Do's & Don'ts when buying a digital SLR

Try before you buy

Never buy a DSLR without handling it in a shop first. Find one that fits in your hand comfortably and has just the right button placement for your fingers.

System addict

Remember to look at the whole system, not just the camera. Does it offer all the lenses and accessories you need? How much do they cost, compared to rivals?

Stabilisation options

Some brands use a moving sensor to provide built-in image stabilisation, while Canon and Nikon put their stabilisation system inside their lenses. Although this makes it more expensive to buy the stabilised lenses, the advantage of the latter is that the scene is stabilised in the viewfinder. However, both are pretty much equally effective when it comes to the final results.

Lens pressure

Don't necessarily base your choice of DSLR brand on a collection of old 35mm SLR lenses you might own. Digital sensors have very different properties to film, meaning that old lenses do not always perform as well on DSLRs as the newer digital lenses do. On the other hand, old secondhand lenses are a great option if you're on a budget, and some perform brilliantly.

Read reviews

Read up on the camera you're about to buy by reading online reviews, such as the ones at http://www.whatdigitalcamera.com/equipment.html.

Ask other camera user's opinions

Also, register on a forum such as the What Digital Camera forum or Amateur Photographer forum to find out what a camera is like from people who actually own the camera you are thinking of buying.