If you’re interested in photography, you will find no better device than a digital SLR (or dSLR). Whether you’re an amateur or a professional, you can find a dSLR that will fit your needs. You really can’t beat the combination of power, flexibility, growth potential, and “accessorize-ability” of a dSLR. With the information in this cheat sheet, you’ll be taking photos in no time.

The digital single-lens reflex (dSLR) camera is the great step upward for photographers who want to expand their creative horizons. Whether you want to become a serious photo hobbyist or simply want to take advantage of the improved control that digital SLR cameras give you, becoming familiar with the dSLR’s controls is one of your top priorities.

As a digital single-lens-reflex (dSLR) photographer, do not limit yourself or your creativity. What’s the point of limiting yourself? There isn’t one. Don’t let others tell you what your style should be or how to go about it. Measure your effectiveness by the end result. If it moves you, you’ve succeeded.Always be on the lookout to photograph every type of subject, including people, landscapes, action, close-ups, and even quirky stuff like lion-head fountains, colorful artwork, and pie.

Photographing close-ups is a really fun way to express yourself as a digital single-lens-reflex (dSLR) photographer. You focus on smaller details than usual, which encourages you to grow creatively. Over time, you really do start to see things in a different light, whether the photo is of a flower, a bracelet, ice on a door, or a penny.

If you want to take action shots on your digital single-lens-reflex camera (dSLR), you should make shutter speed your top priority. All else is secondary. Use the largest aperture you can and raise the ISO as much as you need to for the best exposure. A blurry action shot isn’t worth printing and framing.The other element to keep in mind is that capturing action is about motion.

The word exposure is thrown around a lot in photography. In the old days, people referred to photos themselves as exposures because you exposed film in the camera to light when you took a picture. Today, most people use terms like shots, photos, images, or even files to refer to their pictures.Exposure is still a pretty important word in digital single-lens-reflex (dSLR) photography, even though most of us don’t call our photos exposures.

Camera manufacturers design and create digital single-lens-reflex (dSLR) cameras for different audiences. This enables them to meet the needs of a wide range of people and sell more cameras. It gives you the freedom to choose a camera with the features, capabilities, and price that you want.The following sections organize these market segments into three broad categories, each featuring cameras designed and priced to appeal to that audience.

All digital cameras’ image sensors are made up of the same components. These components help determine how your camera’s sensor records light and therefore how your image appears. Each sensor includes these components (shown in this figure): Any digital camera image sensor is made up of these components. Color filters: Give the color-blind CCD or CMOS sensor chip the ability to respond to various colors of light.