Choosing our DSLR Camera

© Duchess O’Blunt, 2011; all rights reserved.

Finding a hobby to fill up some of the free time we now find on our hands wasn't such a difficult choice. I love to read and write and I even enjoy my job most days. But when you find yourself without the need to play the part of: "chauffeur, nurse, teacher, cook, maid, nutritionist, coach, waste management engineer, maid, research specialist, secretary and even a scientist", you actually have a great deal of time on your hands.

A long time hobby that has laid dormant over the years is taking pictures. Even with limited knowledge, and only point and shoot cameras, we have literally thousands (and thousands) of pictures. At first, it was the kids and all the activities and sports they were a part of. Then it was family gatherings and party shots. None of them were really great shots, but they certainly captured the moments.

Taking our little point and shoot camera with us had become a habit, and we found ourselves stopping to take a shot of the sunset, or the horses in the fields. A nature walk became an opportunity to capture a butterfly, or the sun shinning through the trees. Summer at the cottage presented many opportunities for sunsets, sunrises and misty mornings. A ride on the ATV or snowmobile and the wonders of nature were shouting for attention.

With the extra time, and the opportunities, it's not long before you want to venture into the land of photography, learn how to make the good shots great, and find some freedom to explore. It's not surprising then to realize a desire to find the right DSLR camera.

Any venture into lands unknown can be viewed in two ways: a little scary, or an opportunity. I think I felt both. There is a LOT to learn about digital photography let alone how to use the equipment to take the shots. I don't pretend to be an expert and I probably never will be. I do have a modicum of common sense and that's a major tool in going about making this choice. The internet was my first stop in my road to educating myself on which DSLR camera to buy.

I will warn you, if you are serious about choosing the right camera, you are about to learn a new language. Don't be intimidated, but here are a list of words you need to learn about:

• aperture
• shutter speed
• white balance
• exposure
• metering
• mega pixel
• digital zoom
• optical zoom
• focal length
• sensor
• flash
• ISO

Here are a few good places to start your learning journey into the land of the DSLR:

Digital Photography School is a great site, the first pages to check out are:

How to Buy a DSLR Camera

21 Settings, Techniques and Rules All New Camera Owners Should Know

• Your children (or grandchildren)
• Weddings, birthdays and other special events
• people
• animals
• landscape
• sports
• architecture
• old and/or interesting buildings

It is important that you know what you will be using the camera for so that you can choose the camera that works best for your particular area of interest(s) .

What is it that interests you? What are your hobbies? Why do you want to purchase a DSLR camera? Did you see a commercial and think - oooo, I'd like to do that? Or have you taken some very great shots and been encouraged by friends and family by their interest?

When writing, if you write about what you know, or what interests you, your work is better. There is no difference when it comes to photography. What is it that you enjoy photographing the most? Figure that out before you go looking for a camera.

Do you want the camera for personal use or are you interested in making money from your hobby at some point?

Do you want to take great shots of weddings and special events for your own interests or for keepsakes for your children and grandchildren?

One of the great things about the internet is that you can search for just about anything and find information. The difficulty is in being able to discern who knows what they are talking about and who is just talking through the top of their head. Often you have to be careful that you are not reading someone's article who has put it together because they want to sell a particular brand. And too, there are those who write articles about a product after having "researched" the topic and written a biased articled based on someone else's less than stellar information.

I am as new to the world of DSLR cameras as a new born baby. I did however go through the steps outlined here and I kept my eye on the sales - thinking I might one day run out and get the latest greatest DSLR when it came on sale. It didn't work out that way.

• Research on line to learn the new language
• Learn what features are available with each different camera
• Learn what those features do
• Talk with the experts face to face
• Shop and Compare

This was a big purchase for us, and I wanted to make sure I bought a camera we were both going to be happy with, so I wanted to ask an expert.

The internet is a great resource. You can find out many things, in fact I'm sure there are places where you can "Ask an Expert" from many local or global photography stores, even some well known photographers. (Be sure to add them in your comments if you know of any.)

I did not go the route of the internet for this part of my research. I went to a few shops in person to speak to them. By this point, I knew I had narrowed down what we would be using the camera for and from researching knew I had to look closely at low light, aperture and shutter speed.

Armed with that knowledge, I asked the sales people this question; "If price was not a factor, and you wanted to photograph landscapes and wildlife, which camera in your store would you buy?" That typically got the results I wanted. Even without a commission, most of the sales people were interested in the conversation. I think it helps when you don't go to them completely stupid, and can talk the lingo enough to catch their attention.

I'm not big on shopping - in fact it is one of my least favorite activities. The homework was my way of eliminating some of the legwork before shopping, but it is still a necessary step to get out there; see, feel, and ask questions.

Even after I was almost certain I had made my decision on the camera to buy, I still asked the sales clerk enough questions to ensure he earned his commission! I'm happy it wasn't difficult to find someone knowledgeable enough to answer them for me.

Because I had already indicated I was interested in purchasing the camera of my choice, this gave the salesperson an idea of the price range I was looking for.  Hint, be sure to have a budget, because this is the one question they will all be sure to ask you.

One question I asked him was to take another camera that was comparable in features and compare them for me. He took me over to the computer section of the store and pulled up a site that compared apples to apples for each camera. This is a good site for anyone out there trying to make up their mind on what they want in terms of a DSLR camera.

Once you know what those features are and what they are used for, this is a good last step for you to take before you go out and purchase your new DSLR camera.

It is called Snapsort and gives you an opportunity to type in by camera make and model or choose from the ones they have listed - whether that be a point and shoot digital camera or a DSLR camera.

After about 3 weeks of intensive study and asking questions, my DSLR choice was the Nikkon D7000.

Between the camera, my Mac and the Aperture program, I am in the process of yet another learning curve to copyright the photos.

Where do you post them?

Can you use them to make money?

More questions than answers - and I'm off to find them (the answers that is - I have enough questions).

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