If you’ve gone and convinced yourself, that you need a SLR camera, then I hope you really enjoy learning a bunch of technical lingo. Because the science of SLR is full of a whole bunch of new terms, features, and gadget wizardry. For some, that’s half the fun. I know, as I’m one of those.

If you haven’t already figured it out, I should probably warn you, that the route to getting a good SLR camera can be quite an odyssey. Especially, if your the type, that likes to compare, analyse, investigate, or otherwise dissect every possible pro and con of any item or service you pay for. SLR cameras can be a somewhat complex science.

Thanks to the viewfinder of the SLR, the photographer can see the preview of the image just like the lens sees it. In cameras that have the lens attached, you don’t see the image from the exact viewpoint of the lens, so there is a small difference between what you see and what you get. If you want the real deal, you need a digital SLR.

So, don’t worry, you will get a good SLR with pretty much any camera these days. I’d stick with the major brands, and reputable retailer to hedge your bet. The best prices are still online, and the big online stores are as good or better than local stores with their return policies. Online buying is not just for price comparisons anymore. Olympus, Nikon, or canon are all reliable choices these days. For under a grand, you’ll find a lot of entry level SLRs to choose from. The Canon Rebel line-up with the XT, XTi, XSi, XS, and soon to be release T1i are definitely worth a look.

Something to think about when upgrading to an SLR, is to upgrade your own photography skills. Due to the complexity of these cameras, you will likely find that the biggest factor contributing to the quality of your images, is your own ability. Not to mention, you’ll be a more informed consumer when you make your purchase. A photography course would be a good investment. Having spend some time with a SLR before buying one can provide some valuable insight into what features are important to you.

In many cases, this can be something good, as a 200mm lens becomes as good as a 300mm, which is much more expensive. But, in other cases, a 24mm wide lens would turn in a 36mm, and the photographer might not want that.

All in all, the multiplier of the focal length is a bit of a mixed blessing. If you’re using a long lens, the zoom will be much better, but in the case of a wide lens, the full scene might not be fully captured this way.

Kodak and Canon are the first to launch a digital SLR full frame camera. They’re quite expensive though, but they come with a sensor that is the same size as the 35mm frame.

There are many other manufacturers that are going to launch SLR cameras that are fully integrated with lenses and they will work by getting the image on the sensor directly, instead of using an angle.