Which Camera Should I Buy?

Photo by VIOLOK 2009

I've recently been getting a lot of questions about "Which camera should I buy". Huh, maybe there's a camera sale or something going on that I don't know about. Anyways, I thought I'd share one of my recent responses here on my blog.

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First off, do you "need" a dSLR? Do you really really need one? Sure SLRs are great to have but do you need it?

The reason why I asked if you “need” an SLR is because generally SLRs are pretty big and bulky. I know a lot of people who bought an SLR but never uses it anymore because its too much of a hassle to carry around. Also with an SLR you’ll need to buy lenses and you need to be willing to make the investment for it.

That said, 90% of cameras are better that 99% of photographers out there. There really is no bad decision (that goes for P&S too), as long as you stick to the main brands. There’s no perfect camera for everyone. My best advice when buying an SLR would be to look at what your friends have. Are they Nikon shooters? Canon? Sony? If you get a camera the same brand as your friends, you can share lenses & equipment, and also troubleshoot if you run into problems (I gotta be honest though, all my friends are Canon and I shoot Nikon). Which brings me to my second point, what camera feels good in your hands? If its not comfortable or natural, you’re not gonna want to use it. That’s why I went Nikon, they just felt better to me. So go to the store and play with the camera, put it in your hands and use it. If you can, rent the camera for a weekend and really use it.

Lastly, I wouldn’t say this is the most important, but it will definitely define the category of cameras you’re looking at, whats you’re budget? How much do you want to spend in total? You know that thing that sticks out infront of your camera? The lens? Sometimes that can cost as much, or more than the camera its self, and its something you’re gonna need to think about. Yes, there are kits out there and sure it gives you a zoom lens, but normally those lenses are pretty shitty aren't that great and are a little soft. Its great to have a zoom, say 18mm to 200mm, but the quality isn’t always the best and it doesn’t give you that artistic control you get with some of the non kit lenses. 

If you’re just getting into it, buy the best camera body you can afford, but set aside about $130 for a 50mm f/1.8 lens. It is the cheapest lens out there, but its also one of the sharpest lenes, is the best bang for your buck. That goes for all manufacturers (Canon ~$100, Nikon ~$140). Only catch is that this lens is a prime, so there’s no zoom. Buy guess what? You’ve got a pair of legs, so that your zoom! Personally, the 50mm probably my most used/convenient lens to have. It’s small, it’s fast and it’s cheap! Unlike most consumer zoom lenses, this 50mm lens has a constant aperture (most consumer zooms change apertures as you zoom in and out, usually between f/3.5 and f/5.6. you can get zooms with a constant aperture but those usually start around $2k) so you can set is to any aperture and it will stay there! Tons of creative control!

In short, any dSLR + 50mm f/1.8 = great place to start.

Just a quick blurb about P&S, I know a ton of pro photographer who use the Canon G11 as one of their camera, and its definitely a great camera. Small enough to fit in your purse and it gives you all the manual functions and RAW capabilities of an SLR! I think its also got a pretty wide lens on it, something you’ll need for landscapes.

If you've got any questions, post them in the Comment section. Happy shooting :)