If you're completely serious about your photography, nothing less than a D-SLR camera would do. The feeling of complete control can get very addictive, very fast. Going back to any other camera after that is just as hard as giving up smoking.

The only problem is that owning and maintaining a D-SLR camera can get a bit too expensive. First you buy the body, then you get the additional lenses, filters, and a motherload of add-ons to satisfy your need to evolve. And none of these accessories come cheap. It's practically a photographer's Barbie!

So what we have here are three carefully selected excellent D-SLR options that you can get at a meager street price of Rs. 25,000 or less. And this is not just for the body, but also the basic lens that will help you get started in your pursuit of excellence in making art out of pixels. So without wasting time on gyaan, we'll move on to the fist option.

 Canon EOS 350D

It may be a couple of years old, but the 8 megapixel EOS 350D still packs enough punch to warrant your attention to this day. Tagged as the Digital Rebel XT, Canon's fourth generation CMOS sensor gives you excellent results at minimal battery consumption, which is what makes it a favorite with many photographers till date. The DIGIC II processor does an excellent job of noise reduction, while keeping the images looking sharp and crisp even at higher ISO levels.

With that said, I would personally advise this camera to experienced photographers, over newbies, as this one can offer a bit of a learning curve compared to the other two cameras on this list. But then again, it's just getting used to the controls, not rocket science right? A couple of years back this baby was being sold at Rs. 60,000; now you can own it for just Rs. 25,000. Brings a tear to your eye, doesn't it?

Dimensions	127x94x64 mm
Weight	540g
Type	D-SLR
Connectivity	USB/Composite
Storage	Compact Flash (Type I or II)
Battery Type	Li-Ion
LCD Type	1.8", 115,000 px
View Finder	Optical
Sensor	CCD
Effective Pixels	8 Megapixels
ISO Sensitivity	100, 200, 400, 800, 1600
Optical Zoom	N/A
Digital Zoom	N/A
Shutter Speed	30-1/4000 sec + Bulb
Aperture	N/A
Format	RAW, JPEG
Scene Modes	Close-up, Landscape, Sports mode, Portrait mode, Night portrait
White Balance	6 positions, plus manual
Flash	Auto, On, Red-eye reduction, Off
Self Timer	2-10 secs
Video Resolution	N/A
Video Format	N/A
Sound	N/A
Street Price	Rs. 25,000/-