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When
you buy a compact digital camera, you buy a camera. But when you buy a
digital SLR, you buy into a whole camera system. That SLR body accepts
a wide range of lenses, flash units, viewfinder attachments, optional
power sources and other accessories, all of which add tremendous
versatility. So to get the most out of your purchase, you should look
at the whole system, not just a particular camera model, when deciding
which D-SLR to purchase.
Camera Bodies
The camera body is the heart of any SLR camera system, but especially
so with a digital SLR. A film camera is basically a light-tight box
that holds the film and lens. A digital camera is the film. The D-SLR’s
image sensor, A/D converter, image-processing engine and RAW/JPEG
algorithms determine the very “look” of the images the camera produces.
When choosing a film-camera body, you’re mainly concerned with its
shooting-feature set, AF and metering performance, and what lenses and
accessories can be attached. With a D-SLR, you must also consider the
digital aspects: megapixels and image “look” (or “looks,” with some
cameras), and how the camera body, accessories and software work
together to give you the best possible images and the most control.
There are three basic D-SLR categories. Entry-level models sell for
between $500 and $700, yet offer a wide range of features and very good
autofocusing and metering performance. They’re also generally compact.
The entry-level models are ideal for compact-camera users moving up to
their first SLR, as well as for photographers on a tight budget.
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