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Digital SLR

Finding the Best Digital SLR Cameras on the Market

Digital SLR cameras is an ever expanding market. According to an IDC report titled 2007 Worldwide Digital Camera Market Share Review, of the 131 million units of digital still cameras sold worldwide, 7.5 million of those units were digital SLR cameras. Canon, Nikon, Sony and Olympus emerged as the top digital SLR manufacturers in terms of sales, with Canon leading the pack with a 43% share. Nikon, Sony and Olympus have 40%, 6% and 6% share, respectively.

Further in the IDC report, Nikon emerged as a strong competition to Canon, thanks to Nikon introducing digital SLR cameras like the Nikon D40x and the Nikon D300. In fact, the IDC report states that Nikon replaced Canon as the number one digital SLR camera brand in Japan in 2007. “Nikon has always been a strong preference among professional photographers” says Minneapolis photographer Bob Dale.

What Exactly Is Digital SLR?

Digital SLR, or dSLR, is short for digital single lens reflex. Digital SLR cameras are named as such because they are cameras that have a mirror behind the camera lens that directs light through the viewfinder eyepiece during photo composition.

Basically, the light coming through the lens is reflected by a mirror, which is at a 90-degree angle, and it is then reflected by the pentaprism. When a picture is being taken, the mirror swings in an upward motion and the shutter opens. This action causes the light to be projected from the lens onto the image sensor.

If you're looking to buy a digital SLR camera, you'll have plenty of choices. The most popular brands today are Canon, Nikon, Panasonic and Pentax. It's not a coincidence that these manufacturers are also the top manufacturers of 35mm film SLR cameras.

Canon Digital SLR Cameras

Canon digital cameras are high quality cameras. In fact, the digital SLR cameras in the Canon EOS digital camera series are some of the best around. These Canon digital SLRs get high reviews in terms of picture quality, ease of use and a variety of other features.

The digital SLR cameras in the Canon EOS digital series boast of the 10.1 megapixel CMOS technology that produces digital pictures of outstanding quality. Other Canon digital SLR cameras that have this technology are the Canon 30D, Canon Rebel XTi, and all the other Canon Digital Rebel cameras.

As far as digital SLRs go, Canon cameras consistently receive high ratings. Users and product testers alike feel that a Canon digital camera is one of the best in the market. 

Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

When it comes to SLR cameras, Nikon has become a household word. Nikon has been making SLR cameras for many years and with the introduction of the Nikon D-series SLR cameras, the company is proving to be a strong player in the digital camera market.

The Nikon D300 heads the impressive lineup of quality digital SLRs by Nikon. This digital SLR supports live viewing, which means you can preview your shots on the LCD screen instead of having to look through the viewfinder. If you're planning to get into professional or high end digital photography, this digital SLR is a good investment. Price starts at around $1,700.

If you're a novice digital photographer or you want a less expensive Nikon digital camera, there's the Nikon D40, which has a 6.1 megapixel that is just perfect for most users. It has a compact design too, making it ideal for those who don't want to carry a heavier camera around. You can get this digital SLR anywhere from $450 to $650. “It’s a great choice for doing travel photography” says professional digital photographer Bob Dale.

Still there's the Nikon Coolpix P5100, one of the top rated digital SLR cameras in the point-and-shoot category. This camera has both automatic and manual control (zoom, focus and exposure), making it ideal for casual photographers. It has a 2.5-inch LCD display that you can use when setting up your shots instead of the viewfinder. This digital SLR camera retails between $200 and $300.

Panasonic Digital Cameras

If you want an affordable digital zoom camera, go with any of the Panasonic Lumix DMC cameras. Panasonic introduced the first in its Lumix DMC series in 2001 and since then has come out with over 60 models with 1.9 to 10.1 megapixels and zoom capabilities between 10x to 12.5x.

Most experts agree that Panasonic digital cameras are easy to transport and take great digital photos. For the camera buff who doesn't want to spend a lot of money on a high feature quality camera, set your sights on any of the Panasonic Lumix DMC cameras. These cameras cost $400 and below.

Pentax Digital SLR Cameras

Mention SLR cameras and the long time name Pentax quickly comes to mind. How many of us had a Pentax as our first 35mm SLR camera? Pentax, just like the rest of the camera manufacturers, has entered into the digital camera arena.

Pentax digital cameras are of high quality and come in a variety of models that range from the entry level SLR to prosumer models. Some of the better models are the K series and the Optio series. Both of these Pentax digital SLR series of cameras offer users great photographs and a variety of options commonly found on the most popular digital SLR cameras

Choosing Your Digital SLR Camera

There isn't any shortage of digital SLR cameras to date. In fact, you can find a quality digital SLR camera in any price range. It all depends on the features you need and how much you're willing to pay for a camera.  

When you're shopping for a digital SLR camera, make sure that you look into battery life, replacement cost and storage media. It's a good idea to buy the largest memory card you can afford. After all, there's no point in you spending all that money for large megapixel technology if you have no place to store all those digital photos.