Possibly one of the most daunting tasks for a photographer is buying a new camera. There are so many options and new functions. If you have never bought a camera before, its tough, but if you already have a camera and want to upgrade, that can be confusing too. So, here are some ideas that might help you navigate your way through a new camera purchase.
I often have people asking me about what camera they should buy next. Entry Level Digital Single Lens Reflex cameras (DSLR) are now quite affordable and many of these people asked if they should buy one. After thinking about this for a while, I came up with a few things that need to be considered before investing in ANY camera and especially a DSLR.
1. How much do you want to spend?
This is always a good place to start, decide how much you are willing to spend on your new camera and stick to it within 10% either way. That way, you probably won’t suffer buyer’s remorse. So first thing to do, figure out how much you want to spend. Be careful not to buy the first camera you see either. Shop around, look at the specials that are on offer and be patient. Visit a few stores and compare prices on the specific camera you are interested in. Sometimes you might have to wait until the end of the month for a special to come up and that way you could save a fair amount of money. Another way to maximise your budget is to look for bundle deals, but be sure that what you are getting is value for money. Occasionally, retailers will bundle a few things together that might look great, but it might happen that the lens that is included is a cheapie lens, so look out for that.
The other thing that I have learned over the past few years is that most things are negotiable. So, if you are spending over $ 1,000.00 on a purchase, ask them what discount they are willing to give, you might be surprised. Most retailers will try and give you some sort of discount if you are paying a fair amount of money for something.
2. Do some research
Once you know how much you want to spend, start researching what you can get for your budget. You might have to re-look at your budget if the camera you want is a bit more expensive than what you had in mind. The important thing is to be sure that the camera you are about to buy is what you want, so take a look at a few camera sites online to be sure about the camera specifications and what it can and can’t do. There is nothing more frustrating than buying something and getting it home, only to find out it can’t do a particular function that was on your wish list, so make sure up front.
For this kind of research, I usually go to the website called Digital Photography Review. They have a comprehensive database of just about every digital camera that has been made in the past 4 years (and older). They often do a full review on the cameras too, so you can see what they liked and disliked about the camera. They also publish sample images on their website taken with the camera and that can be useful too.
I then go to local camera websites to see what I can expect to pay for my new toy. You can easily jump onto the local stores websites, so take a look at any of the following sites:
Kerrisdale Cameras: www.kerrisdalecameras.com
Lens and Shutter: www.lensandshutter.com
Get onto the sites and do a quick search to see what the price is of the camera you want. Sometimes they are running bundle specials too and those can work quite well.
Kerrisdale Cameras have a good selection of second hand photography equipment too. I wouldn’t recommend buying a second hand camera if you don’t know much about cameras, but if you buy from the guys at Kerrisdale, you can be sure you are getting a quality product. They check each piece of equipment and if they are selling it, it is in good condition. Once you are happy with the specs of your camera and the price you then need to be sure that it will meet your needs as a photographer.
3. Figure out what you need:
Are you a weekend photographer or are you more serious. If you are just looking for a camera to take some snaps of your holiday, then maybe a big bulky SLR might not be the right camera. If you are quite a keen photographer, and want to get more out of your camera, then maybe an SLR is something to consider. If you are just starting out and this will be your first digital camera, then maybe don’t go the route of a DSLR from the start. Maybe get going with a good quality “bridge” camera. A bridge camera is one step up from a “point and shoot” camera, but has a few more extra functions. If you find that you are getting into using the various settings and maybe even finding that you are feeling limited in the camera’s capabilities, maybe then you should look at going up to a DSLR. Be aware that buying a DSLR is an investment. The reason for this is that when you buy a DSLR you will often only get 1 lens with the camera. Over time you will need to buy more lenses, external flash units and other pieces of equipment. It is important to realise that buying a DSLR is just the beginning. So if a DSLR is something that you are considering, be prepared to spend money each year to build up your collection of lenses and accessories.
3. Buy a well known brand:
In the world of photography, you get what you pay for. So, it’s a good idea to buy a well known brand, especially well known Digital Camera brands. The ones that I recommend to everyone are Nikon, Canon or Sony. Fujifilm, Olympus and Pentax are also good, but be sure that they have good after sales service and that they have a full range of lenses and accessories. For the most part, with these brands, you really can’t make a mistake. They are all well known camera brands and trusted by professional photographers, so make sure you look at the various options available.
4. Megapixels:
This is always a hotly debated topic and the truth is, more megapixels doesn’t necessarily mean better camera or better images, it only means more megapixels. The megapixels determine the amount of resolution or clarity in the image. Very often this is only of critical importance if you are printing REALLY big, like A0 sizes and bigger. Most of the cameras today have more than enough megapixels to be able to print out your images in a more than satisfactory way at sizes up to A3. Be sure that you do have your camera set to the highest megapixel settings and the highest image quality, that way you won’t be disappointed with the results. The other important thing to note is that image quality is also determined by lens quality. One of the key things to look for on either a bridge camera or an SLR is good lenses. Make sure that on the bridge camera it has a substantial OPTICAL zoom range. This means that it is using the glass in the lens to zoom in to a subject; digital zoom is a non option. On a DSLR you will often get a kit lens with your camera but very often these aren’t high quality lenses and this can affect your image quality. An important thing to consider when you buy a DSLR is to budget for lenses in the future and often the lenses can cost more than the camera itself.
5. A new camera is only the first step:
Buying a new camera especially a DSLR is only the first step on the way to making great images. After that you will need to buy a tripod, camera bag, software and if you buy a DSLR, you will need to invest in some lenses. What lenses should you buy, I hear you ask? Well that depends (this is often the answer many photographers give to a range of photographic questions…) It depends very much on what you are passionate about shooting. If you are an avid people photographer, you might want to invest in a 50mm lens or an 85mm lens. If you want to capture dramatic landscape images, you will want a wide angle lens, if you like shooting close up images, a macro lens might be on the list. So the key thing is to decide on how much money and time you want to invest in your hobby and work from there. There are literally thousands of cameras and lenses in the marketplace but don’t become confused. There are plenty of resources to help you make a good decision. Remember to take a look at Digital Photography Reviews (www.dpreview.com) website. They review just about every digital camera out there and the reviews are free to read. They also review the lenses, so this is a good site to bookmark. You can also Google the cameras you have short listed and see what people are saying about them, that way you can be sure you are making an informed decision.
Possibly the most important thing you need to think about is learning how to use your new camera. There are plenty of online resources, and you can simply type “how to take a sunset picture” on Google and you will get some pretty good ideas.
A great online resource is the Digital Photography School . They have literally thousands of “how to” articles on ANYTHING related to photography, so it is worth visiting there regularly too.
My recommendation though is that you sign up for part time courses with recognised photography training institutions start learning more about the fascinating world of image making. Not only will your photography improve in leaps and bounds in a matter of weeks but you will also be inspired by other photographers, beginners and professionals alike.
So to summarise
- Buy the best value camera you can afford but try and stay within your budget.
- Research all the options and short list them to 2 or 3 cameras
- Look online and in camera shops to see what price you can get
- Ask for a discount if you are spending a fair amount of money
- Educate yourself on how to use your new camera and then go out and have fun with it.
Key websites :
Camera and Lens Reviews:
Canadian online camera shops:
Digital Photography School (online):
www.digital-photography-school.com