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For weeks I’ve been doing insurmountable amounts of research on entry-level DSLR cameras. Long story, short; Nikon D40 and Canon Rebel XS are premium choices for entry-level buyers. For me there is a larger problem at hand as I am not trying to be an enthusiast or hobbyist. I’m out for blood… err… money. In other words, I’m learning to be a professional photographer.

Don’t listen to professionals, at least not entirely

If you ask a seasoned professional what kind of camera you should buy as your first, they will probably tell you to get something ranging between $100 and $500 above what you can afford. While that suggestion makes them feel great, not all of us are that fortunate or lucky.

The problem with DSLR cameras is that technology inside the camera body realign or change year over year. By the time you get truly comfortable with the one you have, your manufacturer has released a new and improved camera body. So how does one keep up when upgrades happen so frequently? Well, you don’t.

It’s all about the glass, baby!

Because camera bodies change so often (effectively making anyone feel obsolete every 6 months to a year), your money would be and is better spent on lenses (aka: glass). Ready for some good news?

The lens mount on DSLR cameras are fairly standard across manufacturers. You can take a Canon lens and use it with your Nikon body or vice versa. The best part about lenses is that they don’t change very often. Many photographers are still using lenses from the 80s and 90s on today’s camera bodies.

As a warning, you WILL be spending most of your money on lenses. Actually about 70% of your investment will be in lenses. If you’re an entry-level photographer, you can feel at ease buying an entry-level DSLR camera body like the Nikon D40 or Canon Rebel XS and then put what you didn’t spend on a fancier camera body toward an extra/better lens. But be careful as entry-level camera bodies usually only work with the most recent lenses or ones with autofocus built into the lens instead of the camera body.

Choose the big manufacturers

The most popular choices among entry-level DSLR consumers are Canon and Nikon. The biggest reason for choosing a big manufacturer are their large selection of quality lenses. It is common advice to stick with your camera body manufacturer for lenses.

Because Canon and Nikon lead the industry, they’re guaranteed to have the best tech in their cameras year over year. Like I said, this shouldn’t matter too much as you would theoretically be upgrading every 6 months to a year and no one does that.

Conclusion

It is very easy to get caught up in the confusion of choosing a good camera body. Fortunately it all comes down to two questions: What kind of photographer are you? (hobbyist, student, etc) and What kind of photography would like you to do? (landscape, journalistic, portrait, etc).