What does SLR stand for?

SLR stands for Single-Lens Reflex. Or if you have a DSLR camera, it's a Digital Single-Lens Reflex camera.

What does this mean?

It's all to do with the fact that the viewfinder and the lens can't possibly see the same picture  at the same time in normal cameras; but an SLR or DSLR has a special mirror system in place which reflects the exact image that the lens sees to the viewfinder. Because the same shot has to be seen at two places at once, there is usually a brief delay between switching views, and when the viewfinder appears black when the picture is being taken, this is because the mirror system is flipped to allow the light to pass to the camera sensor at that time rather than to your eye in the viewfinder. The best cameras have really fast-acting mirror systems with short viewfinder blackout periods.

Most point-and-shoot cameras (P&S cameras) have an LCD screen which you can look at instead of look through a viewfinder. The picture on this LCD screen is poor quality which means it is not well-representative of the shot you're taking. SLRs and DSLRs give a far more accurate, high quality representation of your shot.

Advantages of a DSLR over a normal camera 

1.) SLRs and DSLRs have larger sensors

DSLRs have larger sensors (microchips), and as described in an earlier post (what is 35mm?), the larger the microchips the better the quality of the photos.

The large sensor is advantageous for several reasons:

• It is more sensitive to light and picks up more light at low light frequencies than a usual camera. So for example, you can shoot indoors in low light conditions and get a higher quality picture with an SLR than with a normal camera. 
• It has a more manipulatable depth of field

2.) SLRs and DSLRs have more buttons to play with

In general, if you're investing in an SLR or DSLR, you're probably eager to step away from the automatic settings and play with controlling the settings manually yourself. This gives you a lot more control over your shots to get the effect your want.

3.) SLRs and DSLRs have the option to change the lens

Point and shoot cameras have only one lens, but SLRs and DSLRs can have many different potential lenses. You can buy add-on interchangeable lenses for an SLR or DSLR which gives you more  freedom to manipulate and control the look of your shots. For example a wide angle lens or a long-focus lens can be fun to play with.


What are some DSLR brands?

• Canon 
• Nikon 
• Panasonic 
• Pentax 
• Sony 

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