LENS CAPTURE

Vol. 1 No. 57

So you want to buy a dSLR?    Are you sure?

Almost daily, someone will stop me and ask for a recommendation on a dSLR (digital SLR) camera. I find myself asking the same question which results in a very puzzled look from people - Why?

 Most of the individuals asking for advice are point-and-shoot camera owners. And most have little to no experience with using the features, other than the shutter release button, on their existing cameras. I mention this because purchasing a dSLR just to use it on the "Auto" setting does not seem to me to have value.

One of the commitments that must be made when owning a dSLR is to learn how to use the camera, and the flexibility it brings to the table. To learn how to make photographs and not just take snapshots.

You don't take a photograph, you make it. Ansel Adams 1902-1984

Often, I will hear the response, "because I want to be able to change lenses." Last time I checked the point-and-shoot realm, cameras routinely have 10x + zoom capability. The Olympus SP-590 UZ touts a 26x power zoom. That's a 26mm-676mm zoom lens. Guess the UZ stands for über-zoom.

Don't get me wrong, changing lenses provides the dSLR shooter with a great deal of flexibility. I own some great "glass" (that's geeky-photographer speak for lenses) that provide me with a great deal of creative freedom. This freedom also comes at great expense. Good glass is not cheap. When you buy a dSLR, you need to buy it as a kit. Most new dSLR owners purchase a kit that includes one or two starter lenses, such as an 18mm-55mm and a 55mm-200mm lens. Otherwise a dSLR camera body, without a compatible lens, is nothing more than an expensive (but cool looking) paperweight.

Changing lenses bring with it a whole new problem - DUST. I recently traveled to the Southwest of the United States into Red Rock Country. I now refer to it as Red DUST Country. Very fine red dust wound up on, and in everything. Whenever you change a lens, you need to be careful and quick. I've been doing this photography stuff for a while now, and I can tell you I am pretty adept at switching between lenses. Regardless, dust gets inside the camera body and settles on the low-pass filter that sits above the image sensor. This results in specks of dust on your image that require a great deal of post-production time to remove from the photograph. My camera even has a sensor cleaning option which I employ automatically every time I turn the camera on. Even after additional manual cleaning, I need to send my camera bodies (the 2 I used on this trip) for professional cleaning. Another added expense of dSLR ownership.

So, do I think it is still worth owning a dSLR? Definitely! As long as you understand the commitment required to make good photographs starts with learning the camera. The camera is only the tool. A hammer cannot drive nails without being held properly and swung with determination towards the nail head. It takes practice.

On more than one occasion, a new dSLR owner has been heard to say, "I thinks there is something wrong with this camera. It doesn't take the photos I expected it would."

The secret ingredients of good photography: patience - practice - persistence.


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