While Canon and Nikon are most often regarded as the most popular DSLR manufactures, many other brand names offer competitive products. Pentax, Sigma, and Sony are some of the other big names that have been making headlines with new innovative products and features.

While Canon and Nikon are most often regarded as the most popular DSLR manufactures, many other brand names offer competitive products. Pentax, Sigma, and Sony are some of the other big names that have been making headlines with new innovative products and features. But despite such headlines, choosing a DSLR manufacture involves further consideration than looking at a single camera.

Lenses

More important than a camera body is the lens that will accompany it. Quality between manufactures is minimal in most cases but the differences between a quality lens and a cheap kit lens is often noticeable. As you begin to grow as a photographer, your need for quality lenses will grow as well and ensuring that your camera manufacture offers the quality of lenses needed to transition from amateur to professional remains essential. Typically Canon and Nikon offer very high quality lenses for their cameras. Other manufactures like Zeiss, Sigma, Tamron and Tokina also build lenses for Canon, Nikon, and select other brands. As a result, Canon and Nikon will almost always yield the largest choices in lens both proprietary and 3^rd party at a range of levels from amateur to professional.

Camera Bodies

These days, it is very difficult to find a bad camera. Almost every DSLR created offers stunning features at a range of price levels. This is especially true at the consumer/pro-sumer levels with a host of competition from various manufactures. However, as you begin to move up in quality and camera, many brands fail to offer products at this level. Both Sigma and Pentax do not have any current full frame cameras and Sony has only recently entered this segment competitively. Though Sony is attempting to infiltrate professional markets heavily this year, it still only offers limited choices in models. As a result, choosing a manufacture such as Sony or Sigma may result in having to sell your lens and camera collection when you begin to break into professional markets. That is not to say that Sony doesn’t currently offer amazing feature packed DSLRs because they have several cameras, but currently they have only 1 camera for full frame users.

What other people use

It can also be important to know what other people in your field or industry are using. From the ability to trade and borrow lenses to gaining respect from your fellow photographers, there are definite advantages to using the same manufacture. You will probably discover for each field there are preferred cameras, manufactures, and equipment depending on your shooting needs. For those who need the best low light ability, Nikon will likely be a manufacture of choice with their low noise sensors while clients who need large prints will often use the high megapixel Canon models in many cases.

DSLR cameras are designed for flexibility. They allow you to expand your kit as you grow in skill by offering interchangeable lenses and multiple bodies at a variety of price and quality levels. Choosing a camera manufacture is an important first step as it will likely pave the way for your future direction in photography. Email Learningcameras.com to find out more information or to ask particular questions about your choice in camera manufacture and we will feature these questions in later editorials or videos.