I take a lot of cat pictures, so I understand your dilemma.

If you take pix of dogs and animals, then yes, you want to advance beyond a point and shoot. The biggest concern with animals is that they don't pose. They move. A lot. And they don't listen. So if it takes your camera a second to take the shot, you miss it because dogs and cats just don't usually hold still. With a DSLR, you can get several frames per second. You won't miss those shots. Makes all the difference in the world! When you compare models, look for the fps setting and try to get the fastest one you can afford, also the fastest focusing camera that you can afford. But really, any DSLR is going to be faster than a point and shoot and will help you take better pet photos.


Before you pick a brand, you need to consider the available lenses. You need to be able to get lenses that open to a wide aperture so that you can get more light in your photos. This is very important with pets because you want to avoid flash. Flash does bad enough things to human eyes, but with dogs and especially cats it just turns them into zombies. Look for lenses with wide apertures, cameras with fast fps, focus and good high ISO performance.


Next, set a reasonable price limit and max it out, be happy with what you buy. The first DSLR I bought was a Nikon D90. I could have afforded a D700, but I thought to myself "you really don't need a full frame D700, so why spend all that money?" I was never really happy with the high ISO performance of the D90, so after 2 months I got the D700 and have been happy ever since. Get the maximum camera that you can afford that makes you happy.

They are not all of them in this small series. Maine is too rich in beautiful lighthouses and I have not had the privilege of visiting them all. I only selected four of them which I know are among the most popular. If you have visited Acadia National Park I am sure you know there is a beautiful lighthouse there that attracts the attention of many visitors. It is best photographed in early light.
The first lighthouse in this series is the Pemaquid Lighthouse. It is located in the Pemaquid Point overlooking a great expanse of ocean. Sometimes the lighthouse is open to visitors and there are beautiful photographs to be made of the staircase and through the glass lens of the lighthouse. In early morning the temperatures, beginning in September are a little bit chilly, especially when there is a wind from the East. It could be dangerous to move around the rocks where it is easy to slip and have an accident, especially if it rained the night before. Some visitors have lost their life upon falling to the ocean due to the cold temperatures of the water and the strong currents.
The second lighthouse is located in Cape Neddick near the small town of York Beach. It is the Cape Neddick Lighthouse which sits on top of a rock called Nubble Rock. The locals called it Nubble Light and it was built and has being in service since 1879. There is a beautiful view from the parking lot. Another view of the lighthouse is available from from Sophier Park at the end of Cape Neddick.
The third lighthouse could easily be the most photographed lighthouse in the United States. It is located in Cape Elizabeth and nor too far from the city of Portland. It is called Portland Head Light and was built in 1971. There are treacherous cliffs all over this area and for that reason a wire fence has been built around the lighthouse to protect the public from accidental falls from the cliffs. It is necessary to set the tripod close to the fence and extend the legs to make photographing the lighthouse easier.
Finally the Bar Harbour Lighthouse in Acadia National Park. This is a small lighthouse best photographed from the cliff to the lower left of the lighthouse. Be careful here too, it could be dangerous walking around and positioning the tripod but the views of this place in early light are gorgeous and worth the risk.
All shots made with a D70s using, if memory does not fail, the old 28-85 AF lens. I used also an old 3021 aluminum Manfrotto tripod with Linhof ballhead.
I hope you like them and enjoy looking at them.