One of the most common questions people ask when starting photography, is what camera should I buy? We think the response should always be, what are you wanting to photograph?
Some camera’s will more suited to say sports and wildlife photography, that doesnt mean you can’t use them for portrait photography how ever if you were planning to shoot mainly portraits then you maybe better served by a camera that is more suited for portraits. Please note, there are many entry level cameras that are all rounders and will do a great job in all types of photography.
1: Is your phone good enough? The handy thing about a smart phone is they are nearly always with you and manufacturers continue to advance smart phone cameras. Many have multiple lenses covering ultrawide to telephoto adn they use alot of AI to create amazing images automatically. As a point and shoot camera, most phones are exceptional. Some phones are providing a degree of manual control and there are alot of editing apps that will help you capture sharp bright photos during the day and in low light. Of course the other advantage is you can share images really easy via your phone to Facebook or Instagram etc
2: Action Cameras – We use a GoPro Hero 4 and a GoPro Max 360. They are excellent. Designed to capture life’s adventures, action cameras are built to surive being dropped and submerged. They are simple to use and capture amazing video. You can extract a single frame out of video or put them in camera mode. These cameras have a a wide angle fixed focal length lens so its almost impossible to have a subject out of focus. As you take use an action camera in situations and environments you cant use a phone or other camera, action cameras are able to really help the viewer experience what it was like to be there.
3: Compact Camera We have an Olymps TG-3, it s purchased prior to our GoPros and the TG-3 is a favourite of ours. Extremely easy to use and takes amazing photos. We will do a seperate review of this camera. It has survived falling into rapids in Bali and high speed crashes on motorcycles and cars on race tracks.
Turn it on, point and shoot, Done. So easy and being small it’s easy to take with you. In the case of the TG-3 there are different modes you can use so the camera will change its settings to match the conditions ie at the beach, at night, fireworks, sports etc
4: Hybrid/Bridge Camera – These cameras are larger than a compact so more like a DSLR camera but dont habve interchangable lenses. In out Drawer we have a Nikon Cool Pix P510, watch for our coming article on this camera where we will set out to test what difference does more advanced cameras make. These cameras will give you a feel of what its like to take a DSLR camera with you, they typically have a great single lens capable of wide angle and telephoto.
5: DSLR and Mirrorless – DSLRs and mirrorless cameras have more advanced and large sensors than the cameras we have discussed so far. They are bigger and have the advantage of being able to change lenses. Some people say the DSLR is dead and go mirrorless, as at 2022 mirror less cameras are still at premium prices, as example some mirrorless cameras are almost double the cost of a DSLR however the mirrorless wont give you a photo that twice as good as a DSLR. If price is no problem mirrorless maybe right for you, but don’t rule out DSLRs.
DSLRs provide more afforable entry into serious photograpy. You can buy a DSLR and a few quality lenses for the price of the body of a mirrorless camera.
Keep an eye on this page, we will continue to add to it and discuss Full Frame vs APS-C