What Is a Digital SLR Camera?
A digital SLR (DSLR), like a traditional SLR, is a Single-Lens Reflex camera in which light passes through the lens and is reflected by a mirror onto the optical viewfinder, giving the user a clear image of their subject. When the shutter button is pressed on a DSLR, the image is projected onto an imaging sensor. (On a traditional SLR, it’s projected onto film.)
One of the most appealing things about SLRs is that they allow you to change lenses. And since whatever the lens sees on a DSLR, you also see, so you get a wide-angle view when you mount a wide-angle lens on the camera, a closer view with a telephoto, and a close-up view when you focus with a macro lens in place.
Digital SLR Camera – Comparison of Lenses
Just as with point-and-shoot digital cameras, there’s still a lot of emphasis put on how many megapixels a digital SLR has. In our opinion, too much emphasis. By definition, a single pixel is one “picture element,” in a digital image, while a megapixel is a million picture elements.
While more megapixels means you can make bigger prints from your images it doesn’t necessary mean you will capture high quality images. This is especially true for digital SLRs where the quality of the sensor itself, the sharpness and speed of the lens, and the camera’s image processor are as important, if not more, than how many megapixels a camera has.
Digital SLR Camera – Information on Megapixels
Just as with point-and-shoot digital cameras, there’s still a lot of emphasis put on how many megapixels a digital SLR has. In our opinion, too much emphasis. By definition, a single pixel is one “picture element,” in a digital image, while a megapixel is a million picture elements.
While more megapixels means you can make bigger prints from your images it doesn’t necessary mean you will capture high quality images. This is especially true for digital SLRs where the quality of the sensor itself, the sharpness and speed of the lens, and the camera’s image processor are as important, if not more, than how many megapixels a camera has.
Digital SLR Camera – Comparison of Design Features & Ease of Use
Consumer-level digital SLRs are getting more compact and easier to use, not to mention much more affordable in price. While size and weight of a digital SLR probably doesn’t matter as much to a professional photographer, for a consumer these factors can be essential. One of Nikon’s recent digital SLRs, the D40, is gorgeously compact with intuitive controls and a useful help menu with “assist images” lets you see an example of the results before you take the picture. Canon’s digital Rebel XTi is also quite compact and ergonomically designed with easy-to-read buttons and a large, bright LCD on back. The Rebel XTi also comes with a self-cleaning imaging sensor that literally shakes off dust. A digital SLR with a logical, compact design and functions you can understand how to use means it will spend less time in your closet and more out with you taking pictures.
Digital SLR Camera – Comparison of Special Features
Every time a new digital SLR is released, a new special feature seems to pop up. Here are three of the most useful special features to look for on the latest digital SLRs.
LCDs with Live View – Because of their unique single-lens reflex design, digital SLR were not capable of having a live view on the LCD like you get on a point-and-shoot digital camera. That’s all beginning to change as several manufacturers – Olympus, Panasonic, Canon and others – have worked out a way for photographers to see what’s happening in front of the camera by looking at a live view on the LCD.
While we always prefer to look through the optical viewfinder on a digital SLR, an LCD with a live view is an added bonus and helpful in situations – such as above crowd shots – when you can’t look through the viewfinder.
Image Stabilization and Anti-Shake Technology – Some manufacturers – Canon and Nikon – have had image stabilizing technology built into their lenses to counteract the effect of motion blur brought on by camera shake. While we love lenses with built-in image stabilization since they help make our pictures sharper, they can pricey. As a more affordable solution, other companies, including Sony and Olympus, have introduced digital SLRs with an anti-shake function built right into the camera to prevent blur no matter which lens you attach to it. Either way you slice it, image stabilization and anti-shake technology can be extremely helpful to you as a photographer.
Dust Removal – Every time you remove the lens from your digital SLR, dust can invade your camera and scatter on the image sensor. The result is images that are full of spots. Thankfully, several new cameras on the market from the likes of Olympus, Canon, Pentax, and Sony have built-in technology that will shake the sensor to remove dust. This is an extremely handy feature especially since an exposed image sensor acts like a dust magnet.