Selecting the right Canon SLR

For a person new to slr cameras the choices can be daunting. I say new to SLR cameras and not to photography since most of us are familiar with taking pictures from our cellphones or at some point a compact camera of sorts.

Intentionally avoiding all the technical jargon, an SLR camera offers the key benefit of inter-changeable lenses, speed and image quality over compact cameras and bridge cameras. They tend to have larger sensors which contribute to low image noise and greater low light performance.

There are few different size sensors offering a variety of difference benefits. I won't go into sensor sizing at this stage except to say Canon cameras are normally 1.6x (Crop Sensor), 1.0x (Full Frame) and 1.3x (Crop Sensor)  variety. Crop sensors give you greater reach in that a 100mm effectively produces the same view as a 160mm full frame (i.e. 1.6 x 100)

If it's your first SLR purchase then it is important to decide what you would like to use the camera for. If it is general purpose then any of the XXXD models would do fine (550D, 600D, 650D etc). I would recommend any model from the Canon 550D upwards as this was the first model to carry full-hd video. The xxxD's are available in kit form with single, double or triple lens packs.

For most people a single lens would be fine for family and holiday pictures (Canon Ef-s 17-55). In South Africa we have awesome game parks and landscapes so a telephoto (55-200, 70-300 etc) is often a good idea for when you get to go to the game parks or would like to shoot some portraits. The third lens that is normally bundles is a 50mm f/1.8 prime lens that caters for low light or portraits where your want to blur the background significantly.

If you can see yourself falling in love with photography as an amateur then I would strongly advise skipping the xxxD series and going straight for an xxD (60D) or xD (7D, 5D, 1D) depending on what your budget allows and what you will be shooting 70% of the time.

It is never a good idea to buy a camera based on simply once specification such as megapixel or autofocus system etc. A camera is a package. You need to understand the target audience and type of photography that the camera was designed for by Canon. Was it for amateurs or professionals. It is catering for studio, weddings, wildlife, sports etc.

There is not silver bullet camera, although I have heard that the Canon 1Dx does come close to perfection.

For indoor photography or events (birthdays, weddings, corporate functions etc) where you intend getting some part time income I would recommend the Canon 5D MK2 upwards (5DMk2, 5DMK3, 6D). This body performs extremely well in low light and provides excellent skin tone reproduction. It is often the go to camera for  glamour and wedding photographers. If budget is tight then consider the 7D or 60D series. I highly recommend investing in an f/2.8 lens to accompany this body for fast performance at events.

For wildlife and action I would go with the Canon 7D. This is an awesome outdoor performer  that is excellent value for money. I am certain that this camera accompanies most pro's alongside the more expensive 1DMKIV/1Dx. For amateurs this camera has all the key features needed to capture wildlife or sport and action. At 8 frames per second, an advanced 19-point autofocus system and 1.6x crop factor this was clearly built for close up action and wildlife. Canon has recently (2012) released a firmware upgrade for this camera, to improve raw image capture  performance on  what is already a fast camera. As alternate more affordable choice would be the Canon 60D. The Canon 5DMK3 is also s strong contender in this space but it comes in at over 2.5x more than 7D with a shorter reach (full frame) and lower frame rate (6fps) but much improved autofocus system.

For the landscape/architecture  photographer I feel that full frame (Canon 5DMK2, 5DMK3, 6D)is the only way to go. This allows you to use the full frame wide angle lenses for excellent coverage. Canon full frame sensors cameras also  tend to do much better at capturing colour and low light shots with great accuracy. Especially your sunrise/sunset scenes.

Then comes the all rounders. For those whose passion cannot be tamed to one discipline. If I had just one camera body it would be the Canon 5D MK3. Same question with a 14k budget constraint - Canon 7D. At 10k or under it would be the  Canon 60D.

You will hear that quality lenses are a greater investment than a camera body. This is true since your lenses last you longer than camera bodies, however the correct choice of camera body can provide you with the correct functionality for YOUR kind of photography.

Happy hunting.