What Camera Should I buy
One of the most common questions I get asked is “what camera should I buy?” Well, to be honest the answer is not that simple. In order to answer the question it is important to determine what you are going to use the camera for.
So let’s start by looking at the two camera types out there:
1) The Point and Shoot Camera
a. Much smaller cameras
b. Most simply use automatic mode
c. They use have several presets such as portrait, night photography and sports
d. Generally you can’t change lenses
e. Photography quality is generally reasonable
2) The DSLR
a. Bigger cameras
b. More functions generally
c. More flexibility
d. Need to purchase a lens(es)
e. More cost
A quick comment on the Mirrorless camera
a) Almost a hybrid between a DSLR and Point and Shoot
b) Smaller than regular DSLR’s
c) Weigh less than DSLR’s
d) Limited Lenses that can be attached
e) Different focusing mechanism (slower)
f) Preview Images are not as good
So which is right for you? Well, if all you plan to do is take family shots and you want a simple camera that captures good pictures then a point and shoot will do the job. If you want to get more creative and have greater flexibility then the DSLR is the right choice.
With point and shots you simply point at the subject and shot. With DSLR’s you can use automatic mode and pretty much duplicate a point and shot. However, with the DSLR you can do much more. You can change lenses if you want a better zoom. Or maybe you want to do macro photography or really close up photography then you can get a macro lens. The possibilities with a DSLR is much greater and the finished results much better. But, there is an increase in cost.
On the other hand if you want something small that you can easy place in a purse or pocket well, the point and shot well do the job. The DSLR is bigger and typically requires its own carrying case.
So hopefully, now you are able to choose between a point and shot and a DSLR. What’s next?
Well, what type of photos are you planning on taking? Do you need a lot of zoom or more of a wide angle?
With point and shots the zoom is stated in terms of a multiply number, i.e. 10x zoom or 30x zoom. With DSLR’s we talk about focal length such as 100mm or 400mm. The higher the greater the zoom you can achieve. If you want to do sports or wild life such as birds then a zoom is important.
When we say wide angle we mean a small focal length such as 20mm. The smaller the focal length the wider the angle and the more you can capture in your shot. This is great for landscapes.
The next important thing is the F stop or aperture. As you think about what you will use the camera to photograph you need to consider the surroundings. Will you be photographing outside in bright light or in low light such as late at night or inside? Much like your iris in your eye a lens has the ability to increase its opening to allow more light in. If you notice that in darker situations your iris is open wider but in bright sunlight it is very small. We refer to the opening in a lens to the aperture or F stop. The lower the F stop the wider the opening of the lens. So if you have an F Stop of 1.4 it has the ability to open extremely wide and allow a lot of light in. With every increase in F stop you reduce the amount of light by half. Most lenses have an F stop around 4-5.6. In very low light this will not work and you will need a flash to capture the photograph. (For more info on F stops please see our Camera Basics Class).
The lower the F Stop on the lens the more it typically costs. With point and shots you don’t change the F Stop it is automatic. With DSLR’s you have the ability to change the F Stop in AV mode. So if you wanted to take some photos in the late afternoon without a flash you will need the ability to decrease the F stop.
This brings me to the next thing to consider, ISO sensitivity. Back in the film days you bought film based on an ISO number. The lower the ISO the better the resolution but lower the sensitivity. If you were photographing in bright light and wanted the best quality image you would use ISO 100 or 200. If you were looking at doing sports you would go to ISO 800. If you had low light you would increase the ISO number.
Well, today cameras have sensors and you can set the ISO number. The lower the ISO the better quality of image you will get. But if you need increased sensitivity for low light or sports you can increase the ISO number. However, as you increase the ISO number you increase noise and loss picture quality. Point and shots are typically not very good at the higher ISO’s. With DSLR’s you can pay and get ones designed to perform in low light and at higher ISO’s. In fact we purchase our cameras based on ISO performance. In low light with a point and shot you will get a grainier picture that is less pleasing to the eye. As you review your camera look at how it scores in terms of the different ISO’s. If you need low light performance then a camera that gives good results to at least ISO 6400 may be important to you.
Next we have megapixels or MP. Over the last number of years megapixels have dramatically increased. Bigger is not always better. If you plan to post online or print 4 x 6’s then you don’t need a large MP camera. You need a camera that produces better quality images. In fact most people have their cameras set to smaller images so they never use the MP’s available. For photographers like us, MP’s are important. We want to be able to produce large images at the highest resolution. To be honest unless you plan to do large prints or need to crop images something between 8-12 MP’s will work great. As you review focus on the quality of the image rather than image size.
Finally, there is focusing ability and the speed at which it takes photos. If you want to do sports you need the ability to focus fast and take a lot of images very quickly. Top end sports cameras cost a lot and it is because of their focusing algorithms and ability to shot a large number of images quickly. Our Canon 1DX will take 14 photos per second. It is incredible in being able to focus very fast. The camera has intelligence and the ability to tell it the type of sport to help it focus better. For example if you are photographing people running then the camera needs to focus on the fastest person. But what about soccer where movement may be sporadic? Or what happens if you are photographing and someone in the background moves. How do you tell your camera to stay focused on a particular person. Well, the more you want focusing power the more you pay. If you just want fun family shots then a point and shot or basic DSLR will work. They may not be in perfect focus and you may not get that magical moment but you will get some good photos. If you truly want magical moments again and again then a higher end DSLR is needed.
Conclusion
The Point and Shoot if ideal if:
If you are looking for a simple camera that you can just point and shoot and capture reasonable photos
You don’t want to mess around with a variety of lenses but just want a simple camera where you can have a general lens that works for you
You want a camera that has presets such as portrait, night, sports that will automatic set the camera’s settings for you
You don’t want to spend a lot of money
You want something small that will fit into a pocket or purse
A DSLR is ideal if:
a. If you want more power and flexibility
b. If you want better quality of images that you can print larger and display
c. If you want to shot in challenging situations like low light or a lot of sports
d. You want to have fun and experiment
e. You don’t mind paying a little more for increased performance
A point to remember with DSLR’s is that most lenses if from the same vendor will fit on cameras from that vendor. So for example I have Canon cameras. My Canon lenses can be used on all my Canon cameras. So even as I replace cameras with newer cameras the lenses are still good.
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