The moms guide to buying a DSLR camera

Last week, you learned the ‘must ask’ questions before making the leap and investing in a new camera. For me, I’ve always known an upgrade was in order when I could tell that my knowledge exceeded my camera’s abilities and I needed more control over my settings. Now that you’re ready to upgrade, here is the moms guide to buying a DSLR camera.

If you’ve been thinking upgrading from a point and shoot to a DSLR or even upgrading your current DSLR, I’m hoping to demystify all that’s available on the market today and help you make an educated decision about what to purchase.

Moms Guide to Buying a DSLR Camera

The range of cameras available to consumers these days is impressive. The good news is, entry level dslr cameras are at a price point accessible to most families

However, you also must keep in mind that more functionality and more bells and whistles usually comes with a higher price tag. You also need to be aware the too good to be true sales and wheeling and dealing that often happens online.

True story: One of my former Momtography students bought her shiny new SLR on Ebay. She came to find out once it arrived that it was an overseas model and all of the menus were in Japanese and could not be changed to English. Yikes!!

I personally found it VERY helpful to go to my local camera shop, try out a few different models in person, see which felt right, and purchase locally. The prices were comparable to online prices, I got to know and support a local business, and I felt like I had really purchased the camera that was meant for me.


Before you go shopping ask yourself, “As a “Momtographer” what will I need my DSLR camera to do?”

Portraits of lazy days at home or vacations with the family? Sporting events and lots of action? Crisp tack sharp focus? Video functionality? Extra durability when those kiddos accidentally knock the camera off the table and on the floor?

As a mom my priority list looks a little like this:

• The camera must be easy and quick to be able to change settings on the fly (kids move a lot!),
• It must handle a quick shutter speed (to avoid blurry images),
• It needs to have low light sensitivity (so I can take good photos indoors with out my flash),
• It needs to have video capability built in so I only need one device to tote around.

If your budget is a bit higher, my current top performers are the Nikon d7500 or the Canon 7D Mark II. Why? They both get glowing reviews for being able to handle low light situations. They both have a video feature built in, they are durable and weather resistant, and they have both has many many many focus points (great for tracking moving targets!).

However, I also realize these are the top of the line consumer DSLR cameras and are a steeper investment.

If you are looking to pinch some pennies than the Nikon d5300, d3500 or the Canon T5i would be my second choice.

(If you want to research features or compare different models I HIGHLY recommend taking a peek at this site: SnapSort)

But, even more important than the camera are the lenses you will want to use after purchasing your new toy.

Lenses really are the star of the show.

A lot of times it is the lens that determines what your camera can handle.  The lens can zoom or not zoom. The lens can tell the camera to be great in low light or not so great in low light.  The lens is what allows the camera to create a tack sharp image or not.  The lenses that come with these entry level SLRs are not always the most ideal for the Momtographer.  They have minimal zoom capabilities, they don’t produce the most sharp images, and their capabilities in low light stink.

My #1 must have Momtographer purchase to go along with your new shiny camera is the 35mm (Canon here) (Nikon here) or 50mm / f 1.8 lens (Canon here) (Nikon here).  These lenses produce GORGEOUS images. They shine in low light. They are absolutely amazing lenses. And they are a rather affordable top performing lens option.

The one downfall is that those lenses aren’t great for sports because they don’t zoom. If zoom is what you need then I recommend investing in a 70-300mm zoom lens (Canon here) (Nikon here). That’s the lens for you.

Is your head spinning yet?

I know there is a lot to think about when making this big investment. But, don’t forget that once you’ve brought that camera home and you’ve started to play I’ll be here ready to teach you what you need to know to really use that baby to its fullest potential.