A {very} Beginner’s Guide to DSLR Cameras – It’s Time to Ditch Your Point-and-Shoot!

Two years ago, I finally ditched my point-and-shoot camera and bought a “fancy” one (aka a DSLR camera). I had thought about upgrading to a DSLR for years but honestly found all of the guides and terminology (ISO, f-stop, shutter speed….) overwhelming. Finally one day I got so frustrated with not being able to get a good shot of something I was photographing for the blog that I spent the day researching DSLRs and pushed the order button on Amazon. And I’ve never looked back. I often find that the best tips for someone jumping into something new come from someone who did the same thing not long ago (vs. a professional who is so beyond the beginner frame of mind) so I thought I’d share what I’ve learned with you all. 

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Choosing a DSLR Camera

I spent hours researching the type of camera to buy and the two big brands that are consistently at the top of the reviews for a moderately priced beginner camera are Nikon and Cannon. To choose a specific camera, I recommend reading online reviews of DSLRs from sources such as PC Magazine and CNET, reading the camera descriptions and reviews on Amazon and, if you have a local camera store, pay one a visit to take a few cameras for a test drive. I ended up going with a Canon Rebel T3i with the 18-55mm starter lens originally and then recently upgraded to the Canon Rebel T6i (and gave my old camera to my daughter who has developed an interest in photography!). It was definitely a great choice for me.

Start Shooting Right Out of the Box

Here’s something I didn’t know before buying my DSLR camera (it would have gotten me to buy one much sooner than I did) – it has an auto mode that allows me to use it just like a point-and-shoot. Of course you’re not going to get your best pictures that way but if you want to be able to use your new camera straight out of the box, you can. The day that my camera arrived, I charged the battery, went outside, and snapped some pics, including this one of Hope. It was the sharpest, best quality picture I had ever taken of her and it was done using my new DSLR just like I had used my point-and-shoot.

Baby Step Away From Auto Mode

The feature that I love the most about my Cannon Rebel is that it has a Creative Auto mode that is the baby step between full auto and manual. It allows me to choose the spot that the camera focuses on, turn the flash on or off, make the background sharp or blurred, allow in more or less light, and shoot on a timer. The options show up on the screen and you just toggle and select. Simple and quick.

Shoot Your Pics in RAW instead of JPEG

Your DSLR camera gives you the option to shoot either JPEG or RAW files. JPEG is the default image format that’s used in most point-and-shoot cameras. These images are compressed to a smaller size by your camera with certain information being removed from the image, resulting in the loss of some detail and color variation. RAW files are the unprocessed files with the full range of detail and color variation. The negative is that the RAW file sizes are many times larger than the JPEG and certain photo editing programs are limited to JPEG files (I use Lightroom which works great with RAW files). It’s worth reading one of the many detailed online articles on RAW vs. JPEG to get more details of the differences but shooting in RAW has made a big difference in my photography.

Get a Tripod

For any photos where the lighting isn’t so hot (including a lot of my interior photos), I’ve learned that using a tripod helps tremendously with making my pictures more sharp and detailed. Luckily, basic tripods such as {this highly rated one} are quite inexpensive. Definitely a must-have!

Invest in a Few Lenses

Two years ago I bought {this 50mm lens} for close-ups – it was around $100 and amazing for crystal clear, sharp detail of the focal point of your photo with gradual blurring of the background. I’m about ready to add another lens to my stash and will let you know what I end up with.

Then just a few months ago I added {this wide angle lens} to my photography stash – it was key for allowing me to get a photo of almost my whole family room (you can see more of it {here}) in one shot – something I couldn’t come close to doing with the other lenses I have:

Keep Learning

Although the Creative Auto setting on the Canon Rebel is great, I kept reading and learning until I was able to start shooting in manual mode because that’s when my photography really turned a corner. I like learning at my own pace so I took the Shoot Fly Shoot Photography 101 and 102 Courses and found them to be really helpful (check out their free introduction to photography class so you can see what their classes are like). They also have some more advanced courses and courses on using Lightroom for photo editing. I hope you all have found some helpful tips and maybe some encouragement to add a a DSLR camera to your wish list!