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Best beginner Digital SLR Cameras

Best Beginner Digital SLR Cameras & Mirroless Compact System Cameras 2012

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Some beginner photographers can be overwhelmed by the complexity and jargon of digital SLR cameras & mirrorless compact system cameras - especially if they have only ever used point and shoot digital compacts. Fortunately, many of the beginner digital SLR cameras are user friendly and have auto options to allow any beginner photographer to take a good photograph without needing to know about aperture and shutter speeds.

When deciding on which digital SLR camera to buy, the beginner in digital slr photography needs to take into account various factors. If the digital SLR will be used for general photography, any of the DSLRs listed below will provide excellent service. For specialist areas such as sport, nature, fashion, travel, advertising and other photography areas, features must be prioritized before selecting an appropriate DSLR.

For instance, a digital SLR camera which will primarily be used sports photography must be super fast to capture action at 3 fps or higher and have long zoom or fast telephoto lenses available in the camera`s lens range. For nature photography, a light digital SLR camera which is sealed against the elements and has a variety of high quality macro, wide angle and telephoto lenses available will be more useful than a digital slr camera which is not sealed against dust and moisture and also has limited lenses available for its lens mount.

The good news is that nearly all digital slr cameras on the market today are capable of providing high quality professional results once the user has mastered photographic basics. If a beginner is serious about photography and wants to develop photographic skills to intermediate or advanced level, a camera system from long established camera makers such as Nikon and Canon may be more suitable since these companies have every type of lens or accessory to cover all photography projects and assignments.

Key features to look out for when buying a digital slr camera include size and weight, number of megapixels, built in CCD-shift image stabilization, sensor dust removal system, large range of high quality lenses and accessories, fast operation, large bright viewfinder, weatherproof seals and overall general handling. Megapixels are not as important as other factors although a 10 megapixel DSLR will allow large image sizes and more room for cropping a picture than a 6 megapixel camera. Some digital SLR cameras also offer live view which allows the photographer to use the LCD to view the scene just as in a digital compact.

All the best digital slr cameras & mirrorless compact system cameras for 2012 listed below are recommended for beginners in digital slr photography. Once a camera or system has been chosen, study the camera`s manual in detail to learn about all its` features and then practice, experiment and learn as much about photography as possible to become a better photographer.

For previous Best Buys, see 'Best Digital SLR Camera Archives for Beginners'

Best digital SLR cameras & Mirrorless Compact System Cameras for beginners 2012
	Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 (Micro Four Thirds) - Available December 2011. $799 for body with 14-42mm lens. - 16 megapixel live MOS sensor. Micro four thirds lens mount. - 3" touchscreen LCD with 460k pixels. New light speed AF. - Full manual controls. RAW and jpeg. Silver or black body. - Optional 1.44 million articulating electronic viewfinder. - Full HD videos at 1080p with stereo sound. AVCHD & MPEG-4. - HDMI. SD/SDHC/SDXC cards. DMW-BLD10 Li-on battery. - Shutter speeds 60-1/4000 sec. AE bracketing. Shoots 4.2 fps. - Hotshoe. Flash X-sync 1/160 sec. Built in popup flash. - Size 116 x 68 x 39mm. Weight 272g body. Buy from Amazon
	Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 (Micro Four Thirds) - Available in June 2011 with 14-42 IS zoom lens for $699. - 16.6 megapixel CMOS sensor with improved higher ISO pics. - Compatible with micro four thirds lenses with 2x crop factor. - 3" rotating LCD with 460k pixels. Touch screen. 3D capture. - High resolution electronic viewfinder with 1.44 million dots. - HD movies with stereo sound at 1080i in AVCHD format. - ISO 160 - 6400. Shutter 60 - 1/4000 sec. X-sync 1/160. - Full manual controls. RAW & Jpeg. Built in flash and hotshoe. - Smaller and lighter body than the Panasonic DMC-G2. - Shoots at 4 fps. SD/SDHC/SDXC cards. HDMI. - Size 115 x 84 x 47mm. Weight 336g body only. Buy from Amazon
	Sony NEX-5N Interchangeable Lens Camera - Due in September 2011. $600 body. $700 with 18-55mm lens. - 16.1 megapixel Exmor APS-C sensor. Sony E mount. - 3" tilting 921k pixels LCD with touchscreen facility. - Range of accessories including alpha mount adapter & XGA OLED electronic viewfinder. - Full HD movies at 1080p at 60 fps. Stereo sound. External mic - Full manual controls. Jpeg & RAW. External flash supplied. - Sweep panorama. - Shutter speeds 30 to 1/4000 sec. ISO 100 to 16000. - SD / SDHC / SDXC / Memory Stick Pro Duo. NP-FH50 battery. - Size 110.8 x 58.8 x 38.2mm. Weight 269g with battery & card. Buy from Amazon
	Nikon D5100 Digital SLR Camera - Ships in April 2011 for $899 inc. 18-55mm VR lens. - 16.2 DX megapixel CMOS sensor. Nikon F mount. - Rotating 3" LCD with 921k pixels. Live view. Face detection. - Shutter speeds 30 - 1/4000. ISO from 100 to 6400. - Full manual controls. RAW & jpeg. Shoots at 4 fps. HDR mode. - Large optical viewfinder with 95% coverage. AE bracketing. - HD movies at 1920 x 1080 with sound. Stereo mic input. - SD/SDHC/SDXC cards. EN-EL14 li-on battery. HDMI. - Hotshoe. Built in flash. X-sync at 1/200. - Size 128 x 97 x 79mm. Weight 560g inc. battery. Buy from Amazon

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SLR Digital Camera

Best beginner Digital SLR Cameras

Best Beginner Digital SLR Cameras & Mirroless Compact System Cameras 2012

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 (Micro Four Thirds)

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 (Micro Four Thirds)

Sony NEX-5N Interchangeable Lens Camera

Nikon D5100 Digital SLR Camera