Some Words Of Basic Photographic Wisdom For Those Who May Be Trying To Decide Which Camera To Buy

Two of these seven Minions are my granddaughters! (click to enlarge)

Everyday, I read just about everything new I can find (with time constraints, of course) concerning photography.  Articles, blogs, videos, books, etc.  That is part of my passion for photography.  I want to keep current and fully understand both the art and science of photography as well as all of the wonderful gear we have available and what that gear can and cannot do.  I like to understand where the industry is going and what we can expect in the future.  I like to keep current on who is doing and making what.

For this blog post, I want to specifically talk about gear for those of you who may be contemplating buying a new camera or upgrading to a newer camera.  For some it is a necessity.  For others it is the infamous GAS or "gear acquisition syndrome."  I want to talk to you about lenses as well and offer a little advice from a guy who has bought more than 50 cameras of many formats, brands and prices as well as countless lenses. 

A lot of individuals review cameras and lenses and most do a very good job.  Most often we rely upon them to give us good advice to help us decide which gear to buy.  After all, gear is expensive and we don't want to make mistakes.  These reviewers point out the good things about a specific product and what, to them, the camera or lens may not do so well.  But remember this.  What a camera or lens does well, in their opinion, may have nothing to with what you need or don't need.  You have to understand your own needs in relation to what a specific piece of gear does or doesn't do.

Also remember, the camera that an individual was praising just three years ago is now a dog that doesn't focus fast enough, can't shoot in total darkness and only gives you the opportunity to shoot at 8 frames per second.  Three years ago it was the greatest thing since sliced bread.  It is all relative.  

By no means are the cameras from a couple of years ago inadequate or obsolete, they just are no longer the greatest, newest, latest with the most sophisticated whiz-bang features but they STILL are perfectly good cameras that are capable of making great images. There is nothing wrong with them.

I can't think of a single digital camera made today that does not produce excellent image quality.  There are no bad cameras out there, as far as I can find.  I don't think you can buy a bad camera but you can certainly buy the wrong camera for you.

We tend to internalize and give undue influence to anything negative that is said about a camera or lens which we may be considering, even if the negative aspect will not  in any way impact us and how we photograph or what we want to photograph.  That negative aspect unduly sways our decision-making process and we have to be aware that it is happening lest we buy something we really don't need because a feature we won't ever use isn't highly rated in a particular camera we may be considering.

People have a way of writing which tacitly puts down a product to make you think that if you buy it, you are settling for something inferior; that buying a certain product will be a bad decision. Not true at all.  Different strokes for different folks.  Not everyone needs the absolute best and most expensive camera or lenses.  Not everyone needs or wants to spend thousands of dollars.  Some of you just want to make some decent photographs and have only a few hundred dollars to spend.  That is perfectly fine.

In the past, I have been sucked in by this very phenomenon.  Its only human that we want acceptance and for people to think we make good decisions.  I can remember mulling over which camera to buy, one thousands of dollars, the other hundreds.  But the one which cost less didn't have features that the more expensive one did.  It didn't matter that I didn't need the more expensive camera with features I wouldn't use, I wanted THAT ONE! What I was reading was that it was a better camera and I wouldn't want to buy the camera that wasn't better, would I?  Well, it wasn't a better camera, it was a more expensive camera that had features I didn't need or want, but I still wanted it because the reviewer said it was a great camera.  I wanted to be seen as making a smart purchase.  All of us want acceptance.  Human nature.  Just beware of this during your decision-making process.

Here are some words of photographic wisdom from an old guy who has been passionately "practicing" photography for almost 48 years:

If you don't need 45 or 36 or even 24 megapixels, don't let anyone sway you to tell you that you do.  A 45.7mp camera isn't necessarily better than a 16mp camera if you don't need that many pixels.  16mp will make excellent images.  National Geographic and other professional photographers have used 16mp cameras.  If you just like to post your images to the Internet or make prints no bigger than 16" X 20" or so, you don't need that kind of resolution.  Save your money and buy a camera with fewer pixels.

Atlanta Braves baseball team fan.  See the Braves logos tattooed
on his back? (click to enlarge)

Speaking of sensors, unless your needs are extreme, you don't need what we commonly refer to as a "full frame" sensor.  Some will tell you that "full frame" is the only way to go and if your camera doesn't have one, then it is less than sufficient.  B.S.  Full frame sensors are nice to have but not necessary for all but the most demanding professional type work.  The vast majority of people who buy full frame digital cameras want them much more than need them. That is just my opinion from my general knowledge of the craft, human nature and from what I read.  If you buy a "full frame" camera unnecessarily, you have just wasted a lot of money as you will never need to exploit the capabilities that come with a sensor that large.  Smaller sensors will serve the vast majority of people just fine.

If you don't photograph under almost complete darkness, don't worry if the camera you are contemplating purchasing produces digital noise at ISO 25,600 or won't give you a good image at ISO 102,400.  It doesn't matter.  Ignore those kinds of comparisons and comments.  Just put them out of your mind.  Buy a camera that produces good images under the lighting conditions you will encounter most.  People often worry about the exception rather than the rule.  If most all of your photography will be done in daylight or indoors with a flash, you don't need a camera that will produce noiseless images at a high ISO.

If aren't shooting birds-in-flight, wildlife, sports, your kids or grand kids playing ball or something similar, don't worry about how many frames per second a specific camera can shoot.  You probably will never need 8,10 or 15 frames per second.  If all you take are family events, travel, nature or landscape, when was the last time you saw a tree zoom by! Three frames per second is generally enough for almost everyone.  Even then, most people make one photo at a time and you rarely use that feature if you don't have specific needs for it.

Again, if you only want a camera to make memories during your travels, photograph the beauty of nature around you or love to record gorgeous landscapes, it really doesn't matter if the camera you are using focuses in 0.1 second or in 1/2 second.  As long as it focuses accurately, you are good to go.  But if you listen to some of the reviewers out there, if your camera doesn't instantly focus in total darkness, it is no good.  Poppycock.

Fishing (click to enlarge)

Many cameras come with sophisticated electronic features that can drive the price pretty high.  If you don't have a need for in-camera focus bracketing, multiple exposures, facial recognition, silent shutter, 1/32,000th of a second shutter speeds, etc. then don't pay attention to that part of reviews that laments that the camera in which you are interested doesn't have them.  You won't use those features anyway. Save your money.

If you don't photograph indoors in low light often or outdoors with fast moving objects in marginal light, you probably don't need a super fast lens, either a prime (single focal length) or a zoom.  Save your money and buy a high quality slower lens that will give you better images in regular daylight.  After all, if you are inside photographing a family event, do as most of us do anyway, use a flash to make better images without horrible shadows under the eyes of your family members, unless of course they are into the zombie look!  Also, using a flash allows you to use a smaller aperture which increases depth of field and more of your family will be in sharp focus, rather than just a small sliver that will be in focus with a fast lens used wide open.  Using a flash also allows you to use a shutter speed that will stop normal movement.  Just take the flash off the camera if you can. That will make for more pleasing photos.

Here are my recommendations.  Before you do anything else, write down what you want to photograph with your new camera.  This is the most important factor in what camera is best for you.  At this point don't worry about what camera has what features and what whiz bangs things a certain camera cannot do.  Figure out how will you mostly want to use your camera? What kind of photographs and/or events do you want to photograph?  

Once you figure out what you want the camera to be able to photograph, then write down the amount of money you want to spend on your camera and a lens or lenses.  If you want to spend as little as possible then you will probably be considering a camera with a fixed zoom lens.  If you have a bit more to spend then you may want a camera with interchangeable lenses.  

Finally, write down your top 3 most important features that you want in your new camera. If you want a really long telephoto lens to photograph birds or wildlife, list that.  If you want it to focus really fast so you can photograph your children or grandchildren playing sports, list that.  If you want really high image quality because you plan on traveling the world and want to make some really big prints for your wall when you return, list that as well.

After you do what I suggest in the previous paragraph as well as take into consideration those other things I mentioned in this post, you should have a pretty good idea of what you want and what you need.  Read a few of the large, reputable camera review sites on the Internet, some of which give you the ability to compare cameras, their features and price.  I don't think you can go wrong with any of the major brands such as Nikon, Canon, Fujifilm, Olympus, Sony, Panasonic, Pentax, etc.  They all make excellent cameras and lenses, both high end professional and low cost consumer.  Narrow a selection down to a few cameras from which to choose.  

My last suggestion is after you narrow your choice down to about three, go to an honest to goodness camera store or a big box store that stocks lots of cameras, see if they stock the cameras that interest you and pick each one up to find out how it feels in your hands. This part is important.  Don't neglect it.  Look at how the menus work. Put it to you eye.  Do you like the way it feels and works?  Is the camera built well?  Zoom a lens in and out. Does everything work the way you think it should?  How a camera feels to you and how well it fits makes a huge difference.  The difference is whether later on you want to use it or think it is a pain to use and leave it home.  Pick the one that fits you best.

All digital cameras are good.  You just need to determine which are good for you.

Good luck and if you have any questions, I'll always be happy to help.
Thanks for looking. Enjoy! 

Dennis A. Mook 

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