[wzslider height=”800″ info=”true” lightbox=”true”]The best camera to use is the one you have with you! That’s an old expression but very true. If you’re serious about recording the world around you then never go anywhere without a camera. If you happen to forget your camera then use your phone camera if you have to.
There are many, many types of camera’s available today. This post is not intended to go there. It’s simply a generalization, intended for the newer or potential photographer to evaluate the “common” camera’s used.
When I left professional photography about (7) years ago I was so burnt out I coudn’t even look at a camera. For at least two years I didn’t take a photograph or carry a camera. When it no longer becomes fun you certainly don’t won’t to work for hire. So I moved on.
Well after two years or so I felt I should have a decent point in shoot with me because my cell phone wasn’t delivering the kind of images I wanted when I occasionally took a photograph for work reasons. The Fuji Finepix F100fd point and shoot became my new “carry around” camera. Unlike my expensive professional camera’s that I no longer owned I wasn’t freaked out by leaving it in the car most of the time. The exception being very hot or very cold weather. The heat could melt plastic such as the media card and the cold wears your battery down too quickly.
As time went by I would take a photo here and there and the long and short of it was I fell back in love with photography. It’s this Fuji camera that got me there. The camera is literally bullet proof thanks to a nice metal housing and has sustained a couple of accidental drops onto pavement without incident. I have taken literally thousands of photo’s with this little camera and always have it with me to this day.
However if you’re considering this as your camera of choice make sure you can live with the limitations. The biggest limitations for me are: 1) No shoe mount so no external flash, 2) No true manual mode.
Yes many small point and shoots say they have a manual mode but you are limited to ISO speed, white balance, flash on/off etc. However, the real meat and potatoes, the shutter speed and aperature, are not set by you the photographer. The more you advance into photography the more this will irritate you. There are many more limitations but, hey, a point shoot isn’t intended to replace a full scale camera. It’s intended to produce hi-resolution, good quality images, at all times. Meaning because of it’s portabilty it’s always on the ready. Now even if yuo buy a more upscale camera you should keep you point and shoot with you always. Let’s face it are you going to drag your SLR around back and forth to work? Probably not, but you can have your p&s in your pocket.
Compact Camera’s – Offering more feature and increased control would be the category of compact cameras. These still have fixed lenses. You can purchase a 1.8 lens with a zoom of 24 – 585 or anywheres in between. That basically means with a 1.8 you can let a whole lot of light into your lens particularly inside or in the evening. It also means you can zoom from wide to incrediable tele photo.The Canon P310 shown to the right does come with manual controls. This will help the beginner learn the fundamentals of photography while giving the advanced shooter tools he needs. This particular compact also offers an excellent close up mode.Some compacts are nearly as portable as the point and shoot discussed. Others sub compacts would be too bulky to be placed in a pants pocket but still would store well in a purse or briefcase.
I’m not suggesting you can’t begin with a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera because you can. You can go out and start with a camera that has all the bell’s and whistle’s. It’s just that they can be an expensive way to learn. If you change lenses you have an additional cost. A Canon 5d with a basic lens could cost you $3000.00. However, you can get a very nice Canon digital rebel with a basic lens for under $1,000.00 (at time of writing). They can be a lot heavier and more cumbersome with less portability. If you’re looking to have some stealth it doesn’t work so well with a DSLR. Pentax and Canon offer good intro level DSLR that won’t break the bank.
Mirrorless Cameras: Because I’m getting older and no longer enjoy lugging around a heavier DSLR and lens around my neck the choice for me today is the Sony Nex-7. Because it does not have a mirror it’s design is small and sleek while still affording me the ability to change lenses. With the standard 18-55mm kit lens the entire camera it’s as light as a feather. You don’t even know it’s hanging from your neck. If I’m waking through the city streets and want to take a photo unobtrusively I simply put it at waist level, turn the LCD view finder 90 degrees and line up the shot. Believe me this camera has excellent portability and is feature packed. Back when I was in the business I wanted the biggest, baddest looking camera’s I could find. I wanted to stand out from the general public. When I showed up at a wedding I wanted my customers to know that not only did they pay for talent but they paid for quality equipment. Well those days are long behind me. I can get reasonable quality out of my Sony Nex-7 and take it with me every where. No more neck or back aches! Do I look like the big bad photographer – no way! However, guess what, I don’t want to. I want to blend in, not not be noticed, and capture wonderful images.
I learned photography on a 35mm Pentax K1000 SLR. Shown to your left is a similar Pentax 35mm film camera. It was awesome, everything was manual including the focus on my lens. After a couple of years my wife bought me a Nikon 35mm with auto focus. I was in heaven! From there I jumped up to the Nikon N90s which could do everything you’d ever want in a camera and I used it professionally for years. So maybe you want to revisit the film days and put your digital camera aside once in a while. Or maybe you have a 35mm around the house that’s collecting dust and you are itching to start shooting. Either way it’s a load of fun and it does have a lot more latitude than digital. I believe film provides (4) stops of over exposure and (2) stops of underexposure. I was the last one to begrudgingly hang up my medium and small format film camera’s. Now, several years later I’ve been sold on digital. I simply love the immediacy of seeing and downloading your photo immediately. I also no longer want to pay for film developing. That’s just me though. In time maybe I’ll shoot a few rolls just for nostalgic sake. Well there you have it. Some basic ways to go. I’ve only scratched the surface on camera features. Even the most affordable point and shoots are chock full of features including video. Before you buy a camera I strongly suggest you research it at: www.dpreview.com. They are unbeatable for their in depth evaluations, sample images and user forums. The important thing is to start shooting. If you want to get good then absorb all the knowledge you and shoot a lot of frames all throughout the week. Good luck to you!
Please note: The photographs in this blog entry were taken from the manufacturers website.
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