instead, plug this device into a usb port and insert your card into this reader. Faster and easier than using the cord to hook up your camera and it saves your camera battery too.

 

There are tons of accessories for digital cameras and digital photos. Flashdrives for storing your photos as well as cd's or dvd's. Card readers. Extra lenses. External flash. Camera bags. Tripods.

So if you are ready to think about a digital camra check out some of the other pages to help you make your decision.

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Retta on February 6th, 2010

A lot of people search for inexpensive digital cameras, but what exactly does that mean? Inexpensive is a point of reference and your point will not be the same as mine. Inexpensive to you could mean $500, while to a single parent with four kids, inexpensive means $20. That being said, I think we can find some middle ground.

When I started looking for a new camera, I did quite a bit of research before I bought one. I also wanted one that was inexpensive because I am not a professional photographer and I did not want to spend a lot of money on what would essentially be a toy.

But on the other hand, I did not want a toy; I wanted something that would give me a good quality photo now with my limited skills, but that could grow with me, because I did not plan to stay an amateur forever.

So, if all you are looking for is something to pop off a few shots, maybe upload to the web or send as emails, you can get away with a VERY inexpensive camera. Head on over to Walmart and pick something off the shelf and you will probably be very happy with your choice.

 

If, however, you want a camera that you can make quality prints from, even enlarged ones, you will want to increase your budget somewhat. For a couple of hundred bucks you can get a quality camera that will make some excellent prints for you, and you can even get enlargements, maybe an 8×10 with good quality. For most people this will be sufficient, or maybe even more than sufficient. There is quite a selection of cameras to choose from in this price range.

 

 

If you have even better skills or plan on obtaining those skills, you can take your budget up another notch and for something in the $500 – $700 range, you can get yourself a pretty fine digital SLR.  These are still inexpensive digital cameras, just in a higher wage bracket.  They have the point and shoot built in functions for the beginner, but they also have manual controls that will let you experiment and grow.

In addition to the manual focus, you can set your cameras other settings, such as the ISO, or film speed, the shutter speed, the fstop, the backlighting and you can even set groups of settings as a picture style.  With these types of controls on the camera, you have a good chance of getting good pictures now and better pictures in the future.

The great thing about the digital SLR is that while you are learning, you don't have to waste a lot of money developing crummy pictures, as they are digital, just hit the delete button if it does not turn out right.  No Worry's!

So it is really your choice.  If all you need is  inexpensive digital cameras, there is no reason to spend a lot of money.  But if you want something to grow with you, there is a camera that will get there without spending a fortune.

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Retta on January 18th, 2010

So, what to consider when comparing cameras?  The first thing you want to do is realize that when you make comparisons, you want to compare apples to apples, or in this case, maybe an SLR to an SLR.  In other words, don't try to compare that $20.00 Walmart special to the $700.00 Canon.  When you are doing a comparison, start with two or three that are similar in price range and in features.

So you will want to make your comparisons on the aspects of the camera that are important to you.  If price is your biggest consideration, then you should start your comparisons in the price range that you want to be in.  After all, you don't want to spend hours researching cameras that are not even in the realm of where you need to be.  No since looking at cameras over $1000 if your budget only runs to $300.  Similarly, if your budget is $300, you won't want to waste your time looking at $50 cameras because inexpensive digital cameras are not the ticket for everyone.


So you have your price range nailed down.  What else is important to you?  What will you be using your camera for?  Will you need one that is more of a basic point and shoot or will you be needing extra lenses?  Do you know how to use cameras that have interchangeable lenses or is that something you will be learning as you go?  If you don't know how to use all the bells and whistles that come on some of the higher end cameras but it is something you want to learn, you will want to make sure that your new digital camera is going to be easy to learn with.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once you start taking those photos, you will need a way to print them out.  Some people like to print them on their own printer at home and that is ok if you have a decent printer, at least for the snapshot size.  If you need a larger print though, you might try PhotoWorks

So there is a lot to think about when you begin the process of what to consider when comparing cameras.

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