Have you ever wondered what the cameras of professional photographers are called? We have seen it everywhere, people with big black cameras adjusting the lens and focusing on their subject, but we really do not know what their cameras are called. They are called SLR cameras short for single lens reflex camera.

People who are ready to embark on the next level of photography usually buy SLR cameras. The top manufacturers of SLR cameras are Nikon, Canon and Olympus. These brands offer different styles of SLR cameras and with various features.

Using an SLR camera has a lot advantages and disadvantages. First for the good parts, SLR cameras have a lot more lens versatility. For SLR cameras you have the option of having to change lenses depending on what shot you want to make. It all depends on the angle that you want to take. Another nice thing about SLR cameras is that they perform better in terms of autofocus and faster shutter speed to prevent blurred pictures.

You can shoot better shots with the said feature which results to a good quality picture. As compared to compact cameras the SLR prints have a better quality this is because 10 megapixels from a common digital compact camera is nothing compared to 10 megapixels from an SLR camera. Now lets go to the not so good parts of SLR cameras. The most obvious reason is that these cameras are very bulky.

They are not practical when you are in a hurry and you dont want to carry big things. As compared to compact cameras which are very handy, having SLR cameras will weigh you down. Another thing is that SLR cameras are generally higher in price than your compact cameras.

This is because of the more complicated composition of these cameras. They have higher quality and they use special kinds of materials to be able to build a camera with high capabilities. One more disadvantage is that SLR cameras have a tendency to consume more energy.

Their batteries are more complicated, complex and more complicated. Charging the batteries of your SLR camera is a crucial part when you want to have good shots. When you run out of battery power in the middle of your shoot this will be a problem because you will have lower quality pictures.

There are several accessories you can buy to gear up you camera. You can add filters to protect your lens. Some filters are designed to add special effects to your shots, like when you want soft focus shots. Another accessory for your lens is the lens hood that helps lessen the unintentional light artifacts in your images.

Lastly, if you want more bright lighting for your shots you can buy add on flashers. This will help eliminate shadows and make your pictures clearer.

Thats about everything that you need to know about SLRs, the next thing that you have to do is to research the brand and model that will best suit your needs.