Finding the Best Digital SLR Cameras in the Market

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Digital SLR cameras are becoming very popular. According to a 2007 IDC report, there were about 7.5 million digital cameras sold. Canon and Nikon cameras dominated the digital SLR market, with Olympus and Sony taking up a large portion of the leftover market-share. In fact, Canon and Nikon accounted for approximately 80% of the total digital SLR camera sales, Sony and Olympus accounted for about 12%, with Panasonic and Pentax also having significant digital SLR camera sales.

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.

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.

In more complex terms, the light gets to a pentaprism by coming through the lens and bouncing off a mirror that is at a 90-degree angle. As complex as it sounds, there is simply a mirror in front of the shutter. When you take a picture, the mirror lifts up so that the same light can then go through the shutter as it opens.

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 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.

With the Canon EOS line of digital SLR cameras, you will typically get about 10.1 megapixels of resolution. This is true of the Canon Digital Rebel series as well.

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.

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 is the top of the Nikon D series line. With the Nikon D300 you get a large LCD screen to look at in place of the viewfinder. With a price at about $1,700, this is a good entry-level professional digital SLR camera. It is a good investment for those who need to take high quality digital photos.

For those who don’t need all of the professional features of the Nikon D300, the Nikon D40 is an excellent, budget alternative with a price of $450 to $650. You will get great shots with this 6.1 megapixel digital SLR camera. It features a compact design for people on the go. “It’s a super choice for doing travel photography” says professional digital photographer Bob Dale.

For the casual digital photography enthusiast, the Nikon Coolpix P5100 consistently gets high reviews among simple digital SLR cameras. While it has manual control, its automatic zoom, focus, and exposure options make it easy for anyone to use. It also features a large LCD screen to help you see what you’ll get before you shoot the picture. The Nikon Coolpix P5100 is surprisingly affordable for a digital SLR, with prices ranging from $200 to $300.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC line of digital SLR cameras is one of the best values on the market. From 2001 to 2007, Panasonic produced over 60 Lumix DMC digital SLR camera models, with the last of that era coming with 10.1 megapixels and a 12.5x zoom standard on each camera.

Another feature that makes the Panasonic digital SLR cameras popular is that they are typically very portable. But what really sets them apart, is that the newest models are typically not much over $400.

Mention SLR cameras and the 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 professional 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.

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.

Among the additional considerations you’ll have for your digital SLR camera decision are flash media types, warranties, battery replacement costs, and battery capacity. The only firm recommendation would be that your flash memory unit should be able to hold at least 1,000 photographs at your camera’s top resolution. If you’re going to spend a lot for a camera, you ought to be able to take all of the photographs you want and rest assured that they’ll be of the highest quality.