Christmas is such a great time of year to buy a camera. It is a gift that will be used for many years to come. That is why I have written this article What is the Best Camera to Buy and updated it for Christmas 2019.
I frequently get asked from my friends and Photography Students “what is the best camera to buy”? I think the actual question is, “what is the best camera for me and my style of photography”?
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The answer to that question is always really quite simple, the best camera for you is the one that you will always have with you, and you know how to use it to get the results you need. See simple, right?
But that answer never seems to be satisfying to the people that are asking the question. There is a deeper darker question lurking in their mind. So let’s delve into the details just a little bit more and see what we can discover.
THE STATE OF THE CAMERA INDUSTRY
The camera industry loves to pump out new cameras and they advertise all kinds of messages telling you that you need this or that or whatever. But again, the reality is you can take amazing pictures with some very simple cameras.
Let’s take a quick look at the four main styles of cameras that are very popular right now and maybe that will be helpful in this discussion.
PHONE CAMERAS
The technology for phone cameras is moving so fast that it’s impossible to keep up.
I know some pros that have taken one whole year to shoot all of their photography with their iPhone only. Yes, this might be a little bit of a gimmick but some of the work that was produced was absolutely mind-boggling.
Check out the graph on Flickr.com showing Apple iPhone Dominance!
Check out this video and it will blow your mind, and of course, it gave me a huge case of camera phone lust.
The point of all this would be that this type of camera is a camera you would have with you all the time. It can certainly be a very powerful tool in your arsenal.
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POINT AND SHOOT CAMERAS
Point and shoot cameras are losing a little bit in the industry because of the massive technology changes in the phone camera realm. What that means to you is great deals as the prices plummet. What this type of camera gives you is more possibilities to control your final image than most phone cameras.
Today, most point and shoot cameras have almost all of the same settings that the more professional cameras have giving you maximum control on the art you may want to create.
There are drawbacks to this type of camera in that they do not shoot indoor sports well for example. So have you to keep in mind the type of photography that you are interested in doing.
Some examples of very popular point and shoot cameras include but are not limited to:
Sony DSC-RX100
Sony DSC-RX100M3
Canon PowerShot SX50 HS
Panasonic DMC-FZ200
Nikon Coolpix P900
One thing to remember, one of my most popular images of all time was captured on a point and shoot camera. I know odd.
Again this would be an example of a camera that’s with you all the time.
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DIGITAL DSLR CAMERAS
If you are looking to become a high-end photographer or a pro this is often the type of camera that you will consider.
Now in this level of photography people are often times telling you that you should get a Nikon or Canon. I fall into the camp of, “the brand does not matter at all”. The cameras of most manufacturers are of such amazing quality that they can all basically do what the other can do.
In general Nikon’s seem to be set up for landscape photography and Canons seem to be set up a little bit more for portrait photography. But all of the settings can be changed.
Looks for the Availability of High Quality Used Lenses
What I recommend that you look for is the availability of high quality used less expensive lenses. Because in this world, in my opinion, the camera body does not matter all that much. It’s really the lenses that we care about. and you will use up the camera body’s way before the lenses are used up.
So consider the type of photography that you want to do, then consider the lenses that you will need, then finally buy a camera body that will hold those lenses.
But the vast majority of people don’t know what they need so my recommendation is actually to get a cheap body, start shooting to find your style of photography you want to pursue. While you are doing this, borrow, rent, or buy some lenses and try them out. You can always sell your lenses and try different ones.
There is not way to make a mistake in this world. It all all about trial and error learning. So have fun doing it.
Some of the Currently Popular DSLRs include:
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INTERCHANGEABLE LENS CAMERAS ILC OR MIRRORLESS CAMERAS
In my opinion, the most exciting part of the industry right now is the part that is focusing on the small interchangeable lens cameras also know as mirrorless.
Sony Alpha a7 III
After lugging around huge equipment into the mountains while hiking, you will quickly find out how heavy the big DSLR camera and equipment are. So if I were looking to be a pro and was looking for an exceptional camera and small and lightweight this is exactly where I would be looking.
Sony seems to be the industry leader and cranking out new exceptional technology in this realm. But this part of the market is the same as the DSLR market in that what you really care about is the lenses. Several of these Sony cameras have the ability to use it with Canon with an adapter. (That is actually what I am doing). This gives you access to many incredible lenses. And at the same time, Sony is creating many more lenses for this camera.
Some Currently Popular Mirrorless Cameras
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Flickr Chart of Camera Usage
Flickr.com has a great chart called Camera Finder. It shows the statistics for pictures uploaded to the site. It is funny to see how the iPhone has such a huge presence.
See chart here here https://www.flickr.com/
HOW ABOUT YOU?
So after looking at these possibilities, the next part of the question is really what type of photography do you plan on shooting?
If you’re not exactly sure I would recommend you just get started as cheaply as possible so you can learn what you really like. To me this means get a used camera and used lenses unless there’s some incredibly great deal from the manufacturers or some local camera seller.
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CONCLUSION
So the real answer I believe is get started, get out shooting, try new options. photography is all about trial and error and experimentation. It is a creative venture. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes because you can’t make any. All you can do is learn by experience.
I hope you found this post useful. If you did please share with your friends and on your social media networks. Also please post more of your great questions. Also let us know the experiences you’re having as you’re moving forward with your photography.
Until next time, get out and capture the adventure.
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What is the Best Camera to Buy Christmas 2019
Written by Wayne Moran - Visit Website[email protected]
