What Camera Shoud I Buy?

The question that I often get asked the most is “What is a good camera to buy?” I always say that most digital cameras on the market today are pretty good. You have so many different manufacturers and models to choose from that it’s almost hard to differentiate between companies. Now keep in mind I did say “almost”. The differences will begin when you start to look for all of the bells and whistles. Canon and Nikon are the two biggest manufacturers, however there are several other manufacturers who make great cameras as well. For instance, Sony, Olympus, Panasonic, Fuji, Hasselblad and more.

Canon cameras are my primary camera bodies, but my point and shoot camera bodies are from Sony. I originally chose Canon for two reasons. First, Canon was the official camera of the NFL. Second, I didn’t like the reversed positive and negative bracket on the display panel. Other than these two factors you will learn that both companies produce great cameras. The argument about which camera takes better pictures is as old as the companies themselves. As some of you know I’m a Teacher’s Assistant at the International Center of Photography (ICP) in Manhattan. I studied under Professor Robert Meyer. He is a great teacher, and basically the only professor that I work with. The other professors in the school are very good, but I studied under Professor Meyer for 18 consecutive months. This strategy enabling me to develop the skills that I have now in lighting and posing. I assist him with his lighting courses, and his introductory courses in photography. When I teach his introductory classes he gives me all of the Canon students in the class. He shoots with Nikon. When it comes down to the basics of a digital camera, you want a digital camera that has at least 8 megapixels, easy to use, doesn’t require a lot of maintenance and has a good customer support system. The average person is looking for a camera that is convenient to carry, takes good pictures, and can make prints in 4x6, 5x7 and 8x10 sizes. If you are looking to go to the next level, then you will want to purchase a digital single lens reflex camera (DSLR). 

If you are looking to control lighting, color temperatures, focus, and more, then a DSLR is probably what you are looking for. You don’t have to be a professional photographer to purchase one either. Plenty of photographer enthusiasts use them everyday. There are a lot of people who believe that the more money that you spend on a camera body, the better your pictures will come out. It’s true that there are different levels of camera bodies (Beginner, Intermediate and Professional) for each brand, but more important than the camera body is the lens that is attached to it. In the photography world, photography lenses are also known as “good glass”. Lenses can be very expensive. In a lot of instances, a camera lens can cost more than the camera body itself. A good camera lens can start at $2,000 and go all the way up to over $13,000. What you are paying for is the excellent picture quality that these lenses offer. If you want to see, or handle such a lens, you have several stores in New York City that you can shop at to get more information. B&H Photo is one of the most popular photography stores in the city. Tourists from other countries who are into photography make B&H Photo a mandatory stop while on vacation. B&H Photo is located at 420 9th Avenue between 33rd and 34th Streets.

Another popular camera store in the city is Adorama Photo. Adorama Photo is located at 42 West 18th Street. They are not as big as B & H Photo, but they do offer a large variety of camera supplies. In addition they specialize in photo prints and photo albums. If you don’t wish to handle the photography equipment personally, you can also go online and view their products.  If you decide to venture into photography as a potential career, one of the things that people find out very quickly is how expensive all of the equipment and accessories are. You need camera bodies, external flashes, memory cards, lenses, batteries and more. When selecting a camera system (This is a specific camera manufacturer and all of the accessories that are sold for the camera body that you purchased) for your career, it is definitely a good idea to visit a camera store and test the equipment.

It is an unwritten rule that once you purchase a camera system, you don’t change that system unless something extreme happens. This can include hating the system that you just purchased, you inherit a system from someone else, or you win a system in a camera contest giveaway. The reason behind not investing in a second camera system is that it simply costs too much. So that you don’t waste your time and money, do extensive research first. After you do your research, establish a budget on how much you’re looking to spend altogether. It usually makes sense to buy a camera that comes with a lens. I always tell my students to purchase an extra camera battery, and extra memory cards. You will need something to carry your equipment in. If your looking for some of the best security to protect your investment in, look no further than a Pelican case. Pelican cases are part of the industry standard and do very well when you are traveling by plane. If you want to invest in a DSLR system but can’t afford one right now, another option is a good point and shoot camera. A point and shoot camera is also called a compact camera, is a still camera designed primarily for simple operation. Most use focus free lenses or autofocus for focusing, automatic systems for setting the exposure options, and have flash units built in for point and-shoots are by far the best selling type of separate camera, as distinct from camera phones. They are popular with people who do not consider themselves photographers but want easy-to-use cameras for snapshots of vacations, parties, reunions and other events. (*1) I shoot with Canon as my primary camera bodies but every now and then it’s not feasible to shoot with a DSLR. If I am attending an event and not working it, I don’t want to carry a DSLR and all of the gear that’s associated with it. A compact point and shoot camera will do just fine. My very first digital camera was a Sony Cybershot. It was a 1.3 megapixel camera that cost $999 at the time. It was state of the art at the time. Today, Sony created the RX 100 Series. It has all of the bells and whistles of a DSLR packaged in the small, convenient body of a standard point and shoot camera.

This camera has exceptional shooting capabilities especially in low light conditions. It has a built in menu that performs advanced operations directly in the camera. You can change color photos to black and white, add special effects, and shoot RAW images. (In the next edition of Taking Photos we will take a closer look at RAW photography) I purchased this camera to take pictures inconspicuously because when you are taking pictures with a DSLR, people assume that you are a professional photographer, or paparazzi, or both. This is a very good point and shoot camera that has a great body, (The body is made of metal) a great lens (It has a Carl Zeiss lens) and an excellent price ($899) for everything that it does. One day I was in Bloomingdales Department store on 59th Street. Elizabeth Hurley was launching a new product. I wanted to get one photo to use for the newspaper. People were pulling out their cell phones, and point and shoot cameras to take photos. As I went into my bag to set up my camera, one of the managers of the store said that Bloomingdales has a photographer and I couldn’t take photos. I tried to tell the staff what I was doing there but they didn’t want to hear it. If I would’ve had a point and shoot camera instead of my DSLR it wouldn’t have been an issue. I slowly put my DSLR camera back into my camera bag and I was complaining under my breath. I could’ve been in and out of the store with the picture that I needed if I hadn’t been interrupted. I knew right then and there that I was going to need the perfect point and shoot camera with low light capabilities to capture celebrities and other VIP’s. I immediately went to B&H Photo, spoke to a colleague about a camera fitting my criteria, and purchased it. I hope that the information that I provided to you this evening will help you purchase your next digital camera. I can’t stress enough how important it is to really do your research, ask plenty of questions, know what your budget is and try to get to one of the aforementioned camera stores to test out the equipment. If you still have any questions about what camera to buy, rest assured that the staff at B&H Photo, as well as Adorama Photo really know their stuff, and they are more than happy to help you buy a camera. Until next time, thank you again for taking time out of your schedule to read my blog! (*1) Wikipedia website via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Point-and-shoot_camera