To get the most from these workshops you will need to use a camera that allows you to set your own apertures, shutter speeds, focus and ISO.
If you already have a digital SLR your camera has all these options and much more.

If you have not yet bought your camera here are a few tips.

A digital SLR is perfect if you want to get serious about your photography. They are bigger, there's no escaping the fact but consider all of this;

The cheapest SLR available fitted with a good lens will deliver much better quality than any compact camera irrespective of price or megapixels. The main reason is the physical size of the sensor. Bigger Sensor=Bigger Pixels=More Sensitivity=Less Optical Noise=Less Noise Reduction=Better Image Quality.

Don't worry that you might not cope with an SLR yet. If you leave it in the "green for Go" setting it's just like using any point and shoot camera. As you learn more you will be able to take more and more control.

Remember the lens is the most important part of any camera. SLRs come with a variety of lenses of varying quality. If you are working to a budget get the best lens you can afford and then put it on to any camera that will work with it.

Most Digital SLRs have a so-called "AP-S" sized sensor. These cameras can produce fantastic quality despite not being "full-frame". If you are coming from a film SLR you should be aware that focal lengths need to be multiplied by 1.5 or 1.6x (depending on make) to give their 35mm equivalents. For example a 16-85mm lens on a Nikon DSLR (except D3) is like a 24-128mm lens on a full-frame model.

At the DSLR entry level the news is all good. The Canon 450D, Pentax K200D, Nikon D60 and Sony A300 are all terrific cameras and will do a great job as long as you buy them with a decent lens. Remember the lens is the most important part of any camera, unfortunately manufactures sometimes cut corners on "kit" lenses to keep prices down.

In the so-called Prosumer market there is the aging but still excellent (Full Frame) Canon 5D.
Amongst AP-S models Canon has the 40D (I have been carrying a couple lately for my travel stuff). Pentax have got the K20 which builds on the very innovative K10. Sony have a couple of nice models. The Nikon D300 is a brilliant camera.

Olympus are using the smaller "Four Three" format sensor (also used by some Leica/Panasonic models). The smaller sensor allows very compact body and lens designs. Magnification is effectively doubled compare to film cameras e.g. a 200mm lens works like a powerful 400mm "Tele".The smaller sensor also allows "fast" (wide aperture) lenses. Olympus make a relatively small (in both senses) range of lenses. Some are fantastic quality. On the down side however the smaller sensor means Olympus are always playing catch up in Image Quality. The smaller sensors have more "Noise" especially at high ISO's and less Dynamic Range. The E3 wraps this rather small sensor in a big but beautifully built body.

Nikon and Canon dominate the Pro end of the market. The Canon 1DS MkIII and the Nikon D3 are dream machines that are very expensive. Both of these cameras are termed "Full Frame" in other words the sensors are the same size as a 35mm frame of film. Bigger sensors allow bigger pixels for more dynamic range, better high-ISOs and maximum quality. Lenses will have the same degree of magnification as when used on film SLRs. An ultra wide-angle lens will remain ultra wide. From a creative point of view the larger format has shallower depth of field (assuming that you use an equivalent type of lens on other formats) allowing more options for rendering backgrounds sharp or soft.

Sony are expected to enter the "Full Frame club" late in '08. They have been supplying sensors for many DSLRs for Nikon, Pentax and the former Minolta. When Sony bought-out bits of Minolta they picked up some great technology and a good lens system. They also have a close working relationship with Zeiss. All in all they are shaping up to give Nikon & Canon a severe jolt.

Of course One on One lessons can begin before you buy your camera and we can discuss what gear you might like to buy. Perhaps you are going on overseas trip and need advise on what to take based on the types of photography you are looking to do.

For reliable reviews of lenses see;

www.photozone.de or www.dpreview.com/lensreviews/