All too often, I have regretted not taking any before, during and after shots of my details because I always balk at buying a camera and find myself without a camera in-hand. I am asking any AG member, who knows their photography stuff, to recommend to a newbie what sort of camera to use, without breaking the bank, to help take pictures to post before and after shots.
Often, I have browsed the aisle at a local store and ultimately felt I was in over my head, and felt I would over-buy if I went into a camera shop.
I assume, some would love to help guide this topic in the proper direction, whereas others, will say I am making this harder than it needs to be. While I appreciate phone-camera shots, I feel we can do better, so why not give a chance to be educated properly on this subject.
Thank you in advance for your time and input.
Types of cameras
- Point and shoot
- SLR type/ High zoom
- Digital SLRs
- Phone Cameras
I’ll try to point of Pros and Cons of each category. I will not go into technical terms atm. It will only make things more complicated.
Pro of Point and Shoot Cameras
- Cheap
- Easy of use, just point and shoot the subject.
- Shoots in compressed format. Example: JPEG
Cons
- Quality of photos is limited.
- Do not offer much control over photographs. (For average guy, this con doesn’t matter)
- Lower performance in low light conditions (photography without flash).
- Limited zoom
- In comparison to phone camera, this is an extra luggage.
SLR type/ High Zoom.
1. High Zoom increases capabilities of the camera. This one feature even puts expensive DSLRs to shame.
2. Offers more control of photographs in comparison to Point and Shoot.
Cons
1. It is point and shoot, with extra zoom. Suffers from same cons of point and shoot.
2. They are bulky
3. Lot of battery life is wasted, when zoom comes out and goes back it.
4. Expensive than simple point and shoot
DSLR or Digital Single Lens Reflex
Pros
1. Offers more control over photographs. With this I mean, lets say you want to take photographs of stars. Point and shoot and High Zoom, their shutter can only remain open for 30 seconds. Where as DSLRs can open shutter for as long as their battery can hold on
2. Offers far better low light performance
3. High Quality photos.
4. Usually comes with better build quality (Canon 7D Mark II comes with weather seal and alloy body, this makes it pretty much a tank).
5. Processor are faster. So offers faster performance.
Cons of DSLRs
1. Expensive. Lower end or Entry level DSLRs cost slightly more than high zoom cameras.
2. Depend on lens. Good quality lens cost more than a camera.
3. Sometimes require special Memory cards. It keeps adding to cost.
4. Bulky and heavy. Body only weight can weight 800-900 grams.
5. Some DSLRs don’t come with flash.
6. Zoom is limited on lens used. High zoom lenses are expensive.
7. Require understanding of camera features.
Phone Cameras
Pros
- Easy of use. Just take out, point and shoot.
- Phone and camera are same. No extra luggage
- Photos can be stored into phone’s memory or on a memory stick.
- As new technology comes around, quality is getting better and better each passing day. These cameras are giving serious competition to point and shoot.
- Phone’s cost includes camera cost. No added cost.
Cons
- You cannot expect too much from a phone camera. It is a phone, camera is a secondary feature
- Limited photography features.
- Some cameras do not come with come with flash.
Conclusion: There is no camera that fit all requirements. Very first thing, you need to decide, what you want to shoot with it. Social photography, travel, wildlife, low light, day light or landscape? Try to find camera that meet your requirement. See which memory cards they use, make sure they are easily available. Like Sony use, their own cards and they cannot be use anywhere else. Something like SD cards can be used in various other devices. Once you have decided which camera to buy, go to sites like Amazon.com and dpreview.com and read reviews. User reviews help take inform decision. Website like Dpreview.com, have list of all the cameras in the market. Extensive reviews of each camera, test shots and user comments is available on the site.
Feel free to ask more questions or if you have doubts. I'll be more than happy to help.
