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How to choose a DSLR:

Hello there,

I have recently been writing only about reviews and I had an idea what if I write a blog on how to choose a DSLR for beginners. Most of my friends have the interest in photography but fail to choose which camera to go for. Some people at the end choose the camera which they are not satisfied of later. In order to solve such problems, I have come up with this blog, so that each one of us can decide what to go for.

There are many aspects to be considered while choosing a camera. It completely depends upon what you are going to do with it and how much you are using it and on what occasions. Usually DSLRs are a bit expensive when compared to other cameras. I'd like to mention some of the aspects one has to consider while choosing them.

What is your budget?:

When buying a DSLR especially, the first thing you need to do is fix a definite budget. It can act as a barrier for your thinking and you will not decide to look at the more expensive ones. In the market the trend goes like this; More the bucks you are ready to spend, better will the camera be. But fixing an appropriate budget can restrict your temptations. Remember that possessing an expensive equipment does not mean that your pictures will be perfect in every aspect.

What do you shoot?:

This is a very important aspect which every photographer fails to consider before buying a DSLR. One must also keep in mind that even though one can use a DSLR for all types of shooting conditions, the thing that matters here is what lens you go for. Here the type of lens you are going to use depends upon the type of shooting you do. (In DSLRs, the lens can be detached form the body, moreover one can buy body alone or body with desired lens. As far as a beginner is considered, you better go for body with lens). There are many types of shooting one can go for, like wedding, macro, bird, time-lapse, sports, long exposure, nature and lot more. So consider what you shoot before buying one.

Are you serious about photography?:

Most of the neo-photographers face this problem. In the beginning they are filled with a lot of inspiration and go for the relatively higher end DSLRs, but gradually lose the interest in what they do. This will lead to a great loss of money and is a waste. So before beginning photography, make sure you don't lose interest for at least an year or so. 

Megapixels do not matter!:

Well, this might contradict your assumption. Yes, megapixels do not matter for a wonderful photography, with a condition that you do not crop your pictures much. Megapixels refer to the number of pixels (the resolution) per area. This does not though add up much to the picture quality. But when it comes to the concept of cropping and printing, it does matter, but not a big issue. Adding, more is the megapixel, heavier will your file size be. so you might need a larger capacity memory card, which is expensive. Consider this before buying.

Canon v/s Nikon:

This is a common question. Should I go for Canon or Nikon? I would say that this depends on your personal taste. There are other DSLR manufacturers who also have good DSLRs like Sony and Pentax. But among them, Canon and Nikon are popular. But here I'd like to tell you the major difference between Canon and Nikon. Canon DSLRs give out more vivid pictures because of which you can skip the editing of the image later. But Nikon gives the image as it is. Nikon has a better built quality (sometimes) but most of the Canon cameras (beginner DSLRs) are made of polycarbonate material which some of them do not like. But what that matters the most is the lens availability. Canon has an upper hand after they introduced the L series of lenses. These are great lenses for the picture quality they render to the user. Nikon also has very good lenses but are less popular among photographers. One important information for beginners is that I am not satisfied by the kit lens provided by Canon which makes a lot of noise while focusing. Nikon's kit lenses are equipped with ultrasonic motors which are relatively silent. But the image stabilization of Canon works very well.

One important conclusion I have drawn after a series of research, 'Go for Nikon when your budget is low, and go for Canon when you have ample budget!'. This is true because when you can spend extra bucks, Canon gives the best for you. But when your budget is tight, Nikon DSLRs are acceptable. Hope I have given the outline of what Nikon and Canon have. Going for Sony? In some aspects I do not like Sony DSLRs. Because of some of the lacking features which I cannot mention here. Pentax is also good. Those who can afford Leica, go for it! No comments!

Canon DSLRs:

Here are some of the models I can give of the Canon DSLRs ( I have mentioned only those models which I am familiar of and have excluded the discontinued ones):

1. EOS 1100D : Cheap and  good DSLR for beginners.
2. EOS 1200D : Cheap and a good DSLR with good lens options in the market.
3. EOS 600D : A DSLR for a bit higher end beginners.
4. EOS 650D : DSLR with upgraded version of the 600D.
5. EOS 700D : Higher end beginner DSLR with touch screen capacities.
6. EOS 60D : Low ended professional DSLR.
7. EOS 70D : A great semi professional DSLR with wonderful capacities.
8. EOS 7D : Great cropped sensor DSLR for professionals.
9. EOS 5D Mark 3 : The best of what Canon can offer you!
10. EOS 1D X : The ultimate Canon professional flagship, a battle gun in your hand!

Nikon DSLRs:

These are some good Nikon DSLRs ( I have mentioned only those models which I am familiar of and have excluded the discontinued ones):

1. Nikon D3100: A great beginner DSLR with good image quality.
2. Nikon D3200: Brother of D3100 with higher resolution.
3. Nikon D3300: A good and simple DSLR for beginners.
4. Nikon D5100: A new step into semi professional photography.
5. Nikon D5200: Brother of D5100 with better capabilities.
6. Nikon D5300: A step further in semi professional photography.
7. Nikon D5500: New generation DSLR with touch screen capacities.
8. Nikon D7000: Gear up to a heavier model.
9. Nikon D600: Full frame DSLR with good capacities.
10. Nikon D4s: Ultimate Nikon flagship, a professional machine gun!


There are many other models you can choose form both Nikon and Canon, But here I have mentioned only some of them. All the best in choosing your first DSLR. If you have any queries, you can mail me to mnkb20@gmail.com or post your queries in the comment box. 


                                                                                                      M Navneeth Krishna
                                                                                                      @mnavneeth



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