I’ve collected some simple pointers to ensure you are buying the right camera and the right equipment. It’s very easy to take the word of Joe, Peter or Paul and if their photos look good then that’s all there is to it right? Wrong!
Joe, Peter or Paul may be outstanding photographers capable of taking a simple point & shoot or camera phone and producing world class images. You may not have that expertise. In fact the chances are that if you are reading this then you are coming UP in the world of photography.
Nikon OR Canon?
First, I won’t bash the Big 2. They both make outstanding cameras AND some good lenses. But they aren’t the only choices and they certainly aren’t the best in every situation, they just happen to be the most common.
If you are, get off the idea that you need a Nikon or Canon to be a professional or be considered a pro. You don’t. There are plenty of people who use those cameras who DON’T have what it takes both technically, creatively or as a business. You may look cool carrying your signature Les Paul around but when it comes time to play, will your audience launch tomatoes and other items at you or will you be applauded?
This article isn’t to dissuade you toward any one brand of camera. I have personally used 4-5 different brands over the years. I am not going to tell you either what cameras are the BEST right now. That’s all information you can easily find and the information is ever-changing.
What I am going to give you are the basic pieces of data that I personally use in making a decision to purchase something. I've expanded it for someone brand new to photography.
These are the steps I take to research and decide upon a purchase. As an aside to the point, if you can’t make a decision then you likely need more DATA. If you have all the data the decision should be easy. So WHAT data am I talking about? Read on.
• Investing in a system.
First if you are JUST getting into photography then you need to decide on a system. Factually when you go buy XYZ brand camera and a couple of lenses you have begun to INVEST in this system. Some preliminary research is always good to ensure that you won’t outgrow the system and that the system can provide you with what you need in order to be successful or take photographs to your liking.
For example, it’s commonplace knowledge that smaller chip sensors (and smaller camera’d outfits) such as the 4/3’s chip made by Panasonic and Olympus have noticeably more noise using higher ISO especially when the photograph is underexposed.
If your primary money making action or primary passion is concert photography, then the 4/3’s system is not for you. But high ISO capability is great to a degree and I laugh hysterically at the amateur photographers who boast that their Canon can shoot at ISO 128,000 without noise. Really I do. I ask:
“You have a need for this? And you have sold how many prints boosting your ISO instead of using a flash, and they look how soft at that ISO?”
Don’t get me wrong, it’s time and place dependent and most of the time you will want to settle for quality and that’s using a flash, not boosting your ISO to ungodly levels.
Conversely, with the 4/3 chip cameras you have a smaller and more portable outfit. You can carry a lot more and not have to divest some of your hard earned cash toward the chiropractor or physical therapist.
The point is, each system has it’s advantages and disadvantages and you shouldn’t fall in with the herd mentality that there are ONLY two makers of cameras in the world.
I strongly suggest you research which system you wish to invest in.
• I read performance and user reviews online, in magazines, anywhere.
I scour the internet photo forums, websites, ratings from places like Amazon, B&H, Adorama or some of the other online retailers and read, read, read what I can and what people are saying. I file this stuff neatly into the corner of my mind (sometimes I use bookmarks in my web browser too).
I look at sample galleries as much as possible and if feasible try to get my hands on the original Raws so that I can see how much ”headroom” they have in terms of post processing. My interest here is in being able to process something to a client’s expectations and well it must meet my expectations too!
• Get physical!
I go out and get the camera in my hands whether I rent it, borrow it, or steal it. Just kidding. But seriously, I get it in my hands. You’ll find some things LOOK great on paper but feel like crap in your hands. No offense to the Sony guys but I held the A900 and didn’t like it as much as an Olympus camera. The tide flows both ways and each set of hands are unique.
So don’t think that your dream camera on paper is what you like to FEEL in your hands. It may not be. And if it isn’t it will instinctively remain out of your hands more often than not.
• What’s your forte as a photographer?
You may have decided on XYZ brand but not exactly on the camera. Just because it has XYZ brand doesn’t mean that the camera you are looking at can perform or even has the same chip as the flagship model. For example, most or all camera manufacturers use different sensor chips in their flagship models than what’s in their entry level consumer models. The difference in capability and quality can be outstanding. I don’t expect you to get to know the exact specs of each sensor. Where it shows to the laymen, you and me, is by looking for the qualities and characteristics of the camera and deciding whether it’s something you can work with.
• Cost … 97% or so of us are not born filthy rich. So cost definitely plays a factor here: a) you get what you pay for. You go buy the cheapest model that has the famous XYZ logo on it and you’ve just bought the cheapest model and expect it to perform as such. Having a particular logo won’t make it perform better, b) will what you get be able to produce what you need to produce with your camera (tool) and c) what happy medium level ground can you find between your bank account, wife (or video game?), camera, passion, need vs. want ?
I’ve met dozens upon dozens of photographers that are non-pro, weekend photographer types that are NOT deriving their income from their camera usage and yet have the most expensive cameras and lenses. If you have the money and/or this is your passion and where you want to put your money, go for it. But do you need the flagship camera that comes out every 6 months? No. If you are trying to “keep up with the Jones” go for it. But most of the time you don’t need it and having them is overkill. That said, if you want to drop 5k on a camera body and have the money to drop, then go for it and more power to you!
• Consider the future.
What you invest in today you will either be able to grow with and expand upon or you will end up dumping it for a different brand because you didn’t have a concept of WHERE you were developing to. I apply this stringently to purchasing lenses. I only buy the best lenses these days. Lenses will be able to work for years to come while new camera bodies come out every 6 months. Why spend money on the kit lens only to find out that it’s not what you will need in 6 months when your demands are higher? Save up a little longer and invest in the better stuff, you’ll be much happier and so will your viewers.
• Accessories.
Now is not the time to skimp. If you’ve been taking any of this advice you will have chosen a decent camera and a lens or four. Hopefully your wife doesn’t look at the credit card bills and/or you were able to accidentally get by with it. You’ve probably had to sweet talk your significant other and promise to do dishes and laundry for months, but it was all worth it. So now the accessories, under this heading are filters, tripod, camera bags, etc.
Don’t skimp. Would you entrust your new camera and lens to a wobbly tripod? Or you put your camera on your tripod and shoot 200 landscape photos only to find your tripod shakes a little? You didn’t notice it because it was soooo minute that you couldn’t notice it. But the sensor did and your images are less than perfectly sharp and that can be a drag when you sit down to your computer and realize they are not sharp and you will NEVER have that chance again.
Or you buy a nice lens and put a low quality filter on the end of it. Hmm, that doesn’t add up. With that mentality you should have just bought a crappy lens and put no filter on it because you degrade the optics of the lens by the quality of the thing (filter) you put in front of it.
You get what you pay for, don’t skimp.
In Summary, I hope this wasn’t too long and helps you at least have an insight into my somewhat overdone and meticulous research when it comes to spending the big bucks. Some of this I have had to learn the hard way and I hope this will save you some money and give you a new perspective on purchasing.
Good luck, happy researching, happy shooting.
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