DSLR (digital single lens reflex, for those that may be wondering) are no longer just for professionals and those that have far too much money on their hands. You can now easily pick up a used, good quality, entry-level DSLR for under $500. With that in mind, there are a few things you need to consider when looking to buy one of these cameras.

Brand: While the brand is important, you will find that even some of the brands that are new to the SLR market can produce some very good images. Nikon and Canon continue to be at the top of the food chain, but don't entirely dismiss the Olympus, Pentax, and even the newer Sony DSLRs. They can all produce some very quality images in the entry-level cameras. Also, you could ask 20 top photographers which brand is best between Nikon and Cannon, and you would likely be about 50:50 on their answers. It all depends on what you are comfortable with. The images can be incredible with either of those brands. In the entry level you will find that they try to sell you on the bells and whistles. Which brings us to the next item....

Features: Most brands have unique selling features on their cameras. Some are higher resolution (megapixels), some have easier to use auto features for different types of photos, some have vibration reduction, etc. Take your time to do some reasearch to find out just how good or useful those features really are before buying the camera on that alone. For example, some have a feature where you can shoot the photo in black and white. However, I would NEVER use this feature. You can get the exact same effect with your editing software after the photo is taken. Also, taking the initial photo in B&W will not capture a lot of the color information that would be in the photo. Remember, you can always go from color to B&W, but you can't go from B&W to color. Our wedding photographer took a few photos in B&W with her DSLR. They did look nice, but I really wish we had a couple of them in color, too.

Don't get caught in the megapixel sell. Higher resolution doesn't necessarily mean higher quality. If you are only printing the photos at a maximum of 8x10, a 3.2MP camera will do just fine. The same photo shot in a 12MP camera and printed at 8x10 will look exactly the same unless you are doing some serious zooming and cropping before printing the photo. How often are you really going to print anything bigger than 8x10?? In my opinion, the 6-10MP range is all you need even if you are zooming in to a much smaller part of the photo after the shot is taken. I have some very nice looking photos from my 6.2MP DSLR.

Vibration reduction can be very handy to have in low light or when zooming in. Some have it built into the camera body (e.g. Pentax) and some into the lenses (e.g. newer Nikons). Again, do your research to find out how well they perform.

Lens compatibility: One other big thing to look at is the lens compatibility. If you have an older SLR with some really nice lenses, you will probably want to buy the same brand of DSLR if those lenses are compatible. Most Canon DSLRs are compatible with the newest SLR lenses. Nikon DSLRs (with the exception of the D40, D40x and D60) can use pretty much any Nikon AF lens. I have a 15 year old Sigma lens that I have used on my D50. The D40, D40x, and D60 can still use these lenses, but only if you manually focus the lens as it doesn't have the AF motor built into the camera (it is built into the newer lenses. This can be something else to consider as the older AF lenses that don't have the motor in them are much cheaper than the newer ones.

Condition: Probably the most important thing to consider when looking to buy a used camera is the condition. How much has it been used? How has it been used and cared for? Seller's are trying to sell their item, so they will often try to gloss over any flaws. Look carefully for any clues that there are problems with the camera you are looking at. Never buy one where the seller says 'untested' or 'I haven't used this for a while, but it was working good when I last used it'. Look for flaws in the lenses as well. If you can, have the seller send you close-up photos of the glass on the front and back of the lens. If in doubt, keep asking questions. If you are not satisfied with the answer, move on to another seller. There are plenty out there to select from.

Seller's reputation: Finally, carefully review the seller's reputation. There are a lot of great sellers out there, and a few shady ones. Read through the comments in their feedback, don't just look at the overall rating. See if they have sold similar items before. What are the seller's Detailed Seller Ratings like? Are they trying to hide charges in the 'shipping' cost? (If they try to hide this, what else might they be hiding from you?) Is this a 'grey market' camera (manufactured for a market outside the U.S. and not supported by the manufacturer)?

Once you have made your decision, get the camera and practice, practice, practice.