It’s probably one of the most commen questions asked in the photography forums - “I’m just becoming interested in photography, and my point-and-shoot camera/camera phone/other camera just isn’t cutting it anymore… So what’s the best beginner dSLR?” It’s the gateway question into the wonderful world of photography. The answer the budding photographer receives could shape their photographic purchases for years, even decades, to come. For those of us that participate regularly in photography forums like the Corner, it’s a question we come across frequently, and one we (hopefully, at least) answer with some thought.

For many, it usually comes down to choosing the (usually) newest and cheapest dSLR that’s made by _____ or _____ (fill in whatever company names you want - but it’s almost always Nikon and Canon these days). Several times a year, the answer will change - the Canon Digital Rebel, the Nikon D50, the Canon 550D, the Nikon D40, the Nikon D5000, and the list goes on. I asked on Twitter and our Facebook Fan Page, and almost every response I received was different - literally dozens of different answers with no real clear winner.

What it really comes down to is personal preference. If you’re in the market for a good, beginner dSLR, there are several to choose from, but before you make up your mind, head down to your local camera shop and hold them in your hand. Some cameras simply “feel right” in your hands, and that may be enough of a tie-breaker to pick one. Sure ‘camera X’ has slightly different features than ‘camera Y’, and ‘camera Z’ has more megapixels than ‘camera X’, but a smaller LCD screen - they all are a little different. But when it comes down to it, a good learner camera for me could be different from a good learner camera for you - we may have different photographic tastes and expectations, different sized hands, different subjects, different feature requirements. So the answer to the question “What is the best beginner dSLR?” is “whatever one seems to fit your photographic needs.” Read more »

This week I’ve been asked a barrel of questions! I’m very lucky to have such a loyal group of readers here at the Photography Corner Blog. One the questions I was asked was from John about digital camera cleaning and what sort of digital camera cleaning equipment did he need (a different John from last time). Read more »

Many times I’ve been asked what the best digital camera to get is. The response is, as you’ve probably heard quite a few times, “it depends on what you want to do.” And what you want to do creates a need. That’s all very well but how do you know exactly what you need? Read more »

Here’s another round of interesting/essential photography-related news. Read more »

There is a lot of news in the world of photography. When I started this blog, I subscribed to as many newsletters, rss feeds, press release sources, industry news, blogs, etc. as I could, so that, if it was happening in the photography industry, I would know about it and could, therefore, pass along all the good stuff to you. A month and a half later, I have 2,698 items sitting in my rss feed reader, which makes me about 2+ weeks behind on the news. Now, if I wanted to catch up, you’d end up having 25 posts a day for the next 3 days (assuming I spent all day posting on the blog, of course), and no one wants that - You don’t want to have to read 75 posts in three days any more than I want to write that many. Read more »

Last week, Nikon announced that the D40 is now officially Windows Vista Certified. The D40 is the first camera Nikon has announced is Vista certified. You can read the press release below: Read more »

If you haven’t seen this video released by Kodak on YouTube yet, you’re really missing out… I’d describe the video to you and comment on it, but it’s probably just as easy for me to show it to you (gotta love new technology, eh?), and honestly, it really speaks for itself (if you find it starts out boring, just wait to the 45-50 second mark… trust me). Read more »

If you own a Canon PowerShot A530 or A540, you’re going to want to read the following safety notice on Canon’s website. Basically, the spring latch on the battery enclosure can overheat, causing a short circuit in the camera. Canon will repair or replace all affected camera’s free-of-charge, regardless of whether it is under warranty or not. Read more »

Just before the holidays, on December 21st, 2006, Hoya and Pentax announced a merger between the two companies where Hoya would merge Pentax into their business. The merger, expected to be finalized by October 1, 2007, would go under the name of Hoya Pentax HD Corporation. For more information on the merger, you can read the press release (Adobe Acrobat required to read the PDF release) posted on the Japan version of the Pentax website. Read more »

Several camera manufacturers have released firmware updates over the past couple of days - most addressing better SDHC support. Both releases and links to the downloads for Canon & Pentax cameras are listed below. Read more »