General.
Single Lens Reflex (SLR) cameras offer you great creative control over your picture taking. SLRs allow you to use interchangeable lenses, control over aperture and shutter speeds, as well as giving you the opportunity to be creative with flash and filters. You also have the choice between manual focus and autofocus cameras. Although the modern camera can happily control a number of the key settings relating to the exposure and flash levels, these can normally be overridden.

Typical Users.
The continued development of the SLR has lead to far greater ease of use of the camera. With the automation of many of the controls this type of camera can now provide a great deal of assistance when you take a picture, whilst still affording you overall control. Although still the domain of the serious amateur photographer the camera now has great appeal to any photographer who is attracted to the ideas of interchangeable lenses and a degree of control over aperture control and shutter speed control.

Pricing.
As ever the more you pay the more feature rich your camera will be. Entry level manual SLRs start at around the £70 mark whilst a fully featured autofocus SLR will cost you in excess of £1500. If you have around £300 to spend there are a number of very good autofocus SLR cameras to be found.

Features.
Listed below are a number of features that you might look for when buying a SLR camera. Obviously not all the camera will have all the features. Normally the more features the camera will have, the higher the price.

Interchangeable Lenses.
One of the main attractions of the SLR is the ability to change lenses to suit the picture. A plethora of lenses are available with both manual and autofocus capabilities. As with any type of camera the quality of the lens is one of the most critical elements to consider when buying a camera. A poor quality lens equals poor quality photographs. Care should be taken when buying a camera as each camera manufacturer has it's own lens mount. This means that a Nikon lens may not fit another make of camera. There are a number of independent lens makers who produce lenses for a range of leading cameras.

Autofocus.
Autofocus lenses talk to the camera body and decide on the optimum focus for you.

Aperture Control.
The aperture is the lens opening. So the aperture control allows you to control how far you open the lens when a picture is taken. The further the lens is opened the greater the amount of light that is allowed into the camera and the lighter the exposure. The relationship between the aperture and shutter speed, which also controls the amount of light that is allowed into the camera, is often explained as that as a door and a darkened room. The aperture controls how far the door is opened and the shutter speed controls how long the door is opened for. The darkened room represents the camera.

Shutter Speed Control.
The speed of the shutter controls the amount of light that enters the lens when the picture is taken. The more light that you want to let in, the slower the shutter speed.

Exposure Compensation.
Exposure compensation helps you to get the perfect exposure. Whilst either you or the camera have worked out the theoretical ideal exposure settings, this feature provides additional frames, normally up to one frame above and one frame below the chosen settings. This then gives you three results from which to select the ideal image.

Light Metering.
Cameras come with reflective and spot metering. The light meters help you to decide the best exposure levels for the picture.

Viewfinder.
Always select a camera with the largest and clearest viewfinder you can find. This makes it easier for framing the picture.

Cable Release.
Cable release is available to be screwed into the camera. When the camera is set on a tripod, this allows you to take the picture without touching the camera, therefore eliminating any possible vibrations that may cause camera shake. This is especially useful for long time exposures when you are shooting with a slow speed film.

Motorwinder.
A motorwinder allows you to take a number of photographs quickly. The winder winds the film on automatically for you, allowing you to concentrate on the next shot.

LCD Panel.
The camera's LCD panel is really the information centre. It's gives you a whole range of details including film speed, frame number, aperture details, shutter speeds, exposure mode and battery levels.

Flash.
A number of SLRs come with built in flash. Red eye reduction can also be included. Built in flash does not always provide the power that you need to light up some scenes, so a hot shoe is normally provided allowing you to buy a separate, powerful flash gun that can be used with the camera.

Film Loading.
Advanced technology means that the latest releases have simplified film loading. Place the film next to a coloured indicator, close the camera and the camera does the rest. Threading the film through is now a thing of the past.

Second Hand Market.
There is an active second hand market for Medium Format cameras and accessories, although you may not get all the latest features there are some very good deals to be found. Always ensure that you get a guarantee for any used equipment.

Camera Insurance
Once you have found the camera that you are looking for and paid out your money for it there is one more item that we recommend, camera insurance. This can protect you against accidental damage or loss of your camera or equipment. The insurance company that we recommend is Photoguard. Click here for details of their services.

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Recommended SLR Cameras
Pentax MZ-M Manual focus SLR camera. Five different exposure modes, Program, Aperture priority, Shutter priority and Metered manual. Electronic depth of field preview. Multi (2) Segment Centre weighted Metering System. Excellent choice for anyone looking to really get to grips with the basics of traditional 35mm photography. Click to find best price from Jessops
Nikon F65 Another SLR camera that will help you learn the art of photography. This one offers a wide range of fully automatic controls. It has five-area dynamic AF system, depth-of-field preview, automatic pop-up speedlight, and a high-visibility LCD lets you check camera settings at a glance. Click to find best price from Jessops
Canon EOS 300V Great value for money, multi award winning camera. 7 point autofocus system, 35 zone evaluative metering linked to focusing points, full auto exposure and 9 auto exposure modes. 3 zone TTL autoflash metering linked to focusing points, depth of field preview. Click to find best price from Jessops
Canon EOS 30 This one is a step up to the next level. It has a high speed and precision auto focus, a depth of field preview button and four frames per second continuous shooting. A very useful feature is it's thirteen functions derived from the professionals' most used settings. Focusing can be manual, automatic or through Canon's unique eye control system. Flash metering is linked to the system too, giving optimum exposure indoors and out. Click to find best price from Jessops
Nikon F100 Cross-ranged, five area autofocus system, Choice of Dynamic AF, closest-subject-priority Dynamic AF and Single Area AF. Up to 5 fps Continuous Drive for shooting moving objects, Custom Settings of 22 functions, 3D Matrix Metering (with D-type Nikkor lens) Center-Weighted Metering and Spot Metering. Click to find best price from Jessops
Nikon F5 This is a professional SLR camera. It has a high speed autofocus that can shoot at up to eight frames per second. This is backed up by a five area cross ranged auto focus sensor. It comes with twenty four custom settings and gives a choice of four interchangeable viewfinders. It is the choice of many professional photographers and has won numerous awards. Click to find best price from Jessops
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