Buying a professional DSLR is no child’s play since there are several intricate details that you will need to consider before making your final choice. For best results, the lens has to be ideal, the camera should be compatible with a host of devices and it must give you maximum creative control. Your job is to find a camera which strikes a perfect balance between all these elements.

A professional DSLR camera is a huge investment; the body alone can cost anywhere between $1,500 to $6,000. The steep price is just another reason why you should do a careful study of the the features offered by a DSLR. Ideally, a good DSLR camera will allow you to modify the settings manually. Every professional photographer wants to have complete control over the settings to get the photos exactly as he or she imagined them. Additionally, the shutter lag must be almost non existent and the camera must be compatible with multiple lenses. These are the broad criteria for choosing a high quality, performance oriented DSLR. However, they can vary according to professional specializations. For instance, the requirements of landscape photography are completely different from sports photography. At alaTest, we have put together a collection of the best DSLR categorized according to specialized fields.

1. Wildlife Photography

When it comes to professional wildlife photography, DSLR’s have to be quick and precise. Firstly, a DSLR must have a high megapixel count so that it can take gather maximum details even from a distance. Secondly, one does not really get the time to use the manual focus feature while taking photographs in jungles or wildlife reserves. Therefore, you must look for a DSLR with a decent auto manual mode. Besides this, a DSLR meant for wildlife photography must come with minimal shutter lag, good performance at high ISO and a sensor dust remover. Based on all these factors, these are the cameras which are known for their high quality performance in the realm of wildlife photography- the Canon EOS-1D Mark III, Nikon D300, Olympus E3 and Samsung GX 20.

2. Sports Photography

In the case of sports photography, it is all about capturing the moment. One needs a DSLR with auto focus which has the ability to focus on a single subject even while others might appear in the same frame. Simultaneously, it must be able to perform well in low light high ISO and it must have the ability to shoot at a high frame advance rate. In the recent few years, Nikon D700, Nikon D3 series and Canon 5D and 7D series have emerged as the best DSLR’s for sports photography.

3. Landscape Photography

A DSLR meant for landscape photography should allow the photographer to capture the beauty of the surroundings in its most natural state. Since the photographer has a lot of time at his disposal to adjust settings, a DSLR with a wide range of manual settings is preferred in landscape photography. Ideally, you must be able to balance the color and the light to match the surroundings. Apart from this, an ideal DSLR must have a lot of megapixels, a sensor dust removal system, an efficient viewfinder with live view and grid lines and features which take care of image stabilization. The Canon EOS 40D is one of the most popular DLSRs in the world of landscape photography. At the same time, Nikon D300, Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10 and Pentax K20D come highly recommended.