help with DSLR

[tscouple]

Hi all

I've just started photography and want to upgrade in DSLRs now.

What does it mean when you say "Body Only" for DSLRs? Is it possible to take photos with just the body only, or do I need to also buy a lens immediately?

Does it mean that there is no lens in the camera , unlike a normal point and shoot compact digital??

I'm confused.... I'm sorry if it seems like a stupid question......
Thank you

[RichardTaylor]

It means no lens. You need to have a lens to use it.
Usually they are for people who may all ready have a lens or want purchase another one that is not normally supplied with the camera.

Here is a very basic, of mine, intro to lenses.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/1276140...7622897477429/

[mattdm]

Originally Posted by tscouple

What does it mean when you say "Body Only" for DSLRs? Is it possible to take photos with just the body only, or do I need to also buy a lens immediately?

Does it mean that there is no lens in the camera , unlike a normal point and shoot compact digital??

Right -- there's no built-in lens. There's a hole covered by a flat plastic cap, and a twist-in lens mount.

As RichardTaylor says, there's two reasons you might want to buy a body-only system.

First, you may be upgrading from an older camera from the same manufacturer, in which case you already have one or more lenses.

Second, the lenses that are bundled with camera bodies -- typically called "kit lenses" -- are usually only of moderate quality. They're not junk, but they tend to be cheaply made short zooms with a lot of optical compromise. So, you might want to buy a better lens or two to start. (If you're serious about photography, that's probably smart.)

On the other hand, some times the price between body-only and with-kit-lens is so low that you might as well get it. In fact, last I looked, the Pentax K-x is cheaper with kit lens than body-only.