Simon Dingle

Choosing a first DSLR

Wed 4 January, 2012

'Photography' by Photo Extremist - CC BY-ND 2.0Prosumer photography is bigger than ever, and somewhat of a phenomenon in my home country of South Africa – probably because of the wide variety of beautiful things on display. I am often asked for advice in choosing a first SLR camera – it can be very confusing and something that perplexed me when I first took the plunge some years ago. So herewith the simplest advice I can think of, based on my own experience.

I’m also steering away from things like post-processing software and speed-lighting because those are best addressed in isolation. I won’t elaborate on terms like aperture or shutter speed either as those are easily referenced elsewhere and should be in your vocabulary before purchasing an SLR anyway.

Spend on glass, save on cameras

A lot of first-time buyers make the mistake of fixating on camera bodies. They want to know whether to choose Nikon or Canon, generally, or whether it is worth getting one of the less-conventional SLRs from Sony or Pentax, for example. That’s the wrong question. Instead, you should be considering what your first lens will be. Spend more on your first lenses than you do on your first camera.

Digital photography has taken giant leaps forward in recent years and cameras are constantly updated, replaced and improved. The cheapest “entry level” SLRs from Canon and Nikon today are as good as the best professional bodies of five years ago, even if they aren’t full frame.

The body you choose is important, but not as important as your lens collection. Lenses will determine what you can shoot and how. A good lens on a cheap body is much, much better than a crap lens on a good body.

Your choice of lenses is also what will lock you into a camera system – be it from Canon, Nikon or another manufacturer. Start with a really good, versatile zoom lens like the Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II or equivalent Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS. After that you might want to buy a good, prime lens for shooting portraits or a nice telephotofor wildlife – whatever floats your boat.

You will likely upgrade your camera body every so often as new models are released, but glass will be with you for much longer, unless you have so much money that buying expensive lenses whenever you feel like switching systems isn’t an issue.

Avoid kits

I will probably get some flack for this recommendation – but I believe that beginner photographers should avoid the temptation to buy cheap camera kits that include lenses and camera bodies. The reason I say this is because all the kits I have seen include inferior lenses – see my first point, above.

My first SLR camera was bought as a kit and I regretted it almost immediately. I had a great camera body and a mediocre lens. This is the wrong balance for a beginner. What you want, as I’ve said, is a good lens, even if it’s mounted on a cheaper body.

Ignore the zealots

Some people will tell you to buy Nikon, only because that is what they have chosen, or Canon because they have some weird attachment to the brand. Ignore them.

The best camera for you might be a Sony or a Pentax. Or, if you’re loaded, you might consider a Leica. I recommend playing around with friends’ cameras or picking up and handling cameras in a store to get a feel for them.

I love the accurate colour-reproduction of Canon cameras and lenses, but prefer the build quality and feel of Nikon. These are personal preferences and you will have to find yours.

I’ve also recently been messing around with Sony’s new single-lens translucent (SLT)cameras. These are great for beginners because they allow you to view the effects of shutter and aperture settings in real time on the camera’s display or in its digital viewfinder. I also like the built-in GPS on some Sony models that automatically geotag photographs – something that generally costs extra for Nikon and Canon bodies. The Sony Alpha 65 is particularly good thanks to the high quality of its digital viewfinder.

So the right camera system for you might not be a Nikon or a Canon – and that’s OK.

Ask the big question

Do you really need an SLR? You might find a compact camera that covers your needs and presents less frustration than a full-on SLR. Learning to master a single-lens reflex camera will take time and practice whereas you could get a really good compact that will allow you to just point and shoot. Oh sure, you can put your SLR into Auto and just start shooting, but then you aren’t really capitalising on your investment even if you are benefitting from better lenses.

Compact cameras have come a long way. The Canon S100, for example,  is ridiculously good and features a remarkably powerful image processor. Or you might consider the Nikon P7000 or Canon G12 that many professionals use as travel cameras.

Buying a good compact will save you money and might allow you to achieve what you want from your camera without breaking the bank or causing headaches.

Follow the experts

There are so many great photographers that make their knowledge available on social networks and elsewhere. Follow these people and use them for inspiration. Below are some of the photographers, both pro and hobbyist, that I follow:

You never stop learning in photography and I consider myself to be a beginner. The important thing is to take time and learn. Equipment is not as important as knowledge. And the best camera is the one that’s with you ;)

Got any other suggestions? Want to argue any of my points? Please share your thoughts in the comments section…

  • Greg Mahlknecht

    Nice article – I’ve just got my first SLR, I disagree with the “avoid kits” bit.  It should be “be careful of kits” – I shopped around and found a kit containing the camera+lenses I wanted at a good price.  But yes, there were tons of kits with what were obviously previous-generation lenses they were obviously trying to dump on the market.Which brings me to another point – somehow brick-and-mortar photography shops seem to stay competitive with online.  My kit cost me the same as I could get online (and not that much more than if I imported it) plus I got tons of good advice from my local camera shop, and they threw in free lessons. So be sure to at least check out your local photography shop.  Chances are you’ll visit them soon anyway to get some photos printed out.  Which, by the way is far cheaper than printing them yourself, but that’s another article :) I’m a rank beginner with SLR, and still spend most my time in auto mode, and disagree with the “waste in auto mode” statement.  You’re right, mastering it it will take me ages, but seeing spectacular results took about 5 minutes.  I have a good R4000 compact, my very entry level DSLR cost around R8000 incl lenses and the quality of pictures I get out of both of them is chalk and cheese. Some of the SLR photos I’ve snapped off could easily be professional photos.  And it’s certainly not my skill doing that.  It’s the camera.  For the past few years I’ve seen more and more people at kids parties and events with SLRs thinking that it’s total overkill and they’re silly.  But now that I have one, I wish I’d made the jump years ago.  Memories are priceless and I got a lot of 2nd rate ones to save R4000 :(  >>Or you might consider the Nikon P7000 or Canon G12 that many professionals use as travel cameras My mother was an exceptional photographer and did a lot of travelling with a good compact (she loved per Panasonic), but always made sure it had manual controls and took the camera out of auto mode and used a tripod to get her best shots.  I never took photos anywhere near as good as her with my compact, I think it’s easy to get GOOD shots from a compact, but you still need serious skill to get amazing shots with them.  With a DSLR, all you need is opposable thumbs to get some amazing shots.

  • Bryony Dingle-Moss

    very good advice! thanks. answers i have been searching for. i need to get a good lense for my new slr but after that, i reckon my next purchase will be a compact camera. my big slr is far too complicated and fancy for simple beings like myself. you are the clever.

  • http://pauljacobson.info pauljacobson

    Thanks for this post Simon. I just went through this process in December.

  • Jason Elk

    Nice post Simon. Over the last few years I’ve ended up with some pretty decent equipment that I cherish daily. A Canon 7D, a 2.8 70-200, a 100-400 and my latest joy – the MPE-65 macro lens and twinlight flash setup. But as much as I’m focusing on delving into macro, I love bird and wildlife photography as well – and have rented a 500mm twice now, with amazing results. It’s just so damn expensive. Maybe one day. And that’s what I love about photography – the journey never ends.

  • Jason MacFadyen

    Well said and too true Simon. As a part time photographer, I’d have to say kits are appealing for rank beginners, but will within a short time, make you feel like you need more from your newly acquired equipment, in terms of image quality, purely due to inferior lenses as you said. The adage that glass is more important than the body rings true as quality lenses will stand you in good stead for years to come. On the last note; point and shoot cameras have improved dramatically in recent years, and I have seriously been contemplating purchasing one for the fun aspect and daily use. My backup body is ageing now and although I would not replace it with a point and shoot, there is no denying a quality point and shoot would make a great addition to my pack, even on commercial jobs.

    As for models, I use both Nikon and Canon, Canon creates beautiful portraits with good skin tones, however I honestly prefer the Nikon menu interface and find it more user friendly. Personal preference, but with the costs incurred when having to purchase two sets of lenses, means I’m going to have to decide on a particular brand pretty soon. Decisions decisions….