Top 5 digital SLR cameras for beginners

Take control of your photos with these sub-$1000 digtital SLRs

Compact cameras are easy to carry and (mostly) fun to use. But there are times when you need fine control over the exposure in a scene and this is when digital SLRs come in handy.

In this top five list, we've selected the digital SLR cameras that we think are perfect for learners who want to easily play around with aperture, shutter speed, ISO balance and a whole host of other settings to get that perfect shot.

With a digital SLR, you'll need to build a decent collection of lenses to go along with it, and you go for a particular brand, you'll have to buy lenses made for it. Canon lenses on a Nikon camera won't work, and vice versa.

All the cameras we've included here are under $1000. Some have been around for a couple of years (which is why they are so cheap), while others, such as the Sony models are fairly new.

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D3100
4.00

1. Nikon D3100 digital SLR camera

The Nikon D3100 may only be an entry-level SLR camera, but it's capable of supplying very good image quality and it also has the ability to shoot HD video. It's a comfortable camera to hold and an easy one to ...
Review Date: 1st March, 2011
RRP: $ 849.95
EOS 550D
4.00

2. Canon EOS 550D digital SLR camera

Canon's EOS 550D digital SLR is aimed at users new to the SLR scene, but it's a very capable camera for all types of shooting scenarios. It excels in dark conditions, it's great for portraits, and it can even be ...
Review Date: 22nd March, 2010
RRP: $ 1,349.00
Best Buy
EOS 600D
4.00

3. Canon EOS 600D digital SLR

Canon's EOS 600D is one of the cheaper digital SLR cameras the company offers -- it's a slight drop in price from the slightly superior 60D -- but it's still got a lot of the technology from more expensive models. ...
Review Date: 14th March, 2011
RRP: $ 1,699.00
DSLR-A390 (DSLRA390Y)
3.25

4. Sony DSLR-A390 (DSLRA390Y) digital SLR camera

Sony's DLSR-A390 is capable of capturing vibrant and clear images, but its body could use some work. For starters, we'd like a dedicated button for the flash and for zooming in on photos in playback mode, and it's awkward to ...
Review Date: 5th Aug., 2010
RRP: $ 999.00
Alpha SLT-A35
3.25

5. Sony Alpha SLT-A35 digital SLR camera

The Sony Alpha A35 is a viable alternative for its entry-level Canon EOS 600D and Nikon D3100 competitors. It doesn’t have any special surprises in picture quality or usability, although we think the build quality of the bundled lens isn’t ...
Review Date: 30th Aug., 2011
RRP: $ 949.00
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