My wife and my self are searching for a good, but not so expensive camera. And with technology running leaps and bounds, It's confusing as to what is meant by all these abbreviants. We appreciate any and all information on this subject. Also where would be a good place for one to search?
Thank You The same as for film cameras. Single Lens Reflex, which allows you to look through the lens when using the viewfinder by using a movable mirror that pivots out of the way when the shutter is snapped.
Unfortunately not all SLR cameras are euqal, and all digital SLR cameras will cost at least 10 times as much to get the same quality image as a 35mm film SLR. You can get a good quality, and full featured 35mm SLR for under $300, but to get a digital that can take the same size, and quality image as is consistently gotten when using good film, like Kodachrome, Tri-X, or Porta, will run you at least $3,500 for a frame, which is the body, and still won't be able to match the saturation of slide film, or the contrast of B&W film. For that, you have to buy professional equipment, and you would be looking at more than $20,000.
Most digital SLRs talk about megapixels, which are less important, than the ability to shoot a full frame image, ability to capture images in RAW format, and the ability of the ccd(s) to accurately capture colors. The single-lens reflex (SLR) camera uses a movable mirror placed between the lens and the film to project the image seen through the lens to a matte focusing screen. Basically this just means the image you see is clearer and in better focus. Generally SLRs are for more serious photographers, as they tend to have more features. SLR = single lens reflex
Basically you look thru the lens to frame your shot. This is the technology all the better 35mm cameras used. The better digitals also use this and it is considered the only way to properly setup your shot by the pros. Along with this you get changable lenses, changable priority (apeture or shutter speed). A camera in which you view the scene through the same lens that takes the picture As others have said, SLR means single lens reflex. What this means in digital cameras, besides what others have explained on how you focus via looking through the lens, is that unlike other digital cameras, a digital SLR lens is removeable and interchangeable with a variety of different type lenses. You might take off the standard lens that comes with it to put on a special zoom lens, or a macro lens, or whatever type of lens you need for a certain kind of shot.
As you're probably already guessing, this is kind of confusing and a bit technical. Digital SLR are not cheap, usually starting around 800-1,100 US dollars. They are for serious photographers who need to change lenses for desired effects or specific shooting conditions.
They are like the old manual film cameras you might have been familar with, where you have to set your shutter speed, your f-stop, etc. except that they do most of that automatically and instead of using film, they digitally capture the image. They are a mixture of the best of both worlds, digital and manual photography.
From what I read in your question, I think that a digital SLR is not what you and your wife want to spend your money on, unless you plan on getting into more serious photography. You don't need/want a digital SLR just for casual photography. Sure it will work for that, buy why pay all the extra money for it unless you plan on getting more into photography as a hobby? There are plenty of regular digital cameras at much more reasonable prices (down to 100 dollars) for just general use and casual picture taking.
A camera/video store would be a good place to start. Walmart, Target,and other similar type stores will have a wide selection of digital cameras, with the benefit of having a liver person who (may!) be knowledgeable and able to answer specific questions. There are also numerous online sources, but without the help of a live person to query.
The things that will affect the cost of digital cameras is their resolution, or how many megapixels they are capable of capturing. Simply put how many little dots per square inch does the camera use to capture the picture. The higher the megapixel number, the more little dots it uses (and the clearer the picture) and the more it costs. These numbers are increasing all the time. The newer the model, the higher the number of megapixels it is capable of, and the higher the cost.
Dont get too caught up in the megapixel race. You wont be able to tell the difference between say, a 4 megapixel or a 5. Most digital cameras today I think, are at least 3 or 4 megapixels, and thats probably good enough for a first camera.
The amount of storage space the camera has, i.e. how many pictures can it hold before its full will also affect price. The more memory it has, the more pictures it can hold before its full, and the bigger the price. Of course you can always delete the pictures you dont want to free up space. There are also external, removeable memory devices that you can buy to store pictures you want to save, thus freeing up your camera for new pictures. These devices are numerous in type and selection, you are best served by talking to a salesperson if you think you want one.
I can't offer any specific recommendations, as I dont own a digital camera, and haven't checked into them much. I'm something of a Luddite, as I enjoy taking black and white pictures with my old 100% manual camera....
This should, I hope, at least give you some basic information to help compare apples to apples. You may hear a non-SLR camera called a "Point and Shoot" (or PS). These are far and away the most common type of digital camera. Instead of looking 'through the lens' as you would an SLR, you would look through a view finder that doesn't go through the lens (although there are now a number of cameras where you only look at the LCD screen to view your subject and take your picture). PS cameras generally do not have interchangeable lens or a lot of advanced features, but they can handle 95% of what most people need.
Unless you are into something that requires some special features, perhaps sports photography, macro photography, photography requiring more than the built in flash, you are probably OK with a good PS. If you buy a PS and a year later you decide you need an SLR, hey everyone needs a backup camera anyhow! |
