For the photographically un-initiated, SLR stands for Single Lens Reflex.
This review is for those who have decided that they would like to go beyond simple compacts, to take to photography as an art form. For the rest, the compacts simply make life easier.
First lets deal with the question WHY SLR?
The biggest advantage of an SLR is its modular construction. You can add features/accessories whenever you feel the need for them and have the money to pay for it.
You can get pretty simple and cheap SLRs, new, for around 2500 upwards(the Zenit is one such brand). The standard makes like Canon, Nikon, Yashica, Minolta, etc are more expensive, starting from 11000 upwards, but you also get midrange makes like Vivitar, Cosina, Fujica etc also of excellent quality.
The quality of any camera when it comes to results is primarily dependent on the quality of lenses.
Do you want to go in for an automatic SLR(like the Canon EOS etc) or for a manual model(like the Nikon FM10) or perhaps a manual SLR with automatic exposure options. Price is a major criterion. You can get models starting from 20, 000 to 25, 000 upwards, They have features like Auto focus, automatic film-speed setting, automatic wind-rewind, Automatic exposure setting, etc etc etc. So the camera does all the tough work and leaves you free to work on the content of the picture. In other words, its important that you need the right tools for everything, and you need to be able to control and set the right settings, but hey, what ultimately matters is what you are shooting. So if technology can do the settings part for you, then why not concentrate on getting the right subjects, sceneries, colour combinations etc?
The downside? The first major problem is the price. They cost twice as much as manual makes.
Second problem is the service/repairs part. In most cases, if your camera develops some sort of trouble(like you've dropped it by mistake, for instance) then you can simply kiss your camera and your thousands of bucks in investment, goodbye. There are no competent people to fix these technological wonders, and even if it can be fixed, it is going to cost you much more than buying a replacement-manual camera. With a manual model, for one, they are more tough and even if something goes wrong, there still exist those artists who can bring them back to life.
Third problem is that they eat batteries like an elephant in a field of sugarcane. And if your model eats lithium cells, then, you better ask your dad/boss for a raise.;-)
My suggestion is, get yourself a good manual SLR new/used, preferably a standard make which gives you a wide range of options to choose from.
Choosing a body:
Every brand of camera comes with standard mount for fixing the lens. Different brands have different standards. But the most popular mounts are the K mount(also called the Pentax mount), the YC mount(Yashica Contax mount), Minolta mount, Nikon mount etc. As you can see, the most popular brands have standards of their own. However, brands like Kiev, Zenit, Vivitar, Cosina, Fujica etc who are better known for their lenses, also manufacture cameras and lenses that come with mounts for the popular makes such as Pentax/Nikon etc. So you can get yourself a costly body and cheap lenses or cheap body and expensive lenses. I would recommend that you get yourself both body and lenses of the popular makes, but in case of a tight budget, invest more in lenses than the body itself.
A standard mount comes in handy in picking up used lenses/accessories at low prices too. You will never have a problem in finding used lenses for Nikon mounts and Pentax mounts. Getting used lenses for other mounts is not very easy, consequently you will end up shelling out more money for new lenses from those brands.
If it fits your budget, get yourself a body with automatic exposure control with both aperture priority and shutter priority. Aperture priority means, that the camera decides what shutter speed to set while you decide what the aperture should be. Shutter priority is the exact opposite. There are also more powerful cameras(in terms of computing power), which will do both for you. You also have a setting where you override this auto feature, and set your own settings. This too is important, because, in case your battery fails, you should be in a position to continue in manual mode without problems.
The main features to look for in a body are:
1.Mount type(whether Nikon/Pentax/Yashica/Minolta etc)
2.Automatic exposure facility(preferred)
3.Light metering(you have several types here, some that measure the light for the whole frame and some that measure for a specific area of the frame etc)
4.Type of shutter(In older cameras there is a horizontal movement shutter. The shutter speeds supported are slower here and flash synchronization speeds too are slower. more on this in forthcoming reviews)
Capability for using dedicated flash(some cameras measure the amount of light that is needed for exposure and cut off the flash when that amount of light is received
Whether a motor drive option is available for fitting external motor drives to the body(for automatic winding/rewinding of film)
Whether you can fit a bulk roll chamber to the camera.(If you have a motor drive, then you might want to shoot automatic exposure shots at rates of 5 photos per second, for example, to capture movement) Essential if you propose to use a motor drive with your SLR
Whether it’s a Plastic(also referred to as Fiber) body or a metal body(usually brass) Fiber bodies are more delicate and usually can’t support a heavy 1000mm lens, for example. Also the internal cogs/springs etc matter. Fiber components usually can’t take the heavy wear and tear
Choosing a lens:
Most SLRs come with a 50mm lens as standard. This is good enough for most photographic situations, but if you could get a simple zoom lens of 35mm to 75mm, then this would be ideal for group photos and also portraits. If you have a macro option then it would simply be perfect. If it doesn’t one cheap option you have is to use close-up lens kits. Once you are comfortable with the standard lens or standard zoom lens, then depending on your interests, you can opt to add on to your kit with special filters(polarizing filters to cut down reflections and glare, color normalizing filters, special effects filters etc) these just screw on to the front of the lens.
It would be advisable to buy a simple skylight filter(grade 1A) or a UV filter(for cutting UV radiations). This has a dual effect, one for improving the quality of your pictures, and an added advantage of providing protection to your lens element.
Flash:
This is one must-buy. You could get cheap flashes for 500INR upwards, but I suggest you invest in a good professional flash like the Vivitar283. Follow this one piece of advice from me, and your children will thank me. Most indispensable part of your equipment, and it can even cover large groups in night shots out-door. The Vivitar series, as with other makes in the same range(3500INR upwards) come with a bounce head(where you can change the angle at which the light reaches your subject) and an automatic light sensor, which just gives sufficient illumination for your subject.
Once you have at least a camera body, a lens, and a flash, you are ready to shoot. Get yourself a good book on learning photography, get your camera's user manual, read both thoroughly and start shooting.
'Til then, happy clicking.
