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The AF 35mm single-lens reflex (SLR) is a jack-of-all-trades, the most versatile camera type. Some camera types are better than others at specific assignments. For example, if you need to make really big blow-ups (or as a working pro, want to impress art directors), the larger images produced by bulky medium- and large-format cameras are an advantage. If you do architectural photography or tabletop work, where perspective control and lots of depth of field are needed, field and view cameras are ideal. And if you need a camera you can tuck unobtrusively in a pocket and take anywhere, a compact 35mm or Advanced Photo System camera is just the ticket. But for the working photographer who has to shoot a wide variety of subjects and situations, or the serious amateur shooter who has a wide variety of photographic interests, the AF 35mm SLR is the way to go. The wide range of available lens focal lengths lets you handle any subject, from shy wildlife and distant sports action to tiny macro subjects. The wide range of shutter speeds lets you shoot fast action and in the dark. For most photographers, the autofocus 35mm single-lens reflex is the most versatile camera type available today. Professional and serious amateur photographers use higher-end AF 35mm SLRs for photojournalism, advertising, sports action, portraits, close-ups, wildlife, landscapes, special effects . . . pretty much everything. These photographers want full manual control when they need it, but also love the speed and convenience of automatic focusing, exposure control and film advance. And the AF 35mm SLR gives them all that and more. But every AF 35mm SLR on the market also offers fully automatic operation, making it as easy to use as any point-and-shoot camera. The earliest AF SLRs had serious performance limitations. But technology has come a long way in a decade and a half. Today, even the entry-level models provide quick and accurate autofocusing in most shooting situations. And the top-end pro models perform well enough to suit working pros—in fact, professional sports and wildlife shooters and photojournalists have taken to them in tremendous numbers. Each 35mm AF SLR model offers something for everyone from point-and-shooter to serious photographer. All provide fully automatic point-and-shoot operation—even the top-end pro models. But they also let you set everything yourself if you want to (except the Maxxum QTsi, which provides programmed autoexposure only). So as a newcomer grows in photographic skills and ambitions, he or she won't have to buy a new camera to continue his or her photographic growth. Still another huge advantage of the 35mm SLR is through-the-lens viewing—what you see in the viewfinder is what you'll get on the film, regardless of lens focal length or shooting distance. You can see the effects of filters, and you can confirm focus because what you see in the viewfinder is the actual image formed by the lens. But for many, the biggest advantage of the 35mm AF SLR is the focal-length versatility provided by its interchangeable lenses. All of today's models (except Olympus's convenient all-in-one IS-series ZLRs, which have built-in power-zoom lenses) allow you to remove the lens that's on the camera and replace it with another—a fisheye, superwide-angle, supertelephoto, or a wide selection of zooms. Many manufacturers also offer specialty lenses: true 1:1 macro lenses in normal, short-tele and telephoto focal lengths; soft-focus lenses; shift lenses; lenses with built-in image stabilizers; and a wide range of zooms. Whatever your focal-length need, 35mm AF SLRs can meet it—no other camera type offers such a great range of lens options. And lenses for 35mm SLRs are also generally much faster than those built into point-and-shoot compact cameras (especially zoom lenses), allowing you to shoot handheld in dimmer light. The downside is that you have to buy each lens you want separately (photographers on a budget often buy one or two wide-range zoom lenses, such as a 28-105mm and a 100-300mm, or a 28-300mm, while pros generally prefer fast single-focal-length lenses). Automation is great. It's not just a convenience, but a time- and shot-saver as well. When the camera sets the exposure and focus, and advances the film after each shot, it speeds up shooting tremendously, allowing you to get shots you couldn't get if you had to take the time to do it all yourself—something not just point-and-shooters but even long-time pros appreciate. And today's multi-segment metering systems and state-of-the-art autofocus systems are amazingly quick and accurate. However, there are times when even the best camera's automation will miss the exposure or focus point—times when a serious photographer will want to take matters into his or her own hands, and set the focus and/or exposure manually. As mentioned, with one exception all of today's 35mm AF SLRs provide this capability.
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