Finding the Best Digital SLR Cameras in 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.

Digital SLR, often abbreviated dSLR, stands for digital single lens reflex. The terminology single lens reflex refers to the fact that the camera lens has a mirror behind it that sends the captured light to the viewfinder.

In other words, there is light coming in through the lens, which is then sent by a mirror placed at a 90 degree angle to the pentaprism. When you take a picture, it is as simple as the mirror being lifted to allow the shutter to open. The light then is captured by the image sensor behind the shutter instead of being reflected by the mirror.

You may recognize the companies that manufacture digital SLR cameras. Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Pentax, and Sony are all popular brands in photography. Before they entered the digital SLR market, they were once the big brands in the old 35mm film SLR camera market.

Canon is known for producing cameras of the highest quality. One of the best lines of Canon digital SLR cameras is the Canon EOS. The Canon EOS digital SLR camera gets good reviews for picture quality, options, and ease of use.

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 is another respected manufacturer of digital SLR cameras. The recent Nikon D series of digital SLR cameras has carried on the strong reputation for Nikon cameras as being among the best in the world.

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.

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 clunky 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.

Nikon also makes the Nikon Coolpix P5100 for those who are looking for an inexpensive digital SLR that can take good pictures. This camera can often be found at less than $300, which is simply astonishing for a digital SLR that takes good pictures. Its main features are those that make it simple to use, such as automatic zooming, automatic focusing, and automatic exposure adjustment. It has a big LCD screen for framing and reviewing pictures.

Panasonic Lumix DMC digital SLR cameras tend to combine high quality pictures with affordable prices. Through 2007, Panasonic had released more than 60 digital SLR cameras under the Lumix DMC line, with the most recent ones all having a resolution of at least 10.1 megapixels and a 12.5x optical zoom.

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 good quality camera, set your sights on any of the Panasonic Lumix DMC cameras. These cameras cost $400 and below.

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.

You can purchase Pentax digital SLR cameras for either casual photography or professional photography. The Pentax K lined of digital SLR cameras and the Pentax Optio line of digital SLR cameras both get good reviews. With these Pentax lines, you will get good digital photos and you can expect the standard sets of features found on modern digital SLR cameras.

As you can see, there are a lot of fine digital SLR cameras on the market. There are good digital SLR options for just about any serious amateur or professional photographer’s budget. Basically, it comes down to a trade off between what features you need and how much you want to pay.

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.