Self-advising to buy a camera: your choice is DSLR

This hub belongs to a series of hubs pre-titled "Self-advising to buy a camera" talking about the advantages of taking decisions when buying a digital camera, and what we need to succed in the choice: knowledge and good information.

This hub considers that you have already made the first decision, indentifying the type of camera you need: a DSLR, perhaps making use of the precedent hub "Self-advising to buy a camera: DSLR or compact".

Other hubs of the series are:

There are lots of features that matter when evaluating a DSLR:

1. Their ability to record HD video. Almost all new models since 2009 can record HD video, but not all.
2. The size of the sensor. The bigger the sensor is, the better the quality of the images is. There is also a correlation between the size of the sensor, the depth of field, the dynamic range and the noise reduction. Big sensors provide shallower depth of field at the same apperture. It is important in taking pictures with a very sharp in-focus elements and blurred backgrounds. Good for portraits. Three sizes are to be considered: Four thirds, APS-C and Full Frame (for a size comparison, go to SATBAC: DSLR or compact). There are few cameras with bigger sensors (medium format sensors), but they don't belong to the scope of this hub.
3. The speeds of everything. A DSLR camera is a very technically improved device, designed to capture the light with a very tight time constraints. Thus time is involved in everything. Time between shots in still shots, time to focus, time to take the picture once focused. They are all important. Shots per second in continuous mode, in JPG mode and in RAW too. Maximum number of frames to take in continous mode, and the time to process the buffer when shotting continuous, in order to be ready to start shotting again.
4. ISO range. Sensors are becoming more and more sensitive. High sensitivities allow shoting in lower light conditions, with the counterpart of noiser pictures. Newer cameras are behaving better in this subject, due to new generation sensors. Bigger sensors are less sensible to noise due to high ISOs. So full frame sensors allow higher ISOs range sensitivities.
5. Bracketing: The ability to take more than one picture at a time, with different ISO sesnsitivities, or different white balance or different exposure times, in order to choose the best of them or if HDR in-camera feature (High Dynamic Range), blend the two, three or five pictures to generate a new picture. Almost all DSLR allow bracketing of some kind (exposure time the most common one) but few of them have Auto-HDR funcionality in-camera.
6. In-camera intervalometer. Few cameras, all of them Nikon or Pentax, have the ability to automatically shot every programmed seconds to generate a sequence of pictures that can be joined by a special application to build a DSLR quality fast-motion video. The same effect can be obtained with an exernal intervalometer.
7. Auto-focus is a functionality of modern SLR cameras. Auto-focus has to be very fast to be effective. But when appliying the concept to continuous shoting, only few cameras can adjust the focus in every frame, what is said continuous auto-focus. When this concept is applied to video recording, it becomes video continuous auto-focus, New cameras start providing this feature too.
8. Live View allows to use the display screen as an electronic viewfinder. When using this feature, the camera works different losing some of the features, like autofocus or continuous autofocus,
9. Flipping or swiveling screen.
10. Pentamirror or pentaprism in the viewfinder.

Thus, having in mind these main features and other important characteristics, we can consider the following types of DSLR, including those so-called DSLR models, attending our criteria of considering DSLR cameras even those who cannot be considered as for their lack of retractable mirror, but having a big image sensor and an interchangeable lens system.

• Mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras, that could be considered a sublevel of Consumer: Use to be smaller and have few in-body controls, having to access to the display menu for several important issues. Advised for those occasional and travel photographers aiming to have more than a compact. Similar features than Consumer models but with less in-body controls. Kit prices between $400 and $700.
• Consumer DSLR cameras: small and light (body and battery below 600g), less in-body controls, no auxiliar display. Sensor four thirds or APS-C. Body material is plastic. Battery allows no more than 500 shots in one charge. Kit prices between $400 and $900.
• Enthusiast DSLR cameras: weights between 600 and 750g. Bigger bodies, made of quality materials like magnessium and aluminium alloys, incoporating more in-body controls and top LCD displays to show important settings. In some cases, weather sealed, against water and dust. More battery capacity allowing more than 700 shots per charge. Prices between $800 and $1,500. Kits usually come with one zoom lens more expensive than those of Consumer level, because it is a better lens or because it offers a wider focal lenght range. They are also called prosumer or semi-pro DSLR.
• Professional DSLR cameras: Usually Full frame sensor cameras with bigger bodies, that permit body extensions to enhance ergonomy when shooting portrait format pictures, a second battery inside and perhaps a second shot button for portrait formats.

The ability to record HD video is a new feature of DSLR cameras, that started with Nikon D90 in 2008. Now the newest entry-level DSLRs models come not only with HD Video or Full-HD video recording, but they come with continuous auto-focus video recording feature. Nikon D3100 being the first camera to offer this funcionality, followed by the pellicle-mirror Sony SLT-A33 and SLT-A55.
And there are other features only reserved in the past to pro DSLRs that are beeing incorporated in entry-level begginer and semi-pro DSLRs, like HDR, 3D capabilities, and intervalometer to assist time-lapse shots.

And, finally, you have to understand the pros and cons of in-camera optical stabilization vs optical stabilized lenses, and the pros and cons of having an in-body lens motor or just dont having it. With a DSLR camera not in-body stabilized the only way to stabilize your shots is buying stabilized lenses. Take in mind that some entry-level DSLR kits dont come with stabilized lenses, that are more expensive.

And the big dilema: Canon or Nikon, or any other brand. Because anyother brands are good enough when comparing equivalent models. If you buy a Canon DSLR you get married with Canon because of its unique mount system, different from the one of Nikon, the one of Pentax, Sony, an so on. So, when you have bought several lenses and accessories that can only be mounted in a Canon body, your next body will be Canon. So, choose the right brand, just to not having to regret it in the future. I am not saying that you have to choose Canon or Nikon.

There is a general statement, that stands that there are much more lenses for Nikon and Canon than for Pentax, Olympus or Sony. That is true but not as much as they say. As Nikon and Canon are not in-body optically stabilized, they let you choose stabilizated and non stabilizated lenses, being more expensive the stabilizated ones.Pentax, Olympus and Sony don't.

With the in-body lens motor lack in the case of some Nikon DSLRs, Nikon and other lenses manufacturers have to offer motorized lenses for Nikon cameras, of course, more expensive. Motorized lenses are an important improvement versus non motorized lenses, offering a faster auto-focus. Some brands, like Sony, offer in-body focus motor only for backward compatibility with older lenses, non-motorized.

Buying a Pentax or Sony (Sony Alpha and Minolta compatibility), means buying a body with full compatibility with older lenses, because its in-body stabilization and in-body focus motor. Nevertheless, Canon and Nikon have a wider range of lenses and accessories avalaible, because its leadership on the DSLR market.

For example, in Pentax, lens compatibility goes to 70s. If you don't mind to lose some automated functionality like auto-focus in 80's and 90s models or automatic aperture in 70s models, Ebay is full of bargain old lenses. In internet you can find several lens databases and forums where to look for old lens reviews published by people who owns the lenses and maintained by big comunities of users. See some examples of those sites in the hub "Self-advising to buy a camera: Useful resources on the net".

What follows is a compilation of data from several websites about camera models grouped by cathegory. The life cycle of a camera in the market lasts about 2 years. Some times new cameras coexist in time with the older model it replaces, enhancing the majority of features at no much bigger price, so it's important to know when a camera model launch was.

In the report that follows, we'll present characteristics of two categories of DSLR cameras: Mirrorless and entry-level. Maybe in the future I will complete the report with Enthusiast models. In the meantime I prefer to keep this hub not so big.

Mirrorless cameras

Entry-level basic DSLR models