About Lenses. Tom Davis Tom's home page Last Modified: December 7, 2006 When you buy your first SLR camera, it's totally useless without a lens, so you're going to have to get at least one.
I recommend that you get at most one or two when you start. Then learn to use them, see what you like and dislike about them, and then you'll have a much better idea of what to get next. Unless you know something about photography, it's probably a bad idea to buy all of your first lenses at once. Here's far more than you probably want to know about lenses, but at least the recommendations are short and to the point. Recommendations Here are my lens recommendations for a beginner, purchasing his or her first lens, without explanation. How to Read a Lens Description Every lens will have a description that contains text that looks something like this: "200-400m f/4-5.6". In the description of your lens, the focal length is the part that's usually followed by "mm". Third Party Lenses Focal Length Focal Length Multiplier. About camera bodies. Tom Davis Tom's home page Last Modified: May 11, 2003 There are literally hundreds of features available on various camera bodies, and many people who are considering the purchase of their first camera spend hours studying the various options available.
This can be a lot of fun to do, but keep in mind that you will hardly ever use most of those features. You will, however, use a lens on every shot, which is why it's far more important to pick a good lens than a good body. Some people recommend that a beginner should get a totally manual body (like the Pentax 1000) and will thus be forced to learn the details of f-stops, exposure, shutter speeds, et cetera. I figure that if you get a camera you don't like to use, why bother? On the other hand, there's less that can go wrong with a simple camera. Your mileage may vary, of course, but I have never had any trouble with my fancy, complicated, modern bodies.
Highly useful features Auto-focus Some cameras have two auto-focus modes. Exposure modes. What to look for in a DSLR. 4462B003 Canon EOS Rebel T2i EF-S Digital SLR Camera, 18 MegaPixel, with 18-55MM Lens, Black. 25472 Nikon D3100 14.2 Megapixels Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm NIKKOR VR Lens, 3in TFT LCD Display. The Nikon D3100 Digital SLR Camera is an affordable, compact and lightweight photographic power-house.
It features the all-purpose 18-55mm VR lens, a high-resolution 14.2 MP CMOS sensor along with a feature set that's comprehensive yet easy to navigate - the intuitive onboard learn-as-you grow guide mode allows the photographer to understand what the 3100 can do quickly and easily. Capture beautiful pictures and amazing Full HD 1080p movies with sound and full-time autofocus. Easily capture the action other cameras miss with a fast start up time, split-second shutter release, 3 frames per second shooting and 11-point autofocus. Capture pictures and make movies in near darkness with an ISO range of 100 to 3200 (expandable to 12800-Hi2). EXPEED 2, Nikon's new image processing engine, assures breathtakingly rich image quality, managing color, contrast, exposure and noise.
Active D-Lighting restores picture-enhancing detail in shadows and highlights.