Choosing the Right Camera

Lesson 1: Choosing the Right Camera

When looking at the equipment you want to purchase, it is important to know what you want to photograph with your camera. What is it that you will be using it for. Knowing the purpose of your photographic endeavors is the first step towards purchasing your camera. Otherwise, you will be left with equipment you spent money on that will collect dust. Money spent that could have been used elsewhere.

The purpose of this lesson is to provide you with the research necessary to purchasing your camera equipment. The way we will do this is explore a few different camera categories that will establish a budget from small to large. We will also highlight a package that we feel is the most efficient use of your money if you are a beginner to the photography world.

Point and Shoot Cameras

I am not going to provide much research on these cameras because if you are looking to purchase a point and shoot, you are most likely not going to need most of the rest of this course to help you with your photography.

Point and shoot cameras are mostly filled with automatic functions. Hence, why they are called point and shoots. You simply aim them in the direction of the subject, half click to focus automatically, and click fully to capture your photograph. It is as simple as that.

They can, however, be useful for something to keep handy if you need to take a quick photo or just cherish the memories you make.




Advantages:

• Small and light, easy to carry
• Inexpensive
• Automatic settings make it easy to use
• Offers optical and digital zoom functions

Disadvantages:

• No creative control of your photos
• Lower quality images and video

 

Cell Phone Cameras

As technology continues to advance, so does the portability of cameras. Including a camera on your phone was brilliant. Never has a camera been so portable and easily accessible to people. Now, anyone who owns a phone can snap a photo and share it with their friends and family. That is a major benefit of having a camera on your phone.

Though it is easily accessible, cell phone cameras do not generally yield amazing results. There is still a long way to go for these cameras. Though every once in a while I will see a shot on a cell phone that amazes me. Choosing the right phone when you go shopping is important if you plan to use your cell phone camera when traveling.

Advantages:

• Small and light, easy to carry
• Included on your phone
• Automatic settings
• Easy to share
• Optical zoom allows you to zoom in on a subject

Disadvantages:

• No creative control of your photos
• Optical zoom is not true zoom and actually decreases your image quality
• Lower quality images and video

 

Action Cameras

These cameras have come a long way since their small beginnings. They are small, light, and durable. They are extremely versatile and include many different functions to help you get that right shot. The images are crisp and you can shoot time-lapses from them. Accessories make them an even better tool, adding to their versatility.

Unfortunately, action cameras do not include a zoom function and they include only one built-in wide angle lens. This can cause a problem if all you have is an action camera in your equipment bag. Regardless, these little cameras are a great purchase.




Advantages:

• Small and light, easy to carry
• Durable
• Automatic settings
• Increasing amount of creative control with manual settings
• Quality images
• Waterproof
• Many different accessories available

Disadvantages:

• Expensive for a quality one
• No zoom features
• One lens – wide angle

 

Drone Cameras

Want to photograph an aerial view of your subject or reach a place you cannot get to yourself. Then you want a drone! They are fun to fly and offer quality images and video. Available in a range of prices depending on the quality you want, there is a drone out there to fit any budget.

However, do not take flying a drone lightly. It can be a serious safety hazard. Be sure to research the rules and regulations within the country you intend to use them in. Not having a proper understanding of these rules and regulations can lead to severe consequences. Do not endanger others just to get the shot. It is not worth it.




Advantages:

• Aerial perspective
• Quality images and video
• Range of prices
• Versatile
• Fun

Disadvantages:

• Can get expensive for a quality one
• No zoom features
• No sound when recording video
• Requires lots of practice
• Safety and regulations
• Not portable
• Cannot be used as a traditional camera

 

Mirrorless Cameras

With the interchangeable lenses and quality of photos and video that they offer, these cameras have become the competitors to SLR (Single Lens Reflex) cameras. These are great if you want the a higher quality photo that is comparable to an SLR camera, but you want it to be less heavy and more portable.

Still, there are many disadvantages to the mirrorless camera that must be considered. They do not have a viewfinder which is relied heavily on professional photographers for the information it provides and framing the shot. Additionally, they do not perform as well in low light situations.




Advantages:

• Small and light, easy to carry
• Removable lenses for customization
• Automatic settings, as well as manual settings
• Good quality images compared to a point and shoot camera
• Less expensive and more portable than a DSLR

Disadvantages:

• Not as good as DSLR cameras in low light situations
• No viewfinder
• Though technology is improving, they are just not as good quality as a DSLR
• More expensive than a point and shoot

 

Digital Single Lens Reflex Cameras (DSLR)

If you want to get high quality shots, and you do not mind the extra weight and space that this camera will take up in your equipment bag, then the DSLR is for you. These cameras include features for the beginner all the way to the advanced photographer. These cameras offer so much potential for the user.

The only disadvantages are their price points and their size. However, in recent years these cameras have really come down in price. You can now get a good beginner DSLR package for a small budget.

There are two types of DSLR cameras: full-frame and APS-C. What do these mean and which one should you purchase? Both terms refer to the sensor size of the camera. Full-frame DSLRs are much more expensive than the APS-C DSLR.

1. Full-frame

The sensor on these cameras measures 36 mm x 24 mm, the same size as a frame of traditional film.




2. APS-C

The sensor on these cameras measures 22 mm x 25 mm. These are commonly referred to as a cropped sensor as it crops the edges of the frame out, thus increasing the focal length. This means if you have a lens on this camera that has a focal length of 18 mm, it is actually shooting at 18 mm x 1.6 (the focal length multiplying factor for the APS-C sensor) = 28.8 mm.

This makes this camera not the best option to shoot wide-angle or close up shots compared to the full-frame camera. Alternatively, these sensors will make your long distance lenses (telephoto) longer. Another positive about these sensors is the price point.




Advantages:

• Quality images and video
• Removable lenses for customization
• Automatic settings, as well as manual settings
• Range of cameras to fit budgets

Disadvantages:

• Large and heavy
• Generally they are the most expensive camera to purchase

Another thing to consider with your camera is what quality photos and video that they take. Though the body of the camera offers you a megapixel count (the amount of pixels in an image measured in the millions), you should understand that the quality of the photo is also influenced by the quality of lens you have attached to the camera body. Investing into the body is just half of the battle. In addition to the megapixel count, you should factor into account the video quality. However, because this is a photography course, we will not dive too deep into this. Getting a 4k DSLR is going to cost you BIG money. If you are on a beginner budget, you will be looking at an HD quality camera.

Hopefully with this list of cameras, the information provided, and the advantages and disadvantages provided throughout this lesson, you are now equipped with the research necessary to make your purchase. Buying a package deal can be a great way to save you money. Remember, the camera is just a piece of your equipment. In the next lesson, we will discuss more accessories to purchase with that camera. A package deal will save you the time doing more research into these things. However, it may be missing a particular item that you do want to purchase or it may include something you do not need.