The Hunt.....

OK, so now that I want to be a photographer I need to get the right tools.

My Canon A590 power shot point and shoot camera has served me well. But it is time for something a little better. Digital SLR here I come!

Where to start? Canon, Nikon, Pentax? With so many options to choose from and the sheer amount of technical information available for all these cameras. The decision can be daunting at best.

Photograph Courtesy of Derek K Miller

Budget is certainly a consideration. Nikon's range of DLSR cameras vary from $400 to $8000 just for the camera body. With lenses that range in price from $60- $29,000, your choices are endless and can get rather expensive.

I have done my fair share of lurking around in Forums, camera shops and around town. I have discovered the right camera is different for everyone, and every make of camera had something I was looking for. I decided to start with picking a brand of camera.

And the winner is....................NIKON.

OK OK, relax you Canon owners, I loved my Canon powershot but DSLR is a new monster to me. I had to go with what I knew and that was what my friends had. Sure you can call me a lemming for following them off the cliff. But I have a few friends that shoot with Nikons both amateur and professional. Yes I realize just because they shoot great pictures doesn't mean because I have a Nikon I will shoot great pictures as well . but I had to start somewhere, and from hearing the praise they gave their cameras for quality, durability and use. Nikon won this round.

Many people have brand favorites and won't venture outside of that. Camera owners have some of the most passionate brand loyalty of any product I have even seen. Aside from North American Auto workers, but that is a story for an entirely different blog.

I now need to decide what I want to shoot?

• Action and Sports
• Portrait
• Landscape
• Macro
• Night/Low Light
• Travel/Outdoor
• Indoor
• Spontaneous
• Planned/Studio

All of the above? There are elements of each category I like. It is had to choose just one. So I have narrowed it down to my top 3, in no particular order.

• Portrait
• Landscape
• Travel/Outdoor

These were my top 3 as I have certain goals in life, I looked at my future plans and how each photography style would fit into those plans. Travel and people are a big part of my life now and my future goals, if photography can become a large part of that future it would only enhance it.

This could all change as I dive deeper into the world of photography. As it stands today this is what I am looking for.

For each of the shooting styles I have picked there are camera features that best fit those styles.

Portrait

1. Image stabilization
2. Live view LCD
3. Color control (especially flesh tones)

Landscape

1. Image stabilization
2. Extended dynamic range
3. Dust control
4. Color control (especially earth tones)

Travel/Outdoor

1. Image stabilization
2. Small size and low weight
3. Extended dynamic range

Nikon offers a wide range of cameras from the D3000 to the D3X. Every camera has features that are similar and some have features far to advanced for myself at this stage in my photographic evolution.

More to Come.....