Are DSLR Cameras Worth The Money?

**Nathan** · 12-18-2009, 02:56 PM

My wife and I have been going back and forth on if we should buy a DSLR camera or not. Right now we have a Canon PowerShot SD800 IS and frankly it takes really good pictures and is small enough to put in your pocket. I've looked at the Nikon D5000 a couple of times but I'm trying to justify the cost in my mind.

What do you find that your able to do with your DSLR that you can't do with a typical point and shoot?

Thanks.

**gma2rjc** · 12-18-2009, 05:32 PM

My sister LOVES her DSLR.

She has a Nikon D40X. She bought a lens for it that takes excellent pictures in low light without a flash and there's no blur when the kids can't hold still. It's nice because you can take pictures of your kids Christmas morning around the tree without a flash and the space around them won't be dark like it can be with a flash. Plus, no flash means no red eye. The lens is a 35mm F1/4 and she paid $120 for it. She said there's another one that's even better that costs $500.

That's just one lens. There's so much you can do with other lenses.

I used to have a regular SLR camera and it was great. It took much better pictures than my point and shoot. Something happened to the camera, but I still have the lenses.

I don't think you and your wife would be sorry you invested in a great camera. The awesome pictures you get of your kids will make it worth while.

But keep the point and shoot because it sure is nice to have one you can take everywhere. Especially if you want to go to the beach where sand will ruin your good camera.

Another cool thing I loved about my SLR was being able to focus in on a person or object and making the background blurry.

Barb

scelestic · 12-18-2009, 10:59 PM

If your just taking family snap shots then theres really no need for a DSLR unless you really want to get into photography. If you do get a DSLR learn to use it properly and dont keep it on auto all the time. Also you may want to take a into to photography class or workshop. Be prepared to spend a lot on lenses (50mm is a nice one to start with. Id suggest not buying the kit lenses they are never very good unless its a $1,000+ camera). With a SLR you have full control over aperture (which controls what gma2rjc was saying about "making the background blurry" lol... thats called depth of field), shutter speed, and iso so you will need to learn what these things are and how to use them together. Also you will need photoshop or something similar to edit your photos but dont over do it. You will need a good book on photoshop for photographers. The Adobe Photoshop for Photographers books are very good (there is one for each version). RAW is the best format to shoot in. JPG is lossy. You loose information from the photo every time you save over JPG. Though RAW has its own window to edit in and all of your edits will do very minimal damage to the photo (yes edits are damaging / changing the photo though that does not make them really bad as long as you do it correctly). Though edits in RAW are permanent and you may want to keep backup copies of your photos which can take up space so a external hard drive is a nice thing to invest in. You will need to calibrate your monitor as well so your edits are correct and you get a print that is just like how it looks on the screen. If you have any questions feel free to ask me. Photography is my major, I have been doing it for about 8 years, I worked with pros, I get paid for it, so I know a thing or two about it. =P

**Nathan** · 12-18-2009, 11:15 PM

I've actually taken a few photography classes and used to be really into it before digital cameras came out. The DSLR I was trying to use in the store though was almost all auto. I'm sure I could learn to turn those features off but it really made it hard to focus on something and blur the background when it kept auto focusing everything.
I do like the idea of getting back into photography again though. I really like outdoor photography so on one hand I think I'll have to wait until my kids get older to really enjoy that... but then again there's no better time to take pictures of your kids than when they are younger. I'll have to start saving up.

scelestic · 12-18-2009, 11:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nathan

I've actually taken a few photography classes and used to be really into it before digital cameras came out. The DSLR I was trying to use in the store though was almost all auto. I'm sure I could learn to turn those features off but it really made it hard to focus on something and blur the background when it kept auto focusing everything.
I do like the idea of getting back into photography again though. I really like outdoor photography so on one hand I think I'll have to wait until my kids get older to really enjoy that... but then again there's no better time to take pictures of your kids than when they are younger. I'll have to start saving up.

Lol. All DSLR cameras have manual settings... you just have to read the manual and figure out how to use them. Unless it was not a SLR but even then ALL cameras have some sort of manual settings. DSLRs usually have a All manual, shutter priority (Tv or S on cameras) and aperture priority (usually Av or A on a camera). There should be a dial on the top usually on the left side whit these things on it. Since your into outdoor photography you might want to get a tripod and a IR filter (a hoya r72 was what I used). The shutter speeds will be very slow about 30 seconds like they were on my 40D before I got my old camera converted to infrared so now I can just use it hand held (I would not recomend this unless your just that into photography and can afford to loose $300+ & have a second DSLR to take normal photos with). Also look into getting a wide angel. If your getting a Canon brand then I know the perfect wide angel lens.

The dial will look like this btw:

P: Program mode offers partial control over shutter speed and aperture.
Tv or S: Shutter priority controls the shutter speed, and aperture is calculated by the camera.
Av or A: Aperture priority controls the aperture, and shutter speed is calculated by the camera.
Sv: Sensitivity priority controls the Sensitivity value (ISO speed), shutter and aperture is calculated by camera (similar to Program mode).
M: Manual mode controls shutter speed and aperture independently.

**gma2rjc** · 12-19-2009, 12:06 AM

Three websites to check out are

www.kenrockwell.com (photography and cameras)

www.scottkelby.com (Photography and cameras)

www.kimkomando.com (anything to do with electronics, including cameras and photo editing software)

Barb

scelestic · 12-19-2009, 12:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gma2rjc

Three websites to check out are

www.kenrockwell.com (photography and cameras)

www.scottkelby.com (Photography and cameras)

www.kimkomando.com (anything to do with electronics, including cameras and photo editing software)

Barb

Lol Ken Rockwell makes me laugh. Some of his info is misleading / not correct. Also his thing about aliens... ya hes a bit nuts. For a good laugh (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/....php?t=702837]). Though it IS just a spoof site as he points out himself here: http://www.kenrockwell.com/about.htm. Though sadly many newbies take it as fact.

Anyway one more to add to that list is a amazing store to buy from:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/
& if you choose Canon this is a very helpful, knowledgeable, and friendly forum: http://photography-on-the.net/forum/index.php
http://www.dpreview.com/ is a great review site.

SouthernMother · 01-15-2010, 02:43 AM

I started with a Nikon d40 and outgrew it quickly. I got a d90 about a year ago and couldn't be happier. I am slowly self-teaching myself the basics of photography, and Photoshop as well. My suggestion is to not settle for something if you have a strong interest, a desire for really great pictures, and a history of follow throuh LOL. Not sure about the Nikon you are looking at, but just letting you know that the main thing I hated about my d40 was that it only had 3 focus fields (can't remember if that's the exact name, they are the parts that turn red when you are using auto-focus). I like the comfort of auto focus when my eyes get tired and things start getting blurry. Using manual focus is fun and not that intimidating, it was the first non-automatic thing I ventured to with my DSLR. I also agree, there is no way you will
capture colors, lighting, and depth of field as well with any point and shoot that I have ever played with. Good luck and let us know what you decide and post pix!

Jrits · 01-15-2010, 10:59 AM

YES!!!!! The pictures are amazing!!

soulkissed · 01-16-2010, 08:27 PM

Honestly, I'd say Yes!! DH and I just bought a cannon rebel xsi 450D as our Christmas/Anniversary gifts for eachother and couldn't be happier. We're both newbies (not professionals by a LONG shot!!) but have a great interest in photography - and we have a 1 year old son - and frankly my HP Photosmart (5mp...about 4 years old) was NOT cutting it for us. The first day we got it I just played around taking photos of our dog and Christmas tree - and they were AMAZING, not to mention plain jane photos of our little guy, everything looks better with our DSLR. We use auto when we're lazy but have ventured to use the manual settings as well - we have a LOT to learn, but for us the purchase has been a very, very happy one

OH - and we only have the kit lens (which is enough for us - for now, perhaps an upgrade will be in order in the coming months...or years, lol).

Hope that helps!!