Choosing the dSLR That's Right for You

A complete guide to chose the best dSLR for your photography from TrillionPixel (Premium Photography Guides).

You might have studied the explanations of digital SLR technology in this chapter because you're pondering which dSLR to buy. Because technology changes so rapidly, it's unlikely that the camera you buy today will be your last. On the other hand, even the least expensive dSLR is a major investment for most of us, particularly when you factor in the cost of the lenses and accessories you'll purchase. You want to make the right choice the first time. Digital SLR decision makers often fall into one of five categories: 

■  Serious photographers. These include photo enthusiasts and professionals who may already own lenses and accessories belonging to a particular system, and who need to preserve their investments by choosing, if possible, a dSLR that is compatible with as much of their existing equipment as possible. 

■  Professionals. Pro photographers buy equipment like carpenters buy routers. They want something that will do the job and is rugged enough to work reliably despite heavy use and mistreatment. They don't necessarily care about cost if the gear will do what's needed, because their organizations or clients are ultimately footing the bill. Compatibility may be a good idea if an organization's shooters share a pool of specialized equipment, but a pro choosing to switch to a whole new system probably won't care much if the old stuff has to fall by the wayside. 

■ Well-heeled enthusiast photographers. Many dSLR buyers exhibit a high turnover rate, because they buy equipment primarily for the love of having something new and interesting. Some actually feel that the only way they will be able to take decent (or better) pictures is to own the very latest gear. I'm happy to let these folks have their fun, because they are often a good source of mint used equipment for the rest of us. 

■ Serious newcomers. Many dSLRs are sold to fledgling photographers who are buying their first digital camera or who have been using a point-and-shoot camera model. These buyers don't plan on junking everything and buying into a new system anytime soon, so they are likely to examine all the options and choose the best dSLR system based on as many factors as possible. Indeed, their caution may be why they've waited this long to purchase a digital SLR in the first place. 

■ Casual newcomers. As prices for dSLRs dropped to the $600 level, I noticed a new type of buyer emerging, those who might have purchased a point-and-shoot camera at the same price point in the past, but now have the notion that a dSLR would be cool to have and/or might provide them with better photos. Many of these owners aren't serious about photography, although they might be serious about getting good pictures of their family, travels, or activities. A large number of them find that a basic dSLR with its kit lens suits them just fine and never buy another lens or accessory. It could be said that a dSLR is overkill for these casual buyers, but most will end up very happy with their purchases, even if they aren't using all the available features.

Questions to Ask Yourself:

Once you decide which category you fall into, you need to make a list of your requirements. What kind of pictures will you be taking? How often will you be able to upgrade? What capabilities do you need? Ask yourself the following questions to help pin down your real needs.

How Much Resolution Do You Need?

This is an important question because, at the time I write this, dSLRs are available with resolutions from about 10-12 megapixels to 24 megapixels (and beyond, if you include some exotic types called medium format cameras). Even more interesting, not all digital SLRs of a particular resolution produce the same results. It's entirely possible to get better photos from a 12 megapixel SLR with a sensor that has low noise and more accurate colors than with a similar 12 megapixel model with an inferior sensor (even when the differences in lens performance is discounted).

Looking at resolution in general, you'll want more megapixels for some types of photography. If you want to create prints larger than 8-10 inches, you'll be happier with a camera having 12-14 megapixels of resolution or more. If you want to crop out small sections of an image, you may need a camera with 16-21 megapixels. On the other hand, if your primary application will be taking pictures for display on a web page, or you need thumbnail-sized photos for ID cards or for a catalog with small illustrations, you may get along just fine with the lowest-resolution dSLR camera you can find. However, keep in mind that your needs may change, and you might later regret choosing a camera with lower resolution.

Full Frame or Cropped Frame?

Throughout this chapter I've mentioned some of the differences between full-frame sensors and cropped sensors. Your choice between them can be one of the most important decisions you make. Even if you're new to the digital SLR world, from time to time you've heard the term crop factor, and you've probably also heard the term lens multiplier factor. Both are misleading and inaccurate terms used to describe the same phenomenon: the fact that some cameras (generally the most affordable digital SLRs) provide a field of view that's smaller and narrower than that produced by certain other (usually much more expensive) cameras, when fitted with exactly the same lens.

Figure A quite clearly shows the phenomenon at work. The outer rectangle, marked 1X, shows the field of view you might expect with a 28mm lens mounted on a "fullframe" (non-cropped) camera, like the Nikon D3-series or Canon 1Ds series. The area marked 1.3X shows the field of view you'd get with that 28mm lens installed on a socalled APS-H form factor camera, like the Canon 1D series. The area marked 1.5X

Figure A: Crop "factors" provide different fields of view.

shows the field of view you'd get with that 28mm lens installed on an APS-C form factor camera, which includes virtually all other non-Four Thirds/Micro Four Thirds models. Canon's non-full-frame cameras, like the 60D and 7D, have a form factor of 1.6X, which is virtually identical and also called by the APS-C nomenclature. All FourThirds/Micro Four Thirds cameras use a 2X crop factor, represented by the innermost rectangle. You can see from the illustration that the 1X rendition provides a wider, more expansive view, while each of the inner fields of view is, in comparison, cropped.

The cropping effect is produced because the "cropped" sensors are smaller than the sensors of the full-frame cameras. These sensors do not measure 24mm-36mm; instead, they spec out at roughly 23.6- 15.8 mm, or about 66.7 percent of the area of a full frame sensor, as shown by the red boxes in the figure. You can calculate the relative field of view by dividing the focal length of the lens by .667. Thus, a 100mm lens mounted on an APS-C camera has the same field of view as a 150mm lens on a full-frame camera. We humans tend to perform multiplication operations in our heads more easily than division, so such field of view comparisons are usually calculated using the reciprocal of .667—1.5—so we can multiply instead. (100 / .667=150; 100 x 1.5=150.) 

This translation is generally useful only if you're accustomed to using full-frame cameras (usually of the film variety) and want to know how a familiar lens will perform on a digital camera. I strongly prefer crop factor over lens multiplier, because nothing is being multiplied; a 100mm lens doesn't "become" a 150mm lens—the depth-of-field and lens aperture remain the same. Only the field of view is cropped. But crop factor isn't much better, as it implies that the 24-36mm frame is "full" and anything else is "less." I get e-mails all the time from photographers who point out that they own full-frame cameras with 36mm-48mm sensors (like the Mamiya 645ZD or Hasselblad H3D-39 medium format digitals). By their reckoning, the "half-size" sensors found in full-frame cameras are "cropped." Probably a better term is field of view conversion factor, but nobody actually uses that one.

If you're accustomed to using full-frame film cameras, you might find it helpful to use the crop factor "multiplier" to translate a lens' real focal length into the full-frame equivalent, even though, as I said, nothing is actually being multiplied.

How Often Do You Want to Upgrade?

Photography is one field populated by large numbers of technomaniacs who simply must have the latest and best equipment at all times. The digital photography realm rarely disappoints these gadget nuts, because newer, more sophisticated models are introduced every few months. If remaining on the bleeding edge of technology is essential to you, a digital SLR can't be a long-term investment. You'll have to count on buying a new camera every 18 months to two years, because that's how often the average vendor takes to replace a current model with a newer one. Some upgrades are minor ones.

Fortunately, the typical dSLR replacement cycle is a much longer schedule than you'll find in the digital point-and-shoot world, where a particular top of the line camera may be replaced every six months or more often. Digital SLRs typically are replaced no more often than every 12 to 18 months—12 months for the entry-level models, and 18 months or longer for the intermediate and advanced models.

TRADE IN—OR KEEP?

Typically, come upgrade time, your old dSLR will be worth more as a hand-me-down to another user than as a trade-in. That's why I'm already looking forward to using my current favorite dSLR as a second or third camera body when I do upgrade to the next generation. An extra body can come in handy. When I leave town on trips, I generally take one extra body simply as a backup. Still, I end up using the backup more than I expected when I mount, say, a telephoto zoom on my "main" camera and a wide-angle zoom on my backup so I don't have to switch lenses as often.

On the other hand, perhaps you're not on a never-ending quest for a shiny new gadget. You just want great pictures. Once you acquire a camera that does the job, you're not likely to upgrade until you discover there are certain pictures you can't take because of limitations in your current equipment. You'll be happy with a camera that does the job for you at a price you can afford. If your desires are large but your pocketbook is limited, you may want to scale back your purchase to make those inevitable frequent upgrades feasible.

Is a Compact SLR Important to You?

Compared to point-and-shoot digital cameras, all dSLRs are a bit on the chunky side. However, some are more compact than others, particularly the Four Thirds models from Olympus and Panasonic. A few, particularly pro models with large battery packs and vertical grips, border on the huge. Before you lay down a large hunk of change for a digital camera, play with it to make sure it's a size that you'll be comfortable lugging around with you. The difference in weight alone can be significant if you're walking around all day with a camera strap around your neck. If you're the sort of photographer who would have been happy with a small, lightweight, virtually silent Leica rangefinder camera (which nevertheless produced superb pictures), you might also prefer a smaller dSLR. Heck, you might even want the Leica M9, a non-dSLR that looks and handles like a rangefinder film camera, but produces 18 MP digital images (and will set you back $7,000, plus more for lenses). 

In that vein, don't forget to take into account the size of the lenses you'll be using, too. My favorite digital SLR has a 28mm-200mm zoom lens that was touted, on introduction, as the smallest in the world. I'm very happy I have that compact lens with such an extensive zoom range, because for many photo outings it's all I need, and I can avoid carrying around a weighty camera bag and a half dozen other lenses. I actually went to Europe several years ago carrying only that 28-200mm lens and a 17-24mm wide-angle zoom, and two dSLR bodies. My entire kit fit into a compact shoulder bag that was easy to tote with me everywhere I went.

If you need a compact digital SLR, check out the size and weight of the lenses you are likely to use at the same time you examine the heft of the camera body itself.

Do You Want to Share Lenses and Accessories?

Do you already own an old film camera with lots of lenses and other accessories? You may be able to justify a digital camera built around a camera body similar to the one used by your film camera. The list of compatible gadgets that can be shared is long, ranging from electronic flash units through filters, close-up attachments, tripods, and so forth. I have a huge stockpile of glass filters and accessories that fit my existing cameras. I'm able to use some of them using step-up and step-down rings in common sizes.

Make sure that the adapter rings don't cause vignetting of the corners of your image (common with wide-angle lenses) and that your filters have both front and back filter threads so you can stack them. (Some filters, particularly polarizers, may not have a front thread.) You'll pay extra for "thin" adapter rings that keep your filters from projecting out too much in front of your lens, but the premium will be worth it. As an alternative, you may be able to simply zoom in a bit to eliminate those vignetted corners.

What Other Features Do You Need?

Once you've chosen your "must have" features for your digital camera, you can also work on those bonus features that are nice to have, but not essential. All digital SLRs share a long list of common features, such as Manual, Aperture-priority, and Shutter-priority exposure modes. All have great autofocus capabilities. Many (but not all) have built-in flash units that couple with the exposure system, and which can control external, offcamera flash units as well (especially useful when using multiple units). Beyond this standard laundry list, you'll find capabilities available in one dSLR that are not found in others. You'll have to decide just how important they are to you as you weigh which system to buy. Here are some of the features that vary the most from camera to camera. 

■ Movie making. The trend today is towards full 1920 x 1080 HDTV movie-making capabilities. However, a few non-video-capable models linger on the market. And not all of the current cameras have the same movie-friendly capabilities. If video shooting is important to you, make sure your camera has the ability to plug in a microphone, preferably a stereo microphone. In-camera editing features let you trim clips that run too long, easing the editing process later. 

■ Burst mode capabilities. If you shoot lots of sports, you'll want the ability to shoot as many frames per second as possible for as long as possible. Some cameras shoot more frames per second, and others have larger buffers to let you capture more shots in one burst. For example, one model grabs 4 fps for 32 JPEG images in one burst, or 11 RAW images. Another camera from the same vendor ups the ante to 5 fps, but can capture only 23 JPEG images in one blast. If you've got deep pockets, one top-of-the-line action dSLR blazes through sports photography at a 10 fps clip for 100 or more images. 

■ Image stabilization/dust removal. Some dSLRs may have vibration reduction built into the camera. Other vendors ask you to buy image-stabilized lenses, or may not have that capability at all. If you want to hand-hold your camera at low shutter speeds, or need to take rock-steady telephoto shots without a tripod, regardless of shutter speed, you'll want to consider this capability. Cameras that have internal anti-shake capabilities often use the ability to move the sensor quickly to provide an anti-dust removal system. You'll also find dust cleaning capabilities in virtually all digital cameras these days. But some work better than others, as I'll explain in Chapter 5. 

■ Higher and lower ISO ratings. Some cameras offer sensitivities as low as ISO 50 and as high as ISO 6400 and beyond (ISO 104,600 is not out of the question). The need for these depends on what kind of photos you intend to take, and how good the results are at the ISO extremes. 

■ Playback/review features. You'll find used digital SLRs only a few years old with back-panel LCDs as small as 1.8 inches diagonally, but virtually every new model has a 2.5-inch or larger LCD. All same-sized LCDs are not created equal. Some have more pixels and finer detail, and may be brighter and easier to view in direct sunlight or from an angle. Some systems let you zoom in 3X to 4X on your LCD image, while others offer 10X or more zoom. If reviewing your images in the field is critical, take a close look at how a camera's LCD panel performs. 

■ Maximum shutter speed. Some cameras top out at 1/4,000th second; others go as high as 1/16,000th second. In real life, you'll rarely need such brief shutter speeds to freeze action. It's more likely that the high speeds will come in handy when you want to use wider lens openings at your lowest ISO setting. For example, if you want to use f/2.8 on a bright beach or snow scene in full daylight, if your camera's lowest ISO setting is ISO 200, you'll probably need to use a shutter speed of 1/8,000th second. If you don't have such fast shutter speeds, you'd better hope you have a neutral-density filter or two handy. In practice, however, such high shutter speeds aren't really needed; the fastest shutter speed I use regularly is 1/2,000th second, and I don't recall ever using my camera's 1/8,000th second setting, other than to test it.

I hope after reading this article, you will find your dream dSLR.