10 Key Tips to Choose the Camera You Need

In a previous article I was talking about some parameters that had to be configured as soon as you bought a camera . Today I will take a step back and I will comment on a series of tips to take into account when buying a camera.

The majority of students who come to my classes already have a camera. Some have even bought it specially to be able to complete the course. On some occasions, as the classes progress, the student realizes that his camera does not meet his expectations.

This is why, if you are thinking of buying a camera or change to another model, I recommend you read these tips, so that you yourself answer all the questions that I will be explaining, in order to get the one that best meets your needs.

Currently, there are more and more brands that are taking out new models of great quality and a multitude of functionalities, such as Sony (manufactures the sensors that Nikon mounts), Olympus, Fujifilm, etc ...

The brands with more years in the market have a wide range of objectives.

Almost always, the limiting factor when deciding one model or another is the budget. Normally we only contemplate the option of acquiring a new camera, when in fact, there is a very broad second-hand market that can allow us to access higher models. In this case, it must be recognized that the brands with the highest market share are Canon and Nikon.

What types of cameras are there in the market?

The compact cameras are the smallest, have a built-in non-interchangeable lens and are the ones with the lowest quality .

They do not usually have options for manual exposure control , so we can simply use them automatically. It is the typical camera that we can take anywhere, although with the rise of mobiles and their increasingly better cameras, it seems that they have less and less sense.

The philosophy of the reflex camera is the same, they have the same design and the size is due to both the mirror and the pentaprism that inverts the image so that we can see it through the viewfinder.

The philosophy of the reflex camera is the same, they have the same design and the size is due to both the mirror and the pentaprism that inverts the image so that we can see it through the viewfinder.

Known all over the world, they give very good quality due to the sensors they incorporate.

They allow to exchange different objectives, we can shoot in RAW format , and they have more and more functionalities.

One of its strengths is the ergonomics, since they adapt to the hands, and the buttons are strategically placed in the most appropriate position. There are also a large number of accessories and range of objectives.

Its size can be a problem for someone who is not used to carrying the camera with them.

SLR system, gets its name thanks to the mirror that reflects the light.

From € 300 or € 350 we can get basic SLR cameras . If we want more quality we will go from € 800 upwards.

They are the last type of camera that has come on the market, and they are a mixture of compact and reflex cameras , since their size is reduced by not wearing a mirror or pentaprism, but it allows exchanging lenses.

The image quality is very good , compared to the large models of SLR cameras. At first, there were several reasons why many photographers did not take the step, although little by little new models are solving them.

10 Key Tips to Choose the Camera You Need

The issue of ergonomics is something that some do not convince , first because being so small do not have the feeling of good grip. Also, because to modify some parameter you have to access menus due to the lack of buttons, which slows down the trigger.

They have a digital viewfinder instead of an optical viewfinder , which, perhaps, is hard to get used to. Although in favor it has that we can see multitude of options directly in the screen of the visor.

Being 100% electronic consume more battery . In addition, the batteries are smaller, so they last less.

Some models are sensitive to low temperatures , which is another aspect to consider.

On the other hand, they also have many advantages, such as the small size , which allows to go unnoticed and take them almost anywhere. The objectives are in accordance with the bodies, occupying little space, although the range is still a bit reduced in some brands.

Brands such as Fujifilm or Sony have more and more objectives for their cameras.

In addition, the objectives that sell these brands are of quality , unlike the objectives that tend to go in the SLRs kit.

Weight is another aspect to keep in mind , especially if your thing is to walk with the team on your back.

Regarding prices, you can find models from € 400, however, if we want the models that offer more quality we go from € 1,200 upwards.

The Photographs You Do, Not the Camera

When the budget is not a problem, there is an urgent need to buy the "best" of the market, thinking that in this way, our photographs will be better. This is the first error, since the one who takes the photographs is you. The camera is only a means, a tool that makes life easier for us in certain situations, which helps us to shape what we have in our heads.

I always recommend buying a camera that has some basic features to make the photographs we want to make, and later, if we are bitten by the worm of photography and want more quality or new features, sell it and buy another camera.

What type of photography do you like?

I know that you have heard this many times, but it is the most important of all, since depending on the type of photography we do, we will need the camera to have specific functionalities.

Below we see some aspects to consider.

Quality Before Everything. The sensor

We must look at the size of the sensor and the results of your photographs if what we are looking for is quality.

We must look at the size of the sensor and the results of your photographs if what we are looking for is quality.

When we talk about quality in photography, we are not talking about the number of megapixels a photograph has. The megapixels only indicate the size that this photograph will have, that is, width by height.

For example, if we have a sensor that produces photographs with a side greater than 5760 pixels, and a side smaller than 3840 pixels, the resolution of the camera will be approximately 22.1MB, as is the case with the Canon 5D Mark 3.

Megapixels determine the size at which we can print a photograph without losing quality. The quality is related to the sensor and its technology. Currently the most widespread are the CCD and CMOS sensors (they give better quality). Without going into too many technical concepts, I will say that, in theory, the sensor that has a larger size will have more quality (Full Frame will be better than APS-C).

Related to the size of the sensor is the multiplication factor, which will affect the focal length of the targets. Remember that a 35mm lens on a Full Frame sensor is equivalent to 35mm, but on a sensor with factor 1.6x it is equivalent to 56mm.

When we talk about quality we must also think about the objectives. If we buy a camera we must think that we are linked to the brand one way or another, especially when it comes to acquiring new objectives , so it is interesting to see if they have variety, quality objectives, and that we can afford to buy .

Go Unnoticed Can Make a Difference

The difference in size is obvious.

For many photographers, the size is very important, since it helps to go unnoticed, it allows to transport the camera in any place, and in addition it supposes to take less weight, something that for me is fundamental.

Smaller bodies also involve smaller targets.

Both for the size and for the reduced weight, more and more photojournalists, travel photographers, and even some nature photographer are opting for CSC cameras.

If Yours is Night Photography, the ISO Manda

When I started doing night photography, I realized that my camera had a limiting ISO of 800. From there, the noise was too obvious, even after a good processing. Therefore, if I wanted to be able to photograph the Milky Way, or stars as points, my new camera had to perform well at high ISO's.

Do not confuse with the maximum ISO that allows you to configure a camera, which are useless values, and are useless, since photographs will be so noisy that we will have to erase them.

The Burst for Action Photography

The number of focus points is increasing, making it easier to focus on moving subjects

Sometimes, when I was covering a tennis match, I realized most of the photographs would have been lost if the camera burst had been slower. And for the same reason, if it had been even faster I would have caught fleeting moments.

It is when you realize the importance of the number of photographs a camera can shoot per second.

Another important aspect for this type of photography are the points of focus, the more the better, since we can place the focal point closest to our subject without having to reframe.

The type of focus is important, as it must have a continuous mode ( Servo , AF-C) to be able to track while the camera maintains focus. There are even cameras that can select focus points by groups, to facilitate tracking.

It is also important to know the maximum shutter speed , which can be in 1/2000, 1/4000 or 1/8000, depending on the model. The faster you are, the more likely you are to freeze a moving subject.

Pay for what you need

By this I mean that sometimes we want our camera to have one or several specific functionalities, so we have to focus on finding models that meet these requirements , instead of looking for the camera that has more features, without even knowing why. They serve, and if we will ever use them.

Among the multiple functionalities or aspects that can make us opt for one camera or another are:

Video recording

Live View

Folding screen

Multiple exposure

HDR

Connectivity via WIFI or Bluetooth

Ergonomics

Built-in flash

GPS

And you? What aspects or functionalities of a camera are essential for you when buying a camera?