A question often asked of professional photographers, myself included, is “what camera can you recommend?”
Spoiler alert, I don’t know every model of camera available (there are MANY) and I don’t know what your end use will be, but in the spirit of the YouTube generation I suggest you stick around to the end of this article and I’ll attempt to offer some pointers.
Going Down The Tube
Speaking of Youtube, it’s become apparent that if you watch video content about all the latest cameras and lenses, the gear (to many people) has become more important than photography itself.
How do I know this? Well because in my quest to update my work cameras, I fell down multiple rabbit holes and watched a lot of waffle about the specifications of this camera verses that camera and a lot of “STOP BEFORE YOU EVEN THINK TO BUY THE LATEST *insert camera make and model here*” -style nonsense.
Luckily for me I only needed to check a few models because I’m now a pretty committed user of Panasonic cameras. For anyone starting from scratch, the choice is bewildering.
Finding genuinely useful information isn’t as easy as you would hope it to be. Often the specifications of various models are reeled off at breakneck speed like they’re comparing the abilities of a range of F1 racing cars. Everything comes down to specs and speed, while very little ‘air time’ is given to the real-world performance or picture quality of any given make or model.
Useful info for me is to know how the image quality holds up under a variety of conditions, but if you do find sample photos taken with a specific camera, they’re usually pretty random and uninformative. There will be a flower, a rusty car, a sunset, a neon sign, some graffiti. There’s certainly never a properly-lit, well-composed portrait, for example, so comparing skin tones or fine hair detail is pretty tricky.
Of course I don’t expect a YouTuber to go out and photograph a set of corporate images for a client website just so I can see how the camera performs in the situations I’m normally covering. That would be unrealistic, but it’d be helpful to see more in the way of portraits and interiors. It would help to know how the autofocus performs in sub-optimal conditions (ie a portrait taken against a bright background). The problem is, YouTube photographers are only photographers on YouTube. Very few take pictures for a living and they have to cater for the single largest group, hobby photographers. And hobby photographers are usually more interested in speed and specifications than photography itself.
Achievement Unlocked
Regardless of these niggles, I have come through the ordeal and updated both of my camera bodies. To be honest, I could have eked out a few more years’ use from my existing gear, but it’s not a bad idea to sell it while it has some residual value and the new versions definitely added one or two really useful benefits for the work I do.
The primary benefit has been the upgrade in autofocus performance. My existing cameras weren’t as bad as YouTube reviewers would have you believe, but I always had to be aware of situations in which it might struggle. The new kit is certainly more reliable and accurate in that regard.
Another feature which I’m going to find very useful is rather niche; I can now back up images directly from my cameras onto a portable hard drive. This negates lugging a laptop around if I just want to keep files secure while I’m on the go. If there is one thing I’m a bit paranoid about it’s that camera cards can become corrupt, or physically broken, lost or stolen.
I’ve gone with two versions of the same model; one is high-resolution for when that’s useful (pictures to be used for large displays) and the other is standard resolution and a bit more nimble in terms of moving files around.
“What’s Your Recommendation, Tim?!”
Ok, those aren’t necessarily features you’ll be looking for when choosing a camera, so what should you be looking for? Like anything, that depends on many factors. Mainly that will be budget and usage.
My main advice would be to check out the used market. Secondhand camera prices are incredibly reasonable for what you can get. The same goes for lenses, and I often hunt out used options where possible. As long as a lens has been looked after, there’s no need to shell out for a new one.
Most cameras manufactured in the past 10 or more years will do everything you need and more, so think about size and weight as much as about budget. A camera that is too heavy to cary long distances will end up left at home.
Think Format First
In this regard, think about the camera format – full-frame cameras are larger and heavier than those of a smaller format such as APSC or Micro 4/3rds (sometimes labelled M4/3 or MFT). In fact I have a Panasonic MFT format camera which is great for traveling with and lots of MFT cameras and lenses are available new and used. Look for Panasonic and Olympus for this format.
For general purpose, family snaps or travel, maybe an APSC camera will suit you; Canon and Fuji tend to lead in this field. The cameras will be marginally larger than with MFT format gear, but pixel-level quality will be a small step up too.
If sports action or wildlife are your thing, be prepared to carry a beast of a kit bag around because you’ll need longer telephoto lenses and a camera body that can keep up with the pace. You might also need a camera that has a level of weather-sealing. Canon, Nikon and Sony all have excellent models to choose from, and some of the discontinued professional bodies are incredible bargains now.
Say Hello To Woundwort For Me
The bad news is that having homed in on a lens/camera combo that you think might suit you, you’re bound to end up researching it on YouTube, and only rabbit holes and despair live there. Just don’t forget to click Like and subscribe!