The Best Canon Digital SLR Camera

By Chris Campbell

Whatever you do, don't ask a Nikon / Sony / Pentax SLR owner, "What the best Canon Digital SLR camera I should buy?". Camera enthusiasts tend to be incredibly brand loyal, and will argue endlessly over why their particular brand is the best of all time . . . and will always be . . . forever and forever amen! Someone who owns several brand name cameras, and therefore owes his / her allegiance to no one brand would probably be a better person to ask.

For first time SLR owners, Canon makes one of the best selling and most critically reviewed entry level SLR cameras ever. I would of course be referring to the Canon Digital Rebel XTi digital SLR camera (~$650). Its predecessor being the Canon Digital Rebel XT (still available ~$450), and it's successor (recently announced but not yet available), the Canon Digital Rebel XSi (~$800?). If you've never owned a SLR camera before, and are a little nervous about taking the plunge, you really can't go wrong with any model from the Canon Rebel lineup. Your final choice of these three cameras will really come down to a compromise between price and newer technology. They're all capable of taking great pictures, and every experienced photographer will tell you, the most important feature in any camera, is the ability of the person with his finger on the shutter button.

For anyone with a somewhat larger budget, the Canon EOS 30D, or the Canon EOS 40D both make excellent choices. Better kit lenses, less image noise, and a nicer LCD are just of the few features you'll find. More controls are nice however, as the potential for artistic expression is greatly increased. Full frame, means that you have an image sensor (CCD), that corresponds with the old 35mm film SLR cameras. To some, full frame is the holy grail of digital photography. Initially this technology was only available for 2 or 3 times the $2000 current price of the 5D.

Any one of the previously mention cameras could be the best Canon digital SLR camera . . . FOR YOU. Those last two words are really the significant part. If you don't know how to take good pictures, then save your money, and pick up a simple point and shoot for a couple hundred bucks. If however, your willing to work on your photography skills, and become a better artist go the SLR route.