What DSLR Camera Should I Buy?

By Geoff Harris

This is one of the most common questions asked by new photographers and here are our top 5 recommendations:-

1) If you own an old SLR film camera and have some good lenses, buy a digital camera of the same make Providing the camera is less than 15 years old, the lenses should fit the new body.

2) Buy the camera body by itself and choose then lens that best suits your needs.  Avoid bundled packages unless the lens you want is included.

3) Spend 1/3 of your budget on the camera body and 2/3 on the lens.  the lens will outlast the camera and this is the bit that creates the photograph, so buy the best lenses you can afford.

4) Consider 3rd party lenses, as some of these from companies like Sigma are as good as the 'own make' models.


5) Don't get too bogged down by choice of camera manufacturer, as all the big names produce some fantastic models.  Make a list of what you think you want the camera to do and then compare the make and model for the one that best suits your needs. Don't be tempted by bells and whistles you will never use, or pay too much attention to mega pixels unless you want to produce Bill Board size prints.

Geoff Harris

I am a journalist and photographer and currently work as the Deputy Editor of Amateur Photographer (AP) - http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk the oldest weekly photographic magazine in the world. Before that I served as the editor of Digital Camera, Britain's best-selling photography magazine, for five years. During my time as editor it became the UK's top selling photo monthly and won Print Publication of the Year at the 2013 British Media Awards. As well as being lucky enough to get paid to write about photography, I've been fortunate to interview some of the greatest photographers in the world, including Elliott Erwitt, Don McCullin, Martin Parr, Terry O'Neill and Steve McCurry. This has been a wonderful learning experience and very influential on my photography. Beyond writing, I am a professional portrait, travel and documentary photographer, and reached the finals of the 2016 Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year competition. I am a Licentiate of the Royal Photographic Society and hope to take my Associateship whenever I can find the time. In addition I write about well being/personal development and antiques collecting for a range of other titles, including BlueWings, the in-flight magazine of Finn Air.

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