What is the best 35mm SLR camera to buy for a beginner?

Answer 1

The very short answer: Any of them. They're all superb.

The less short answer: Get any Canon EOS or Nikon auto-focus SLR. For the most part, they're all as good as each other.

Now on to the long answer.

Pretty much any 35mm SLR ever made will allow you to take astounding photos. The camera has surprisingly little to do with your photo quality; the film you use plays a much larger role, and your talent as a photographer matters far, far more than anything else. The camera's primary job is to get out of the way. Your concerns will be:

* Accuracy of light metering: Nearly all cameras do this pretty well. Nikons and Canons (auto-focus Nikons and Canon EOSes, anyway) have evaluative (or "matrix" metering) which makes it nearly impossible to get a bad exposure. (This is especially so on negative film, as opposed to slide films like Velvia; you can overexpose negative films by enormous amounts and still not lose your highlights.) It's dubious as to whether there is a working camera out there that does not have an accurate meter, though. So this might be the least of your concerns. * Availability, quality, price and compatibility of lenses: You'll want to be able to buy different lenses for your camera, of course. This is another reason for the Nikon/Canon EOS recommendation above; there are enormous numbers of auto-focus Canon and Nikon lenses out there, at reasonable prices, which are as close to optically perfect as you're likely to get. Best of all, these lenses will be usable (to varying degrees) on modern digital SLRs. Don't forget, though, that you can get superb lenses in nearly any lens mount. Even cheap-and-cheerful East European lenses from the 70s and 80s (like Pentacon and Helios lenses) can give astounding results if used properly.

* Auto-focus vs manual focus: This is up to you. If you're not fussed about having auto-focus, then any SLR is as good as another. If you love manual-focus, then you might want to look at Canon FD cameras, East European M42-mount cameras, and so on. If you're used to digital SLRs, the viewfinders in 35mm cameras will blow you away with their size and brightness. Manual-focus isn't so hard on these cameras. * The luxuries: You may or may not want fully-automatic modes (automatic aperture, automatic shutter speed), auto-winders, and so on. These are nice to have, and another reason for the Canon EOS and Nikon recommendation. If you don't, then again, any SLR is as good as any other.

Answer 2

I'd suggest having a look at Sony's DSLR offerings, they have a whole range especially suited to beginners that ease you into using them after using point-and-shoot cameras.

Answer 3

Cannon or Nixon are the best digital SLR cameras for a beginner to use. Looking at reviews would help a lot because most people that have reviews are ordinary people.