With lots of cameras to choose from, getting the right fit for you can be tough. There are many different camera formats with widely varying price points. ‘Finding the camera that’s right for you’ will guide you through the numerous available options and helps to explain each cameras strengths and benefits from the point of view of the intended end use of the captured image.
Two key factors to consider.
There are two key factors to consider before you start your hunt for the perfect camera. The first and most important thing is to identify your needs, then second and arguably as important is how much you can afford to pay. If you have a very strict set of needs and your perfect camera is just beyond your budget, don’t give up. Many camera manufactures offer cash back and 0% finance at different times throughout the year.
The best questions to ask.
By now you might be asking ‘what type of camera do I need, and what are my options?’ As far as camera go, there are DSLR’s with hundreds of lens options, compact digital cameras, bridge cameras, mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras, and action cameras. Before getting into the differences between the cameras, the best questions to ask yourself are ‘How will I be displaying my photos?’ and ‘What type of photos will I be taking?’. If you can answer both these questions honestly, it will be a lot easier to pick the camera that’s right for you.
Don’t get too stressed about your camera choice.
It is worth saying that cameras can be a little unforgiving and there is no substitute for a picture taken well. Basically there is no magical camera that will improve your photography skills. There are lots of courses, tips and tricks that can help you get the most out of your camera, and we will cover this subject in an article soon. For the majority of people, photos are posted and viewed on Social Media networks, and increasingly viewed on mobile phones. This in turn means that both the files sizes and image sizes will be relatively small and often compressed. Whilst the right camera can help achieve some desirable results, don’t get too stressed about your camera choice given that most of your images will be likely be viewed on a mobile phone. Just buy the best camera you can afford and go take lots of pictures.
How you display your pictures is important.
How you display your pictures is important and an often overlooked subject. There is a vast and obvious difference between a photo that is required to look sharp printed on a large outdoor billboard and a photo to be used on a personal social media gallery. The physical size of the displayed image is undoubtedly the most noticeable difference in the examples given. It is not just the physical size of the end result that differs, but the file size, picture quality, and the file formats will be different too. The billboard photo will likely have been shot with a high megapixel full frame DSLR, an expensive lens, and shot in Raw Format. This produces a large file in a format that an advertising company can edit easily and make ready for a large print without any loss of quality. This type of camera would be over-equipped to take a photo for a personal online gallery. For an online gallery the picture size will be smaller to allow it to be viewed on a screen, large file sizes are not ideal for online use, and there is typically less editing required. In this case the photo could be shot on a compact digital camera with less megapixels, and shot in JPEG would suffice.
The type of photos you are taking is equally important, because it will dictate the type of kit required to achieve your desired results. To capture more detail, create sharper images and have more artistic control of your photography you will require better equipment than you might use to capture images for your online gallery.
These humble cameras should not be overlooked.
If wish to capture some memories for your social media galleries, (at the risk of sounding like the anti-photographer) chances are a good camera phone or compact digital camera may suffice. A compact digital camera will offer a better quality photo, more control of your photos and usually produces better quality images when using zoom than you would achieve on a camera phone. Camera Phones are increasingly popular and are extremely convenient as we carry them pretty much everywhere. If you like using your camera phone then there is lots of add on lenses that can help you capture nicer images. Action cameras are great additions too, but their benefits are mainly in being built in a tough or waterproof casing. These are suited to holiday or adventure pictures where your camera or phone is at risk of being damaged. These humble cameras should not be overlooked just because they are simplistic and inexpensive, but rather considered if your needs are basic. The compact camera, camera phones and action cameras do have a place, but they produce small flat images that are generally not great quality when viewed in more detail.
Bridge and mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras.
The next choice for people wishing to hone their photography skills is likely purchasing a DSLR and a few lenses suited to the type of images they wish to capture. Before splashing out on a DSLR and lots of lenses, it is worth considering any specific needs. If you are travelling a lot with your camera, you may not want the extra bulk or weight of a DSLR. There are much lighter bridge and mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras that may be a better choice.
Bridge camera as the name suggests covers everything in between an amateur compact camera and a DSLR. The description bridge camera covers a such a broad range of cameras and features that they have become popular with travelling amateurs and hobbyists alike. You will find bridge cameras that are similar to a compact camera with a few more controls, right through to a light weight camera with functions similar to a DSLR and capable of capturing high quality images.
The mirrorless interchangeable lens camera is very similar to a bridge camera but have the added flexibility of interchangeable lenses. Like the bridge camera there are basic entry level models, however there are interchangeable lens cameras pushing the boundaries towards the features and qualities you would expect from a professional DSLR cameras and price tags to match. The interchangeable lens camera is favoured by both travelling hobby photographers and professionals alike due to the flexibility and compact size.
A DSLR is the camera for you.
If the weight and bulk of a camera are less important to you, and the quality of the image is the biggest need, then a DSLR is the camera for you. The DSLR will give you the most control over your photography through the various features and settings at your disposal. You will need to decide again what type of photography you are into, as this will dictate the choice of lenses, the quality of camera you will need, and of course it will impact on the cost of your kit. The bigger your images need to be, the more megapixels you will need. A good reason to buy a DSLR with as many megapixels as you can afford is to allow you to crop images and retain some quality when scaling up. Ideally though using the right lenses would help you frame your subject properly without having to rely heavily on cropping your images later.
When considering the what camera body you can afford, you are going to have to factor in what lenses you will need as these can be very expensive too. If you are mainly doing studio work or still life work you might need a few good prime lenses. If you are more interested in sports or wildlife photography a telephoto zoom lens will be useful and it will help you to crop in nice and tight to the subject when you can’t get physically close to the action. For street photography and landscape a wider zoom lens is useful to capture whole scenes or shooting at close proximity to the subject. You might also find a macro lens is useful for shooting close ups of interesting subjects in nature such as flowers and insects. Lenses vary greatly in price. If you are starting out, you will get amazing results with lower price lenses, but as you go up the price you normally have more control of your depth of field and better low light performance. Whilst it is not always the case, generally the lower the f-stop and the bigger the glass, the higher the price of the lens. Always go for the best you can afford at the time as it will give you the greatest flexibility. Good lenses are considered by some as more important than having an expensive DSLR camera body.
Full frame and crop frame.
Finally for those who want to produce more professional images, you may wish to consider a full frame, high megapixel DSLR combined with high quality lenses. A lot of DSLR cameras use a crop frame sensor, however some of the more expensive camera bodies will be full frame. To avoid getting too scientific, basically the terms full frame and crop frame refer to the sensor that records the image. A full frame sensor is larger than a crop sensor. A full frame sensor does offer some benefits over a crop frame sensor. Full frame sensors offer a broader dynamic range, a shallower depth of field and perform better in low light resulting in a much higher quality picture. Dynamic range describes the range from the darkest shadows to the lightest highlights. A broader dynamic range should result in capturing more detail in your photography. The shallower depth of field means you can achieve a nice smooth bokeh effect more effortlessly. A full frame camera will help you achieve the best results from your lenses especially a tilt shift or fisheye lens, however bear in mind that some lenses are specifically designed for crop sensor cameras.
Mirrorless full frame cameras.
Finally there are a number of mirrorless full frame cameras now available, however the prices are comparable to a full frame DSLR. Whether you go for a full frame DSLR or a full frame mirrorless camera comes down to a question of weight and portability. With the mirrorless option being smaller and lighter this would make a good choice for a travelling professional photographer, especially if you are travelling a lot on foot.
A step closer.
There is a lot to consider, but hopefully the article has helped you find a camera that is right for you. If you still aren’t sure what camera is for you, I hope I have helped you take a step closer, or least assisted you in discovering the type of photographer you are or wish to be.