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| Three windows. The delicate lace curtain is what initially caught my eye. They were common when I was a boy but you rarely see them anymore. Then my eye moved to the unusually shaped shingles on the house. Finally, the round 'turret' room. Interesting design and textures. (click to enlarge) |
As I am sure is asked of you, on occasion I am asked by an individual about which camera he or she should buy. It seems natural to be asked by family and friends who know you are a photography enthusiast. I know I'm always happy to help others. What do you tell them? My advice is to immediately go out and buy the camera your favorite influencer says is the best! Don’t wait. Go. Go. Go! Go now! Always, always, only buy only what they say is the best! After all they know what’s best for you! 🫣
NOT! No, don’t do that. Don’t even think about ever giving or taking advice like that. Ever. Yikes!
Obviously, the serious answer always is, "it depends." Your needs and abilities are different from not only your favorite influencer’s needs, but most likely from everybody’s else’s needs. You should buy the camera that fits what you want to do photographically and can reasonably afford. So, as I said, the true answer is, “it depends.”
That said, I do try to be helpful so the first things I ask are, "What types of photographs do you wish to create? What is it you would like to photograph? What do you want to do with your photographs? Is size and weight a factor? What is your skill level? How much money do you want to spend and, finally, how willing are you to work at your photography to get better?" The answers I receive range from being unsure to extremely enthusiastic about their photographic future. At this point, at least, you've made them to start to really think about their needs.
If you strip away all the marketing noise, influencer peddling and spec-sheet overload, choosing a camera really comes down to a handful of practical considerations—things that will actually affect how you shoot and whether or not you enjoy your photography and continue with it. Things that can make photography fulfilling and fun or painful.
First, one must think about what kinds of photographs one wants to make? What genres of photography do you think you want to pursue–landscapes, wildlife, birds, travel, street, family events, black & white, etc. Each pushes you toward different cameras with different features and different strengths. A bird photographer will prioritize high burst rates, long focal length lenses, autofocus speed and bird detection capabilities. Someone shooting travel might value a compact camera and an all-in-one zoom lens. A street photographer might prioritize small and stealthy with a fixed wide angle lens, while others might want to photograph landscapes and want to see extreme detail from high megapixel sensors and only the highest resolving lenses. Those different cameras can be at much different price points and if you buy the wrong one, you might pay way too much for a camera that, in the end, doesn't do what you want it to do or doesn't do it well. That’s a hard lesson to learn with the prices of cameras these days. The right tool for the right job, as is the old saying.
Second, consider ergonomics and usability. This is a very important aspect of buying a camera. I believe more important than brand as all brands of cameras today are excellent instruments. Don’t get hung up on a brand name. How a camera feels in your hand, where the buttons and dials are placed, how intuitive the controls are and how easily you can access key settings can make huge differences during everyday use. And, if your brain doesn't meld with how the menu is structured, you'll be kicking yourself every time you try to find a setting and just can't figure out where it is! This is one area where personal preference trumps specs every time, IMHO. If the camera doesn't work for you then you probably will want to leave it at home. If it feels good in your hand and it has the buttons, dials and controls that are positioned just where your fingers naturally fall and it feels comfortable, the camera will become largely transparent to you when concentrating on capturing that important photo. It will become a comfortable tool that does what you need it to do without struggling. The only way to do this is to physically handle a variety of brands of cameras. You can't do it over the internet.
Third, pay attention to the lens ecosystem, not just the camera body. What is the old saying? "You date your camera but you marry your lenses." Bodies come and go but lenses are your long-term investment. Make sure the system you’re buying into has the focal lengths, quality, and price points that fit your needs now and in the future. It is really frustrating to find, over and over again, that your camera brand doesn’t offer the lens you need and independent lens manufacturers don’t make that lens for your camera’s mount. In fact, I won't buy into a system unless the lenses I know I will want are available.
Fourth, size and weight matter more than you might think. That can mean too large or too small. The best camera in the world doesn’t do you any good if it’s sitting at home because it’s too heavy or cumbersome—a pain in the a** (shoulder, I mean) to carry. Be honest with yourself—especially if you’re walking all day or traveling. Smaller, lighter systems often get used more. But, again, size and weight can be dependent upon what types of photography you want to practice. Camera bodies are pretty much the same size over the four major sensor formats but the lens' sizes and weights differ greatly. To cover diagonal of a larger sensor requires larger lens elements with larger and heavier pieces of glass as well as heavier construction materials and bigger focusing motors. Just sayin'.
On the other hand, if you have big hands, are young and strong, a small camera might not work for you and feel very uncomfortable in your hands. Too small is a consideration also.
Fifth, money. How much do you want to spend? That, in and of itself, can dictate or eliminate many cameras and lens systems as well as buying new or used. And, cameras have gotten very expensive these days.
Finally, think about image quality in a practical sense, not a pixel-peeping one. Almost every modern camera produces excellent files. Instead of chasing megapixels, focus on things like dynamic range, color rendering and high ISO performance that actually impact your real-world images. This is where what you intend to do with your finished photographs comes into play. If you want to make giant enlargements you need a different camera than if you are only going to display them on electronic devices or make small prints. You don't need 102mp to post on Instagram. You don’t need 50mp to make 16” X 20” (40cm X 50cm) prints either (about 24mp will print nicely at 300dpi.).
What about what I mentioned about willingness to work at your photography to get better? Well, if you’re not willing to work hard at your craft to be a better photographer, then I say save your money. Buy a cheap little ‘do everything’ point-and-shoot snapshot camera that will give you whatever comes off the sensor. Don’t waste your money on a well-suited but costly camera with high quality lenses.. If you are going to go through all of the analysis and buy a camera that fully will meet your needs now and in years to come, then you owe it to yourself to do the work and intimately understand your tools to fully exploit their capabilities as well as fully commit to being the best you can be.
There are some other considerations depending upon personal circumstances but I think if you get these things right you’ll most likely end up with a camera that fits you—not just one that looks impressive in a review—and serve you well for years.
Finally, think about image quality in a practical sense, not a pixel-peeping one. Almost every modern camera produces excellent files. Instead of chasing megapixels, focus on things like dynamic range, color rendering and high ISO performance that actually impact your real-world images. This is where what you intend to do with your finished photographs comes into play. If you want to make giant enlargements you need a different camera than if you are only going to display them on electronic devices or make small prints. You don't need 102mp to post on Instagram. You don’t need 50mp to make 16” X 20” (40cm X 50cm) prints either (about 24mp will print nicely at 300dpi.).
What about what I mentioned about willingness to work at your photography to get better? Well, if you’re not willing to work hard at your craft to be a better photographer, then I say save your money. Buy a cheap little ‘do everything’ point-and-shoot snapshot camera that will give you whatever comes off the sensor. Don’t waste your money on a well-suited but costly camera with high quality lenses.. If you are going to go through all of the analysis and buy a camera that fully will meet your needs now and in years to come, then you owe it to yourself to do the work and intimately understand your tools to fully exploit their capabilities as well as fully commit to being the best you can be.
There are some other considerations depending upon personal circumstances but I think if you get these things right you’ll most likely end up with a camera that fits you—not just one that looks impressive in a review—and serve you well for years.
Join me over at my website, https://www.dennismook.com.
Thanks for looking. Enjoy!
Dennis A. Mook
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