Beginner DSLR for travelling

Hi,

I am an amateur photographer (meaning I am shooting with my phone recently ) and I would like to buy a DSLR for beginners. I would like to use it mostly for landscape, sceneries and so. What parameters and cameras should I look for? I like travelling so I prefer a lighter one with good contrast and vibrant colors. Can you recommend me some? Thanks!

Hi Lea,
There is no easy answer. What you would like to consider is the following factors:
- weigth and dimensions. The leap from a smartphone is a big one nevertheless, you will soon find out that DSLRs are usually big and heavy. Be prepared.
- compatibility and reliability. Buy something that the factory will be able to support for years, you may wish to consider only the bigger companies (Nikon, Canon, Pentax, Sony), for these you will also find most of the accessories and lenses are usually easy to find in big city stores.
- Price. Set a range of prices and see what you can get for that amount. Use Internet as a reference.
- Specifications and performance. Internet is a very good source for that. You can avoid mistakes if you know in advance what a camera can actually do. DpReview is a good source, for example. Read also the specialized magazines, they're a valuable source too.
- What to avoid. Do you really need 25 pictures per second and a 34Mpixel sensor? Will it be usefyul to have 45 selectable points of focus? How often will you take 3D videos with stereo sound? Can you survive without a GPS in your camera? Many features cost extra money which you maybe could spend on a better lens than the one in the kit, maybe.
- Software. Don't forget the dark room! Be prepared to spend some additional money for a processing software, that will make the other half of your photo!

Try to build up an idea and come back with your findings, we'll help!

Kind regards,
Stef

I know you said "DSLR", but did you really mean "interchangeable lenses"? There is a growing class of cameras called "mirrorless", which have many of the qualities of the traditional DSLR, but come in a smaller, much lighter package. That reduction in bulk can make these more attractive for travel. Here are links that get into these differences -

digital-photography-school.com/is-there-...amera-in-your-future

www.ronmartblog.com/2012/09/what-camera-...uy-2012-edition.html

Contrast and vibrant color are valid concerns when selecting a compact camera. But for advanced cameras you can actually adjust the degree of contrast and color saturation. These adjustments can be made by diving into the camera's menu system, or later on your computer with a photo editing program. There is no one "right way" for this, different folks will have different preferences for arriving at the best contrast and color. Shoot, don't even expect them to agree on exactly what the best is! If you don't want to make these adjusts at any point, then I will go out on a limb and suggest Olympus as the nicest default color. If you don't mind making the adjustments down in the camera's menus, Canon and Nikon have that covered very well. Making the adjustments with a photo editor blows the doors wide open, the camera is actually out of this equation at that point. In fact most advanced photographers prefer doing these adjustments with an editing program on their computer.

Lots of nuts-and-bolts to consider once you move beyond the consumer point-and-shoot cameras. We've all been through this.

Kelly Cook

Thanks everyone for opinions and advice

I was thinking about mirrorless cameras but somehow I am quite sure I will love photography and so I rather go for a DSLR. If I later want to try something else than shooting on trips
After reading some reviews and a little research I came up with these two cameras : Nikon D7000 or Canon EOS 60D. Maybe I prefer Nikon a little bit

Both of those cameras are quite popular. I happen to have the Canon 50D, which was the model the 60D replaced. Links to lots more thoughts on DSLR brands -

www.photographytalk.com/forum/photograph...-you-buy-your-camera

www.photographytalk.com/forum/photograph...ing-a-nikon-vs-canon

Kelly