The Best Digital SLR for Child Portraits

Move Fast, or the Moment is Lost

This page is for any parent looking for the best digital SLR for child portraits.

Before we get into this, it's important for you to understand something: all digital SLRs are good at portraits.

Most portrait photography doesn't require a camera that can photograph a race car.

Unless, of course, you are trying to take a photo of your son or daughter.

If they are young, they can't sit still for a portrait, and if they are older they won't be caught dead having you take their portrait.

This means that the best digital SLR for child portraits must be responsive and flexible.

And the Winner Is...

My pick as the best digital SLR for child portraits is the Canon 350D.

Here's what this camera has going for it:

Fast response times
Low noise at high ISO
Small size for portability
Uses a wide range of Canon lenses

Response Time

The first feature that makes the 350D the best digital SLR for child portraits is its response time.

The camera turns on instantly, has a lighting-fast autofocus system and is ready to go at a moment's notice.

It also has a higher number of focus points that some of its competition.

Focus points are individual spots that the camera can use to focus - the more focus point, the easier it is to focus on a subject that isn't in the center of the viewfinder.

The Canon 350D has 7 focus points, while most other comparable digital SLR cameras only have 3.

Low Noise at High ISO

An ISO 800 shot

This ISO setting on your digital SLR lets you boost the camera's sensitivity to light.

This means that you can take photos in dim light without having to use the flash.

If you take a lot of photos of your children indoors (birthday parties, playing in the living room, etc.) then the ability to boost the ISO is a huge benefit.

Increasing the ISO will let you use a fast shutter speed to capture motion, even in dim light.

This also helps even when you're outside if it's a cloudy day.

Since children never stop moving around, you need fast shutter speeds so that they don't appear blurry.

The only drawback to high ISO settings is that they add grain (or "noise") to the image and make it look speckled.

One reason that the Canon 350D is the best digital SLR for child portraits is that it adds very little noise, even when set to a high ISO.

With another digital SLR, you might start to see noise around ISO 400, but with the 350D you can go all the way up to 1600 and be hard-pressed to see any grain in the images you take.

Small Size

The 350D next to the Canon 20D

The key feature of the Canon 350D is that it is portable.

The 350D is one of the smallest and lightest digital SLR cameras you can buy.

The camera is ideally suited to travel with you wherever you go with your kids: the soccer game, little league, family vacations or even the local park.

The more inclined you are to take the camera with you at all times, the higher the chance you'll get that once-in-a-lifetime photo.

Canon Lenses

There are a huge number of Canon lenses you can use with the 350D.

If you like simplicity, this is a bad thing. But if you're trying to take child portraits, it opens up a world of possibilities.

Imagine that your child is just starting out in life.

He or she spends a lot of time indoors on the floor. If you want to capture these magic moments without blasting you kid with the flash, you need to let a lot of light into the camera.

While you can boost the ISO (see above) this only works to a point. In addition to a high ISO, you'll need a lens with a wide maximum aperture.

A lens like the Canon 50mm f/1.8 is great for your child's first years of life.

In later years, your child will start moving around, maybe take up a sport.

At this point you'll want to take closeups of your kid in action, even if you have to do it from the sidelines.

In this case, a powerful zoom like the 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM is a good bet.

This is part of what makes the 350D the best digital SLR for child portraits: no matter where your children go in life, there will be a lens to help you photograph them.