I am now publishing written commentary, stories, and analyisis on Medium.
Click here to visit!

Photo Search:


Expand Collapse





All Photo Categories
Africa
  Egypt
  Mali
  Morocco
  Sahara Desert
  Tanzania
  Africa Montage
  Togo
  Benin
  Mossi/Gurunsi
  Burkina Faso

Europe
  Amsterdam
  Czech Republic
  Croatia
  England
  Norway
  Iceland
  Ireland
  Italy
  France
  Greece
  Hungary
  Portugal
  Spain
  Scotland
  Slovenia
  Slovakia
  Switzerland

LatinAmerica
  Argentina
  Patagonia
  Chile
  Cuba
  Costa Rica
  Buenos Aires
  Peru
  Bolivia
  Ecuador
  Galápagos
  Mexico

Miscellaneous
  Videos
  Color Sampler
  B&W Photos
  B&W/Color
  Manholes
  Dad's Photos 

Other Places
  Bahamas
  Canada
  Jerusalem

Information
  General FAQ
  Photo Tips
  Photo Biz
  My Blog

Special Topics
  Videos
  Great Sunsets
  Redwoods
  Lightning
  Star Trails
  Nite
  The Moon
  Fog
  Reflections
  Flowers
  Doors
  Stairs
  Windows
  Laundry
  B&W Photos

United States
  Alaska
  Arizona
  California
  Hawaii
  Idaho
  Indiana
  Wyoming
  The Midwest
  Montana
  Nevada
  New Mexico
  New Orleans
  New York City
  Oregon
  Orlando
  Utah
  Washington
  Yellowstone

Asia & Pacific
  Japan
  Bhutan
  Tibet
  Kathmandu
  Cambodia
  Vietnam
  Loas
  Sydney, Oz
  New Zealand
  Moscow
  Palau

People/Animals
  Women/Models
  Couples
  Kids
  Dogs
  Animals
  Horses
  Cows
  Birds
  Butterflies

You Are Here:  Home  >  FAQ  >  Photography Techniques  >  What camera should I buy?

What camera should I buy?

Table of Contents

Chapter Word Count: 1810
1 Introduction  (611)
2 Two Types of New Buyers  (313)
       2.1 Basics  (185)
       2.2 Point-n-shoot Versus SLR Cameras  (133)
       2.3 SLR Cameras (568)

This page has 6 images dated from
Nov 3, 2001 to May 30, 2004
Markers indicate locations for photos on this page. Accuracy responsibility of Google Maps
Google Map Goes Here
If you see this text, the map is still loading (or there's an error).
Click to recommend this page:

1 Introduction

magnifier.gif
Rule #1: Point in the Right Direction
(Stagno Di Cabras, Sardinia, Italy)
cabras, europe, horizontal, italy, sardinia, stagno, stagno di cabras, photograph
This is probably the most common question there is, to which there are many correct answers. Therefore, it's important thing is to learn how to interpret answers correctly. There is a very broad range of first-time camera buyers, ranging from the casual photographer who just wants to get fun pictures of their kids on vacation or at events, all the way up to the ambitious hobbyist who wants to get really serious with photography, maybe even turn professional. Suffice to say that anyone reading this article is probably not a professional, or even an experienced amateur. (That is, unless you're here to evaluate my writing.)

The first mistake people make is asking this question to camera store sales people. The second mistake is by asking professional photographers. Why people do this is perfectly understandable: one assumes that a professional knows the information so well, that they can just tell them what to get, and the work is done.

Oh, if it were only that easy.

When I got started, I did the same thing: aked the pros. I got the stock answer, "it depends on what you want to shoot." This got me nowhere fast. I just wanted to go and shoot. But, instead, I was just given a huge run-around of more questions that I didn't know:

Q.gif What kind of pictures do you want to take?

A.gif I don't know. Good ones.

Q.gif Do you want to shoot nature, sports, landscape, portraits?

A.gif Uh.... All of them, I suppose.

Then they'd throw a lot of technical information I didn't understand, at which point, I was forced to go to the net to do research. Little did I know at the time that their questions were literally useless. Regardless of what I wanted to specialize in, or the kinds of photos I wanted to take, none of these issues has anything to do with what kind of camera to buy. In retrospect, I can speak as a professional photographer now, the right camera to buy is based on very different factors. I eventually learned—as you will (through me, perhaps)—that all the information I ever needed to know about what camera to buy was from people like me (at the time), not the pros.

magnifier.gif
Dad's New Car
(Havana, Cuba)
caribbean, cars, childrens, cuba, havana, horizontal, island nation, islands, latin america, people, south america, photograph
Now, when I say, "people like me" I didn't mean just going to a best friend and saying, "what did you get?" You want to aggregate a lot of information from a lot of sources. The best way to do that is to use the net; read product reviews, newsgroups and discussion forums where people just like you talk about this stuff. This doesn't have to take a long time provided you bother to do it. It'll take a long time if you don't do this research. You're going to save a lot of time and headache if you stop asking individual people this question, and instead, search the net for information. Once you get the info, the next big challenge is interpreting it properly. Or, more accurately, knowing what you need, versus someone else's needs. Oh, and being able to discern biased pontification from Pros versus true, candid advice from your peers.

The best way for me to help you at this point is to prime you for understanding the issues involved. With this in mind, let me remind you once again that you will almost surely make a mistake by following the advice of one individual! That's why I'm not giving you a specific recommendation on anything. I'm giving you a checklist of issues to consider, with which you move forward with research.

magnifier.gif
Photographers and Dancers (7)
(San Francisco, California, USA)
california, carnival, dancers, horizontal, people, photographers, private industry counsel, san francisco, west coast, western usa, youth opportunity, photograph
There are two types of people who buy new cameras: the ones that just want to shoot casually, and those who are serious and eventually want to progress either as a hobby or professionally. (There are grey areas inbetween, I realize. We'll get to that.) 95% of people buying their first camera don't have a specific idea of what they want to shoot: people, landscapes, vacations, action shots, fine art, etc. You may think you have a specific goal, but believe me, your ideas of what you want to shoot will almost assuredly change within a year or two. (And, if you are confident that you know exactly what you want to shoot, and you end up sticking with it, I will chastize you later for being so narrow-minded and not allowing for the flexibility of new creative ideas hit you later.)

So, with the above in mind, let me ask this question: "do you regard photography as something you take seriously, or are you only interested in getting a good, easy camera for everyday subjects like your family, events, and vacations? If you're going to be serious about it—that is, you're going to be one of those people on a hike that annoys everyone else who has to wait for you to take yet another picture of that tree—you should start with a higher-end camera that you can grow into as your photography evolves. There are comparatively few options in this category that the decision-making is simpler. (That's the good news—the bad news is that they're also insanely expensive, which is what suddenly turns it into a hard, deliberative decision. But we'll get back to that later.)

On the other hand, if you're a casual shooter, the options for consumer-rated point-n-shoot cameras are so vast, it'll make your head spin.

magnifier.gif
Fun with a point-n-shoot
(California, USA)
self, slow exposure, people, fujipix, horizontal, portrait, people, fujipix, self, portrait, photograph
First, let me get this out of the way: film is virtually obsolete by now, so, I won't even discuss film cameras here. And if you're interested in a film camera, go to sites like www.photo.net and searching for discussions on that topic. All that said, film-based cameras are not that much different as far as photography goes from their digital counterparts. They use the same lenses, and the technology of the optics has nothing to do with whether the camera body is film or digital. So, even if you are looking for a film camera, you can still learn quite a bit from the rest of this article.

Regardless of digital or film, cameras are constructed in one of two ways: point and shoot, where the body and the lens are embodied in a single device; and SLR, where the body and lenses are separate. (The letters S-L-R stand for "single lens reflex", which refers to the way the camera is constructed.) For SLRs, you can buy an inifinite set of lenses, for which there are infinite purposes.

magnifier.gif
Horseshoe Bend, Arizona
(Arizona, USA)
america, arizona, bend, canyons, desert southwest, horizontal, horseshoe, horseshoe bend, north america, rivers, united states, western usa, photograph
For the casual fun shooter, a point-n-shoot camera is often good enough. They're light, easy, and all do a fine job. Pretty much any brand will work fine and take great pictures. I even use a point-n-shoot camera for those times when I don't want to lug around a big one. The question is not about quality as it is about other features: usability, weight, asthetics, and other details. I offer no advice on specific brands, as there are way too many, you you should be reading product reviews from credible sources on such topics. (Try searching for "camera reviews" on www.google.com.) That said, I have written a companion article to this one to address the subject, called, What Camera Should I Buy? (Part 2).

If you want to take photography more seriously, you want to buy an SLR. These have more features and can grow with you as your photographic skills increase.

magnifier.gif
The "Squat Shot"
(San Francisco, California, USA)
black and white, california, cameras, jills, people, san francisco, vertical, west coast, western usa, photograph
The first thing to understand about taking great pictures is that sharpness and overall quality of your pictures all lie with the lenses and film. Which camera body you choose has nothing to do with your final results. The body may make the process easier, and therefore it is important. But, it's not all important as many people believe. You can put a $10,000 lens on a $100 camera and get amazing results, but a $100 lens on a $10,000 camera body will still look bad. With this in mind, you want to go with a manufacturer that provides quality lenses up the ladder, not necessarily because they make reasonably affordable lenses. All manufacturers have a series of top-of-the-line lenses that are capable of taking good pictures. It's the price, reliability, and versatility that define their true differences. To see what equipment I use, see Photography Equipment, but don't necessarily use what I use because I use it. The point is, you need to understand this stuff for yourself before buying anything. (The worst thing I ever hear people say is, "I'm thinking of buying the new whizzy and expensive gadget for my camera, although I'm not sure why. I'm just told that's the best one of its class." While this kind of thinking does great things for our economy, the poor guy buying a gadget he probably doesn't need.

In choosing a first SLR camera system, inform yourself on the most basic aspects, so you don't buy what you don't need. Many people feel that they will grow into cameras they have features or benefits they may not need yet, and that's fine. But don't get that confused with not knowing what those features are in the first place. Depending on how diligent you are, reading various websites on technical matters should take you a few days to fully understand all the issues. I've known people to gather what they need in a few hours. This isn't rocket science. If you tire of tech talk quickly, and just want to get a basic system, that's fine too. But don't pretend to be serious about photography unless you're willing to learn the details.

Once you're informed, the next step is just a matter of having good shopping skills. I consider $1500 a minimal investing for serious beginner that wants a good, starting SLR that will serve its purpose for several good years at least, after which time your skill and competency may demand more. If not, fine...but if so, you won't regret the initial investment. You can always keep that first camera as a backup. Good shopping skills means that you establish a good price basis using comparison shopping sites like www.froogle.com. Once there, you'll quickly see what the real street price is on equipment. Whether you feel comfortable buying online, or in physical stores, that's up to you. Just keep in mind that more experienced people never buy from brick-n-mortar stores, and almost always buy online. You usually get a lower price, you rarely pay sales tax (unless you live in the same state as the selling company), and you can often get free shipping.

Ok. I'm done. Off you go.

Click to recommend this page: