Beginners’ Guide To Buying A DSLR – Things To Consider

Hi Everyone!

I am by no means an expert on photography or cameras, but I know an awful lot of questions get asked about what the best camera to buy is. I have just purchased my first (& I’m hoping my only) DSLR, so I thought I’d share my experience with you!

To avoid you all having to read an essay, I thought I’d separate this subject into four posts; ‘Things To Consider’, ‘Where to buy’, ‘My Thoughts On My Camera’ & ‘Accessories’.

I started seriously looking at DSLR cameras about 6 months ago. I went to a number of stores, the two most productive being Currys & Jessops on Oxford Street. I was particularly impressed with the help I received at Currys.

The first thing to decide upon is your budget. When doing this, take into consideration any extras you may need – tripod, memory card, extra battery, camera case, etc., etc. Once you have your budget & your list of accessories that need to come within this (it’s helpful to have a rough idea how much these will come to), you’re ready to start looking at cameras.

This is a good time to think about what you want from your camera – you may already have some ideas!

For me, I wanted the camera to:

• be light (because of my joints)
• able to film well (for my YouTube videos)
• capture moments quickly (as I want the camera to be able to capture a growing family & babies don’t wait around!)
• be able to perform well in low lighting situations (because of my photosensitivity flash photography is problematic).

Through my research into DSLRs, I learned that I needed the highest possible ISO to get the best images in low light. I also found that I needed to pay attention to shutter speed for quick image capture.

Initially, I thought I wanted a Canon – everyone else is using them, so they must be good. Right? Wrong.

I’m sure Canon’s are great & I’m sure I wouldn’t have any complaints about a Canon, but the Nikon I chose was just that little bit more suitable for me. It took me a while to come to this realisation – that not everyone is the same & we all have different needs!

Something I would totally recommend is to go into a shop & hold the different cameras. Each camera model feels different, regardless of whether they are from the same brand or not. Buttons are usually in a similar place over brands, but a lighter, smaller camera body can mean that some features are omitted. If you can, get a demonstration for the cameras you’re interested in.

So although I came to the realisation that a Canon was not the brand for me, I initially looked at the Canon 1100d (this was the camera I was certain I’d buy, but it’s not being made anymore). This has been replaced by the 1200d, which seemed to me to be more money for not a lot more camera! Canon then came out with the 100d – the weight of this camera was what really appealed to me! I also debated the Canon 700d & it’s Nikon counterpart, the D5300.

Once I’d worked out the three cameras I was interested in, it came down to features. It was when I spoke to a friend with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome about cameras that I felt confident removing the Canon 100d from the equation. This camera lacked the features I wanted & though it is extremely light, the body felt too small & I was worried I wouldn’t be able to get a good enough grip.

This left the Canon 700d & Nikon D5300, both of which have flip screens. The Nikon is lighter & slightly better in terms of low lighting photography & takes 5 frames per second on continuous shooting mode rather than 4. This was something I thought would be useful for catching the first baby moments – set the camera up & leave it to shoot. If I only get one good shot each time, it’ll be worth doing! The Nikon also felt more comfortable in my hands – the body is smaller & the buttons are in a better place for me to reach. I did have to make some compromises. The Canon is slightly better for capturing video, more specifically for the omission of audio during focusing. The display is also touchscreen &, though this is something that isn’t important to me, might be a deciding factor for some.

For me, the small differences weighed in favour of the Nikon D5300. The addition of the built in wifi made the Nikon irresistible, as I can upload directly to my phone & post on my social media!

I really hope this post has been helpful. It took me a long time to work through all the information I needed to make my decision & wanted to share my thought process with you.

What were your priorities for buying your camera (DSLR or otherwise)?

Tania Xx