In How to Buy the Right Camera Part One talked briefly about buying the right camera, and listed a few tips on how to do this. In this article (part 2) I am going to talk about considering where and when is this camera going to be used, along with what does the new camera need to be able to do?
Thinking about what you want your new camera to do is integrally related to where and when you will primarily use it. For me I love landscape photography as well as shooting portraiture of people, and I generally will also do some wildlife shooting as well.
Where and When will I Primarily Use my Camera?
So the answer here of where and when will I use it is simple in my case (for most people it will be simple, don’t worry). I will shoot with mine outside quite a bit. I will be moving around a lot as well chasing wild animals, and looking for great landscape shots. I will also do a lot of hand held shooting of people in all kinds of places in addition to inside a studio. So basically I will likely use my camera anywhere, and will carry it a long ways often on my back (last year I backpacked and hiked with my camera a little more than 110 miles).
I also will be using my camera at all times, day and night. This for me means it would be nice if it had a way to easily change settings in the dark (side note, this is always hard and no camera is perfect for using in total darkness, I always have a flashlight for these situations). I will also use my camera in temperature and weather extremes. Mine was subjected to temperatures ranging from -15 degrees Fahrenheit up to 117 degrees Fahrenheit last year in addition to snow, wind, rain, hail, and sand storms.
First of all I need my camera to stand up to the where and when as I listed out previously. Obviously weather sealing would be great, but honestly this isn’t a requirement. I took my iTouch with me to all those places and used it many times to figure out depth of fields for lenses at certain settings and so on all with no problem with weather interfering with its function. I have a point and shoot that I drug everywhere with me for years to all kinds of places and dropped in it water, sand, and on rocks (thanks to a 4 year old) in addition to all the weather I talked about above and it still works.
So most cameras if kept dry (if they get wet you have to let them dry out completely before using again, but they often will work fine) will continue to function fine in almost any condition without weather sealing. The professional cameras that have weather sealing are designed to last the elements like I described above everyday for years. They are meant to be given horrible abuse by people that have to get pictures in those kinds of places. They are a little bit more resistant to these kinds of weather and conditions, but the non professional cameras will often do really well if you take care of them and avoid any major accidents, like dunking in water and falls of more than a few feet unprotected. On a side note, my brother had an old Canon Elan 2 that he dropped 3 separate times resulting in bouncing falls each time of more than 40 feet while rock climbing and only lost a UV filter and a lens…
That basically covers for me where and when I will be using my camera. Before you jump to conclusions, remember most of what I have said can still be managed with about any camera available. The only real filter so far will be the fact that I don’t want to carry 30 or 40 pounds of camera gear while backpacking. I will still gladly carry 15 or 20, I am still young and have some back left to ruin. So for me, I have basically limited what I would consider by size and weight, nothing outrageously huge please. I probably won’t be jumping to carry a large 8×10 camera into the field anytime soon. We can focus on what we need the camera to actually do.
What do I want and need my camera to do?
I like to manually control settings while doing landscape work. In many situations automatic settings will not be able to figure out lighting and put the focus on small details you may want to highlight. So being able to independently control the shutter speed and aperture can be important.
I also need a camera that can make exposures longer than 1 second, because I often shoot pictures with exposures of one second or longer when shooting landscapes. This may not be a need you have at all. This will allow you to do a lot of interesting things like star trails, flowing water, and having lots of depth of field when there is little light (usually at sunrise or sunset). Don’t worry if you want to do this and think you will just have to get an expensive professional camera. Many point and shoots can shoot longer than one second.
Shooting pictures with a frame rate faster than 1 picture a second is also important for my use. I shoot my kids and wildlife, both of which move very fast. I need a camera that can take more than 2 pictures a second, and can focus quickly as well. I don’t need one that can shoot 10 or 12 frames a second, but I need one that can do at least 3 or 4. Along with how many frames it can shoot a second, I need one that can take a picture without delay, meaning when I press the shutter button not a few seconds later. Some point and shoots take so long to take the picture after you press the button that the subject frequently has looked away or moved completely out of the frame.
So basically up to this point I need a camera that lets me manually control settings, and can shoot exposures longer than one second.
Now you will need to start thinking about the final output of your pictures. Do you want to deal with processing film? Do you want to deal with processing digital files? Each process has its costs and benefits. Shortly here,
- Film lets you shoot, drop off the film, and get back the developed slides or negatives and have prints made. Film also offers the flexibility of scanning film into digital so you can reap benefits available there. The act of shooting pictures is costly as each picture costs about the same to take regardless of its quality because of the costs of film, and processing. In some cases larger formats of film may be able to yield higher quality results than digital cameras, but at a cost.
- Digital lets you see instantly what you have just captured and shoot again if you didn’t get it right. This helps increase your success rate on the ground and can increase learning potential because of instant feedback you can get from shooting lots with little cost for each additional shot. Digital cameras face a shorter life cycle because you shoot with them more and they have a higher likelihood that they will wear out faster. Digital cameras are also more frequently replaced because new ones come out regularly, often every 9 months to 2 years. Staying up with the latest can be expensive. So you can shoot often, and only keep your best for less cost than shooting film, especially over time. Remember there are costs of having a computer to process the pictures, printing pictures (this is a cost for both film and digital however), and digital storage of image files to consider as well.
For me the choice is easily digital. The benefits outweigh the costs by far in my situation. That however isn’t the point of this article; the main point is that you may be faced with the choice of digital or film. Film is however quickly becoming a thing of the past, if you buy a film camera check before hand that you will have a way to get your film developed and printed at a cost reasonable for you.
What are the pictures for?
What are you taking pictures for? Are they just for family keepsake memories? Are you worried about or do you need a certain quality?
For me some of the pictures I take are of family, and will be for simple keepsakes. This doesn’t need to be a certain quality. I am more concerned with capturing the actual pictures of family. I also shoot a lot of nature, landscape, and portraiture. This work is focusing on the final picture not just on remembering the moment like in a family picture. So I need to be able to produce a very high quality image file for printing large sized prints at high quality (you can print a mural with a camera phone image but it will not be the same quality you get from a large format film, or medium format digital back).
Overall for my needs I need the quality that a larger film or digital SLR camera can produce. But at this point I need a camera that can be taken and carried everywhere while being weight conscience. I also don’t want to deal with the cost of film. I have decided to deal with the cost of digital. So the large format doesn’t work for me because of size and the fact it is film. I know that for some it would fine.
What flexibility do you need in the picture creation process?
I need to be able to change lenses. A fixed lens point and shoot or any one with a fixed lens just won’t be able to meet the needs I have for different shooting situations. I need to be able to shoot extreme wide angle for landscape and shoot extreme telephoto for wildlife including a lot of stuff in between. I need to be able to change lenses. The ability to shoot with different lenses also will increase the final quality of your images because more specific lenses and fixed focal lengths will generally have better image quality. The option to choose which lens you use gives flexibility and the option to go for higher quality. There are however quite a few that don’t offer interchangeable lenses that still have amazing lenses. A lot of people don’t need to change lenses, and can deal with a fixed lens as long as the camera can take high enough quality pictures. This is important to consider. Perhaps a fixed lens camera will be more than adequate (life will be easier without lots of extra lenses and weight to carry around if you don’t need the extra benefits they offer).
What Accessories do I Need Access to?
Consider here what accessories you may need to use in your picture making process. I use a cable release to reduce camera shake when it is mounted on a tripod. Not all cameras have this available. Perhaps using the self timer will be good enough for you. Do you need the pictures to transfer to your computer wirelessly? Fashion and editorial shooters will often use this technique to optimize workflow. However not all cameras have accessories available to transfer pictures wirelessly. Some can do it connected to the computer by a cable, but again not all can. Some cameras have a remote control available (like one for some Canons here). Consider your needed and desired accessories carefully and this may again help to determine the camera you want.
Summary of Needs and Wants
So that is about all for part 2. In summary what do you need your camera to do, and where and when do you need that done? Consider these questions.
- Where will I be using it?
- When will I be using it? Night? Crowded areas?
- What controls do I need?
- Do I need it to be able to shoot certain pictures? Like flowing water?
- What will the pictures be used for?
- What flexibility do I need in the picture making process?
- What accessories do I need and which are available?
I am specifically not talking about brands of cameras because brand doesn’t mean one is better than another. Each brand will likely have different types of cameras competing with other brands cameras of the same type. The main differences will often be the user interface, the accessories available and if it has interchangeable lenses the lenses available for it. There may be a small feature present or lacking from brand to brand. These may make a difference, and may not. You have to decide. I recommend not giving any extra value to a camera you are considering that has unique features unless they are complete game changers for you.
What would you add to this list of important needs and wants when deciding what camera to buy?
This is part 2 of the series How to buy the Right Camera. The first installment can be found here.
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