Camera Body

The camera body is the part of the camera that holds the bulk of the features. It is responsible for collecting the light from the lens and processing it into a digital image.

There are a few things to consider when looking at a DSLR body and these are as follows: (in no particular order)

• Megapixel
• Brand
• Size + weight
• Speed

Megapixels

I’m going to start off with megapixels, because I’m sure that everyone has heard of the term but not everyone knows exactly what it is and how important it is in the decision making process. There is word out there that suggests; that the more megapixels a camera has the better the image quality. This is a myth and a misleading misconception.

Megapixels only relate to the size of the image that is captured, it has nothing to do with the image quality. Just remember this; the more the megapixel count – the larger the image file and size.

The only practical application for megapixels is that it allows for more cropping flexibility during the photo-editing stage and the ability to print’ larger size photos from a printer – without losing quality.

So having said that, If one of your NEEDS require you to print large size images, then you should get more megapixels. Megapixels are also handy because it allows the photographer to crop the image and still maintain a decent physical size photo. This is useful when taking images that are far away and are relatively small in the scene. By cropping the photo, it will give the illusion that the camera was closer to the scene by making the subject appear larger.

If your needs don’t involve printing and cropping images and you are just going to keep them on your computer (What most people do) then large megapixel counts are not that important, and should not be a big factor in the decision making process.
There are lots of guides on what is the recommended number of pixels for a particular ‘print size.’ You can find these quite accessible on the Internet (google). Honestly, if you are just going to be leaving your images on your computer, you don’t need anything more than 10 mega pixels. FYI both my professional cameras are only 8.2 Mega pixels and they work fine for my needs.

The trade-off for having excessive mega pixel count is that they make larger files and that they take longer for the camera to process the image. Having larger files require you to purchase larger storage devices such as memory cards and Hard drive space on the computer. The slowing down of your camera operation due to large file processing can be quite annoying when you need to take images quickly. Even transferring images from the memory card to the computer requires more time.

Brand

The brand of the camera is quite important because this influences what attachments you can put on your camera. Now not to enforce any brand bias, but it is fact that there are only 2 major brands leading the DSLR market, and these are Canon and Nikon.

There is nothing fundamentally wrong with purchasing other brands such as Panasonic, Sony, Olympus etc; but just be aware attachments and accessories would be more limited if you choose one of these brands. Accessories is quite important when it comes to DSLR’s because they are all about adding attachments onto them (Lenses, flash, grips).

I personally recommend that you stick to one of the 2 major brands. Either one is fine because they both provide good quality products. Just bear in mind, if you go with a brand, products from the other brand tend not to be compatible, such as lenses, grips, batteries and flashes.

Choosing amongst the brands is all about personal preference. The major differences that you are going to find between them are really the ergonomics – the way the camera feel and the layout of the buttons and menus. My recommendation is for you to go out to a camera store and actually see, feel and play around with the different brands.

Size and Weight

Size and weight is important if you plan on travelling with your camera. DSLR in their own nature are quite big and heavy in relation to the point and shoot cameras. The extra physical size will require you to buy larger storage bags to hold and protect the cameras. However; bigger cameras are generally more comfortable to hold and use for people with larger hands.

Generally the basic DSLR cameras are your lightest cameras, they are constructed mostly out of light plastic to minimise the weight. However, you would want to look after these cameras really well because they don’t handle abuse and knocks very well. On the other side you have the professional grade cameras which are made out of a more durable material. These cameras are built to handle the toughest conditions, but they do carry a bit more weight on them.

When it comes to the decision making with regards to size and weight; consider your own physical abilities, are you able to hold onto a heavier camera for longer periods of time? Also consider the subject that you are taking. If you are using your camera for inside product shoots, having a bulky durable camera is not necessary, they would be more practical in a more hazardous environment such as a sporting event or out in the wild (just in case a ball hits the camera or they need to be in adverse weather conditions) .

Speed

Speed of the camera can refer to several points, the main one I’m concerned about is the continuous shooting mode. Continuous shooting mode is generally measured in ‘frames per second (fps).’ This means how many photographs the camera can take per second.

This is important for photographers who are interested in action or moving subjects. It gives the photographer more photographs of a particular moment, which will give them a better chance of getting a better photograph. The downside of high speed is that you tend to use up your memory on your camera faster due to the higher quantity of images taken. Also the camera buffer gets filled up faster which leads to more loading times between shots. For those shooting subjects that are static, such as products and scenery, high speed cameras are not necessary.

To conclude the camera body section, I want to mention one last point. Buying a Digital SLR can be a high-involvement decision making process for most people. The camera body is an important part of your photography kit but it is not the only. Determining your camera, could influence the decision on the size of your memory card, the size of your camera bag and the optional accessories you can have. The second part of this guide will explain about the importance of the camera lens.