Hi

I love taking pictures and have a simple digital camera however, I really enjoy photography and am in awe of other peoples fantastic photography work, particulary on Flickr.com. My husband would like to buy me a new camera for Xmas and we have been searching websites etc and reading reviews to try and get a feel of what camera I should buy. I have also been to some shops and had a "look and feel"!! But its a mine field!!!

First of all - what does SLR mean? And then DSLR? This may seem like a really stupid question but when you are new to it all, I have no idea.

I understand "megapixels" and feel that the more mp's a camera has doesnt necessarily mean a better photo.

Basically, I want a camera to photograph the family and as I am an interior designer, I also want to photograph my work for my portfolio. I also travel quite a bit and want to take amazing photos of landscapes. So really, what I want is an all round camera that I can take abroad with me too. I accept that the type of camera I want isnt going to be something I can just carry in my pocket and I am happy with that. In time, I plan to learn photgraphy at night school so I am serious about this but for now, I want a quality camera to take amazing pictures!

Forgive my ignorance on the subject but I am learning! I am leaning towards Nikon and Canon but still have no idea of which one would be good for a beginner like me who wants almost professional looking pictures. The G10 seemed to get good reviews but then I found some bad reviews on it. Also, I handled the canon G10 in the shop and it didnt feel that comfy to hold and seemed to need a separate flash, am I right to think this? I will eventually go into a shop like Jessops and discuss things with the shop assistant but I am a bit scared at the moment as I am so naive on the subject and dont want to be embarrassed by my lack of knowledge but still wnat an excellent camera.

We have a budget of £500.

Thank you so much in advance to anyone who can just share a small piece of their advice.

There's a touch of the blind leading the blind here because I'm probably more confused than you but...

SLR stands for Single Lens Reflex which, from what I remember from school days, is the arrangement of lenses and mirrors that allows the the viewfinder to display exactly what the main lens is looking at (rather than slightly off).

Since the advent of digital photography this doesn't seem to be such a big deal since most digital cameras will have an LCD screen displaying what the main lens is looking at.

DSLR, I'd guess, is Digital Single Lens Reflex.

SLR = Single lens reflex - a camera with one lens which projects both the actual photo onto the film and the image onto the viewfinder - the photo in a straight line, the image by reflection using the mirror that's between lens and film, and the "pentaprism" that's concealed under the top lump that makes SLRs look different from "viewfinder" cameras, which don't use the same front lens for the viewfinder image (and that's why the S = single is significant - you may remember old-fashoined cameras with two lenses at the front - one each for image and viewfinder). D in DSLR just stands for "digital", though you'd have to work quite hard to buy a non-digital SLR these days outside the second-hand market. Mass-market film SLRs almost all used 35mm film and that's why you'll see things like lens focal lengths (including ones for digital SLRs) often converted to "35mm equivalent" - although only very expensive DSLRS have full 35mm-size sensors, 35mm is a common currency which allows lots of people to understand comparisons between different lenses.

The other big feature of (D)SLRs is interchangeable lenses - you normally get a lens with the camera but can replace it with other lenses for wide angle, long telephoto, close-up and other shots. If you buy an SLR, but never use any lens except the one supplied with it, you've arguably wasted some money. The problem is that a good SLR with 28-80mm lens (approximate 35mm equivalent) will cost you around £400, and you won't get mch of an extra lens for the odd £100. 28-80 doesn't give you much scope at the telephoto end, so you would probably need another lens quite soon (and 28mm equivalent may not be wide enough for some landscapes, though "panorama stitching" software may help get round this issue). On the other hand, if you but good quality lenses, you should be able to use them with other SLRs in the same series if you replace the camera later.

The cheaper alternative is "bridge" or "prosumer" cameras - these cost around £300 and come with a single lens which you cannot remove or replace. This will usually provide a range of focal lengths far bigger than an SLR lens. The sensor in these cameras is smaller, so image quality is not as good a with SLRs, but for "domestic" purposes it should be fine. These cameras are a bit smaller and lighter than SLRs (and that's before you weigh any extra lenses with the SLR), and will usually have an onboard flash which is fine for at least some scenarios. In this market, Canon, Nikon, Sony, Olympus and Panasonic have models which get pretty good reviews. By the time you've added a few accessories you should still be inside your £500 budget. If your £500 budget is long-term, I'd say one of these is your best option. Go DLSR if it's more like £500 a year and you don'tmind the extra weight.

Thank you for this. I am afraid I am getting bombarded with technical info when reading about cameras Im almost at the point of not bothering!! I have however found a good site today which has been really helpful and talks about the subject in a simpler way.

http://www.digital-slr-guide.com

Thanks again.

You'll be wasting your money if your struggling now. Stick to a point and shoot.

This is fantastic info Mr P Biddlesombe. You have made things a lot clearer for me. £500 is my budget for the camera at this moment in time and I will have the finances to add as time goes on and my enthusiasm increases. I also do not mind the extra weight. I do have a compact camera which I can carry around with me at all times. I am currently reading through the site I have mentioned above which is giving me so much information. Thank you for taking the time to reply.

Awww Mr Conway - we all have to start somewhere! I have a point and shoot and despite using and playingw it the various settings, I am not producing the quality of photos I would like. I agree, I dont understand the "jargon" but I have an eye for photography and enthusisam so I am sure this will stand me in good stead!

Glad to be of service. I took a brief look at the site you mentioned and it seems to talk a lot of sense.

DSLR sounds the right choice for you - best of luck choosing.