What digital camera should I buy?

By Bill Blackburn

Saturday March 2, 2013

Hey Bill, what camera should I buy? I hear this question several times a year. I hear it from friends, acquaintances, coworkers and from photography clients. 

For the purposes of this blog article, I will assume that we are talking about anything from $100 P&S cameras to $2000 semi-professional camera bodies

I will explain my logic in a step by step basis...

1. Budget

It is the same whether you want to buy a $120 point and shoot, or a $1500 DSLR body, or you are debating between $7,000 Nikon and Canon professional grade camera bodies. You have a limited amount of funds. Some have more, some have less. Either way, you have to determine how much cash you have to spend.

Your budget determines your reality. If you only have $200 to spend, do NOT look at cameras that cost more than that. If you have $2000 for a DLSR body, you have more options, but the same reality. 

Buy what you can afford. Write this number down, and try not to exceed it. Stick to your budget --and make sure you account for accessories: cards, lenses, batteries, etc.

2. Research

I recommend using sites like Adorama and B&H for doing initial research. They are used by professional photographers, but the sites do sell entry level point and shoot (P&S) cameras.

For the purpose of the discussion here, I will use http://www.adorama.com/. 

Go to the cameras section, and look at the left hand side of the page. You will see the options to refine your results. 

http://www.adorama.com/catalog.tpl?op=itemlist&cat1=Cameras%20%26%20Lenses&cat2=Digital%20Cameras%20%26%20Accessories&cat3=Digital%20Cameras

I recommend sorting by price, and then just looking at what is out there. 

At this stage, do not concern yourself about Nikon v.s Canon, etc... just look. See what is out there and keep an open mind. 

3. Answer some questions:

Have you invested heavily in lenses, memory cards or other gear that is not universal?

If so, then it is best to try and stick to that type. Don’t re-invent the wheel, and don’t reinvest money unless you need to.

For instance, if you have invested in top quality SD memory cards, then you probably don’t want to switch to a camera that has Compact Flash cards.

If you have Nikon lenses, especially quality 2.8 lenses, then it probably isn’t a good idea to switch to Canon --unless you have a compelling reason to switch, and a buyer for the other gear.

If you don’t have any (relatively expensive) camera gear, or it is old and outdated, then keep an open mind and go to the next question.

What are you going to use it for?

Are you just looking for a simple, every day camera? If so, then a point and shoot (P&S) camera would be fine for you. These typically are small, slim and will fit into a pocket for easy carrying.

Are you looking to get into advanced hobbyist or semi-pro photography? If so, then you might want to look into the larger P&S cameras, or possibly entry level DSLRs. Just remember: stick to your budget. The fancier your camera gets, the more expensive the accessories are, and the higher your budget needs to be. 

Do you have a camera already? Do you like the manufacturer? Its features?

If you are looking at more advanced cameras, then I recommend physically trying them out before purchasing. See how it fits in your hand, how the menus operate. Make sure you like it. 

If you are sticking to anything under, say $300-500, then you don’t need to op-test it so much. Personally, cameras in the $100-300 range are all relatively created equal. This is not meant as a slam on them, but at that price point, the manufacturer doesn’t matter so much. Your mileage may vary (YMMV), but that is my experience --and I sill have a P&S camera, and use them when needed.

If you have a Canon and like it, don’t switch to Nikon, or vice versa. Both are great cameras, and have millions of devoted followers who will argue their virtues. Same goes for other manufacturers. It’s the same as the Mac/PC debate or the iPhone/Android debate. Both are great, and have their virtues. If you don’t have a preference, keep an open mind.

What is your skill level? Are you committed to learning your new camera if you buy a more complex one?

If you are a novice shooter, you probably won’t need a camera with all of the bells and whistles. If you are just looking for a basic, lightweight camera, don’t burden yourself with a heavier, larger beast. 

Follow the K.I.S.S. principle: Keep it simple, silly. 

If you are a semi-advanced user, then you might want to look into the larger P&S cameras that offer manual settings. I call these intermediate cameras --they look like DSLRs, but don’t have swappable lenses. They are also called “compact” or “mirrorless” cameras.

The downside to these is that they are larger --they don’t fit in a pocket. But they often have better zoom capability, and better features.

If you are going to buy a camera with manual settings, you really should make an attempt to learn it, or get some training so you can get more out of it. I will do a separate blog post on some of these features later. But IMHO, getting a camera with manual settings and not learning how to use them is like buying a sports car and not learning how to use the stick shift.

How many Megapixels do I need?

If you are not a professional shooter doing ultra-large prints, you do not need anything over 16-megapixels. If you are printing 4x6’s and 8x10s, anything over 4-Megapixels will get you photo quality prints:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/FrameWork/charts/resolutionChartPopup.html

If you want to print 16x20 poster prints, you’ll need 8 Megapixels.

Personally, for a P&S camera, zoom is more important than the Megapixels.

How much zoom do I need?

How much zoom can you afford? 

Honestly, I think zoom is more important than just about anything. My basic thumb rule: get the best zoom that you can in your price range. If you narrow down your search to two different cameras that are within $50 of each other, and are in your budget, I recommend that you go with the one with the better zoom over the one with more megapixels.

Zoom means you can get better close-up shots, from a longer distance. More is better, IMHO. BTW, I am talking about optical (glass) zoom --not digital zoom. Digital zoom is rubbish --don’t use it.

What about video?

How much can you afford?

Like zoom capabilities, if I am looking at two comparable cameras that are within $50 of each other, I will go with the one that shoots better HD video. Full 1080p video is better than 720. You might not shoot much HD video, but if it fits in your budget, get the better one. One day you might want to shoot a video, and you’ll wish you had full HD.

4. Compare and contrast

At this point, you need to start comparing cameras that are in your budget. 

Look at the following, in this order:

Type of camera that you need: DSLR/intermediate/compact mirrorless/P&S
Zoom: bigger is better
Video: bigger is better
Reputation / Ratings / Reviews
Megapixels

As you whittle down the list, look at the reviews. The more expensive the camera, the more you need to do this. It’s not as important with a $100 P&S, but if you’re going to drop $1500 on a new DSLR body, you’d better research.

I recommend looking at the following sites:

http://www.adorama.com
http://www.bhphotovideo.com
http://www.amazon.com/
www.dpreview.com/

As you read the reviews, look for ones made by people of similar skill sets. I love Adorama’s site because the reviewers can list their skill level: Photo enthusiast, casual photographer, semi-pro, pro photographer, etc.

If you are a photo n00b who doesn’t know an f-stop from a stop sign, do not look at cameras that all the reviews are by semi-pro and better photogs. Don’t waste your time, unless you have too much time on your hands. 

5. Pare your list down to a top 2 or 3 cameras:

 

At this point, you should be looking at 2-3 cameras that are within $50-100 of each other, and are (hopefully) still in your budget. You might have had to expand your budget if your eyes are bigger than your wallet. You might start really searching the sales. Before you pull the trigger, you really should try them out --if the camera costs about $300-500 or more.

It all depends on what you consider to be a “lot” of money for a camera. But if the expenditure is a “lot” in your world, then I recommend going hands-on.

Find a place near you that has that model in stock and will let you try it out. Try out the menus, the zoom, maybe test out the controls and take a few shots. 

You might find you like one more than the other. Sometimes, the less expensive camera feels better in your hands that the more expensive one.

My rule of thumb is that if the purchase is going to “hurt”, test drive, test drive, research and research, then test drive again. Then hunt sales. 

6. Shop away and go play with your new toy

Have fun storming the castle! Shop away, get the camera, then start shooting pictures!!!

7. Be prepared to learn your new camera.

This is the subject of another discussion, for another day. Stop by later, and I will talk about what to do now that you got your new camera, and how to get better with it.