How To Choose A Digital SLR

Choosing a digital SLR is a bit trickier than choosing a film SLR because you have all of the film-camera considerations, plus a number of digital aspects to weigh. One benefit, though, is that you can’t go wrong with any of today’s D-SLRs—they all offer lots of features, good performance and enough resolution to produce quality 12x18 inkjet prints.

Some D-SLR models are better suited than others for specific tasks, naturally. Consider your needs. If you shoot 500 images every day in harsh conditions, you want a super-rugged, pro-model D-SLR. If you’re a backpacker, you might want one of the smaller models. If you specialize in high-speed action sequences, you want a camera with a fast shooting rate. If your photography involves a wide variety of subject matter, though, most of today’s D-SLRs will meet your requirements.      
             
          
Sensor Size
The size of the image sensor makes a big difference in how wide an angle of view a given lens provides. Smaller sensors “see” smaller portions of the image produced by the lens (see the illustration below). The Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II and EOS 5D have full-frame image sensors, meaning they’re the same size as a full 35mm film frame (36x24mm). A given lens used on one of these cameras will have the same angle of view as when used on a 35mm SLR.