Choosing a Camera –
Occasionally I am asked what kind of camera I own and immediately after I respond I get the follow up question, “I want to get a camera but not sure what I should get. Any suggestions?”
My answer to this question is always the same, “Depends on what your goals are in photography. What kinds of pictures are looking to take?” I usually get some unsure shrugs or a terse response about liking to take pictures and after a brief conversation with the questioner they are usually left with some ideas to ponder.
While the idea of understanding your photographic goals to help you choose a camera isn’t unique and there are a hundred websites more qualified than my blog to help you make this decision I still thought I would offer my thoughts on how I made my decision. The thought process I followed worked well for me and I believe will work just as well for someone with a very general knowledge of cameras and photography looking to buy something that is going to suit them
When choosing a camera for myself it came down to two things;
1) What are my photographic goals
2) What I could afford in camera and gear
As I thought about it I realized that my goals broke down into three distinct
categories and understanding and then choosing within one of these would greatly help me make my decision.
First I had to decide if I wanted to just take snapshots. Snapshots for me are pictures snapped on the fly meant to simply record a memory with no other apparent objective.
Snapshots are by their very nature informal and don’t pay attention to many (if any) of the "rules" of photography. I have taken thousands of these on vacation, in the back yard, cooking dinner or anywhere else I was just trying to capture an image of a nice memory. Snapshots lack the planning or attention to the “rules” of photography that the other two categories observe. This is generally a “one and done” type approach to a given situation for which almost all cameras are suited but not really priced for.
For the purposes of capturing snapshots I realized that a point and shoot style camera would be most suited and cost effective. They tend to be more compact and rugged while still able to capture quality images. There is no training, reading or work to do with these cameras beyond turning on the power, pointing and shooting. The Olympus 8010 or Nikon Coolpix would be good choices but just about any other brand will suit a prospective shooter’s purposes (i.e. Sony, Canon, Minolta)
The second category I decided was the goal of capturing “photos” which I consider distinct from both snapshots and the third category of capturing photographs.
Capturing “photos” (to me) means that a modicum of attention is paid to the techniques of exposure and composition but nothing too heavy. For instance the rules of thirds and odds are understood if not always followed. Those taking photos will try and make sure that lighting is even and there is some sharp detail but isn’t overly concerned with the photo meaning something beyond what it says at face value. I still take lots of photos even though my goals fall more into the third category.
Some examples of taking photos are portraits taken before going out to dinner or those pictures we take of children at Christmas time for cards. I generally care about composition and lighting but am just as interested in also capturing the memory. I might take a few passes at the photo but as long as it is sharp, decently exposed and captures a memory I am usually done.
For capturing photos micro 2/3rds (Olympus), hybrids (Canon G12) or entry level DSLR (Canon T3 or Nikon 5100) cameras can be used depending on the amount of money you want to spend. Generally speaking a heavy financial investment isn’t needed and the kit lenses would suffice for the goals of this photographer. For someone who expects to do a decent amount of indoor photography a hot shoe mounted flash might also be purchased and something to consider with a camera purchase. Effectively the goal is to capture nice clean, crisp pictures and any of these style cameras can accomplish this.
The last category for my purposes was the goal of capturing photographs. This is the most involved category where a great amount of attention and detail is paid to both the composition and exposure as well as to the artistic side of capturing a photograph. Capturing a photograph will involve an advanced knowledge of the operation of a camera and photography and requires a tool that can offer power and flexibility. There is nothing worse than planning to take a unique photo in an exotic place only to find out that your camera lacks the ability to do this.
Being in this category a prospective buyer will want to look at entry level DSLRs and up. Good examples of cameras that can take photographs are the Canon T3i, 60D or 5D mkII and the Nikon 7000 or 300s. These cameras are powerful tools offering a wide array of options and great flexibility to allow you to capture the photographs that you want. The key here is finding a camera that has the features needed to allow your photography to grow.
It should be mentioned that any camera purchased can serve any purpose. I have seen beautiful photographs taken with iPhones and basic snapshots taken with $6,000 DSLRs. A prospective buyer shouldn’t get hung up on being categorized by the above and it is meant only to serve as a guideline to ensure you end up at least with a tool most suited for the task you are hoping to tackle.
It is important for someone looking to buy a camera to understand what their photographic goals are and decide what they are looking to get out of photography. By determining this you can not only determine how much money you are going to need to spend but also ensure that you have a chance of success and enjoyment in the hobby.
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