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The market for the digital SLR camera is growing rapidly. The IDC report titled 2007 Worldwide Digital Camera Market Share Review pointed out that digital SLR cameras accounted for 7.5 million of the 131 million digital cameras sold. It is no surprise that such big brands as Canon, Nikon, Olympus, and Sony led the way in total digital SLR camera sales. Canon and Nikon alone account for about 80% of the digital SLR market. Sony and Olympus account for another 12% of the market.

The IDC report showed that Canon had been running alone atop the digital SLR camera market, but Nikon closed the gap, thanks to such popular models as the Nikon D300 and the Nikon D40x. In Japan, Nikon surpassed Canon in total digital SLR camera sales. “Nikon has always been the strong leader among professional photographers” says Minneapolis photographer Bob Dale.

Digital SLR, also known as dSLR, describes a camera with a digital single lens reflex. Single lens reflex describes the path light that travels through the lens to a mirror, which forwards the light to a viewfinder.

Basically, the light coming through the lens is reflected by a mirror, which is at a 90-degree angle, and it is then reflected by the pentaprism. When a picture is being taken, the mirror swings in an upward motion and the shutter opens. This action causes the light to be projected from the lens onto the image sensor.

These intriguing cameras come from a variety of companies. In addition to Canon, Nikon, Olympus, and Sony, you can also choose from some other popular brands such as Panasonic and Pentax. These brands were once the same brands that were known as powerhouses of the 35mm film SLR camera marketplace.

Canon is known for producing cameras of the highest quality. One of the best lines of Canon digital SLR cameras is the Canon EOS. The Canon EOS digital SLR camera gets good reviews for picture quality, options, and ease of use.

The digital SLR cameras in the Canon EOS digital series boast of the 10.1 megapixel CMOS technology that produces digital pictures of outstanding quality. Other Canon digital SLR cameras that have this technology are the Canon 30D, Canon Rebel XTi, and all the other Canon Digital Rebel cameras.

You will generally find Canons at the top of digital SLR camera review lists. Whether these reviews are compiled by Canon owners or by product testers, the results tend to favor Canon digital SLR cameras.

Nikon is another respected manufacturer of digital SLR cameras. The recent Nikon D series of digital SLR cameras has carried on the strong reputation for Nikon cameras as being among the best in the world.

The Nikon D300 is the top of the Nikon D series line. With the Nikon D300 you get a large LCD screen to look at in place of the viewfinder. With a price at about $1,700, this is a good entry-level professional digital SLR camera. It is a good investment for those who need to take high quality digital photos.

For those who don’t need all of the professional features of the Nikon D300, the Nikon D40 is an excellent, budget alternative with a price of $450 to $650. You will get great shots with this 6.1 megapixel digital SLR camera. It features a compact design for people on the go. “It’s a super choice for doing travel photography” says professional digital photographer Bob Dale.

For the casual digital photography enthusiast, the Nikon Coolpix P5100 consistently gets high reviews among simple digital SLR cameras. While it has manual control, its automatic zoom, focus, and exposure options make it easy for anyone to use. It also features a large LCD screen to help you see what you’ll get before you shoot the picture. The Nikon Coolpix P5100 is surprisingly affordable for a digital SLR, with prices ranging from $200 to $300.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC line of digital SLR cameras is one of the best values on the market. From 2001 to 2007, Panasonic produced over 60 Lumix DMC digital SLR camera models, with the last of that era coming with 10.1 megapixels and a 12.5x zoom standard on each camera.

Most experts agree that Panasonic digital cameras are easy to transport and take great digital photos. For the camera buff who doesn’t want to spend a lot of money on a good quality camera, set your sights on any of the Panasonic Lumix DMC cameras. These cameras cost $400 and below.

Pentax digital SLR cameras are well-regarded in the photography community. Pentax has been a respected name in SLR photography since the 35mm camera. Pentax continues its tradition of earning respect in the digital SLR community.

Pentax digital cameras are of high quality and come in a variety of models that range from the entry level SLR to professional models. Some of the better models are the K series and the Optio series. Both of these Pentax digital SLR series of cameras offer users great photographs and a variety of options commonly found on the most popular digital SLR cameras.

You have far more options in digital SLR cameras than can be discussed here. Whatever your price range, if you do a little research, you can find a digital SLR camera that will take quality pictures for you. Price and features are the main variables when you compare your digital SLR options.

When you’re shopping for a digital SLR camera, make sure that you look into battery life, replacement cost and storage media. It’s a good idea to buy the largest memory card you can afford. After all, there’s no point in you spending all that money for large megapixel technology if you have no place to store all those digital photos. Finding the Best Digital SLR Cameras in the Market