Intuitively, we know that buying a camera should be easy... or, at the very least, fun. Once upon a time, it used to be - just stroll down to the store and pick up your Brownie. (Ok, that was more than a few years ago... lol)
But, today, for better AND for worse, we have a lot more choices and stuff to sort through no matter what we buy. Heck, we can't even buy a bottle of salad dressing without being confronted by aisles of possibilities. It's overwhelming. And so, buying a camera can be a little bit overwhelming and more than a little intimidating.
Buying a new camera can be fun, though, once you understand the options available. There are so many possibilities out there - for both the novice (who just want to close their eyes and shoot something) to the control freak (who wants to know just exactly how every milliampere is being spent). Color, Speed, Flash, Sharpness, Filters - you can control all of them ... or none at all. What do you want to do?
Let's get one things straight before we get any further. I am not here to talk you into a top of the line, professional grade $10K camera. Even though many believe that you must own an expensive, complex camera if you want to take great pictures, they are mistaken. That is a myth that is perpetuated by camera snobs and people who want to sell more camera gadgets.
In my opinion, there are 2 great truths to buying a new camera:
Truth #1 - You should only upgrade to a new camera a) when your old one is broken or non-functional or b) when what you have no longer does what you need or want it to do. 'Nuff said? P.S. Notice that "having the wants" was not listed. Just having "the wants" one day is generally not a good reason to buy, because once the new smell goes away, you are still stuck with a contraption you have to learn how to use. See Truth #2.
Truth #2 - You should never buy any more camera than you are willing to mess with. It is like choosing between buying a race horse and a pony. You can sink your life's savings into buying a race horse, but unless you are willing to train and practice with it, all you are ever gonna have is a very expensive, useless old nag laying around in your barn. If all you want to do is look at it and take it out for a walk once in awhile, you should just go ahead and get yourself a nice little pony. Less mess, less stress and it will probably "eat" less in the long run. Learning to use all the options on a modern digital camera takes time, trial & error and,most of all, DESIRE. If you don't have the desire, pass on the frills and buy the "pony".
I truly believe that selecting a camera is a personal decision. No one except you can know how the camera feels in your hand, if your fingers can reach all the buttons and if accessing the menu features makes sense. So although people can give you advice about the possibilities, you are the only one who can take a picture with a new camera and know if the camera is too big, too small or feels "just right". lol
So here is a list of things that I would suggest considering if and when you are ready to upgrade to a new camera.
1) What are you going to use it for - fun, profit, printing, vacation? What you want to use it for will ultimately dictate the functions that you will need/want on the camera
2) Do you want to take videos? Some cameras will, some won't.
3) Do you want a viewfinder? The basic point and shoot cameras do not have them anymore.
4) Do you just want to be able to put your camera in Auto and go (point & shoot)? Or do you want to be able to mess around with the settings to fine tune (digital SLR)?
5) How quick and easy is it to navigate the menu to change the settings?
6) How comfortable is the camera in your hand? Can you hold it steady enough to take a picture without shaking? Will you be comfortable carrying it around for hours at a time?
7) Does the camera setting allow you to adjust white balance with Kelvin temperature settings?
8) Does the camera have a bulb setting that will allow you to keep the shutter open for long periods of time? This is handy for taking pictures of fireworks or experimenting with light painting.
9) How many megapixels are the pics? Only worry about this if you are planning to do high end stock photography, large format printing or a lot of cropping, For 4x6's or 8x10's, 8MP are plenty.
10) How many focus points does it have for you to work with? More focus points gives you more control over the specific focus point in your composition without having to recompose.
11) Do you want a full frame or cropped? If you don't know what this is, then it probably won't matter to you. Go with the cropped.
12) Is the camera water resistant? This is nice to have if you like to take pictures in the rain, or near misty waterfalls...
13) Does the camera have the ability to take pictures in black & white? (monochrome filter)
14) Do you want to buy online or local? You will generally spend less online, but local vendors are easier to work with when there is a problem and sometimes local vendors will include extras with your purchase like free cleaning for a year or lessons on how to use the camera.
15) Do you have a friend or resource who will help you learn how to use it?
16) Other features important to you – brand, price, in-camera editing & filters, video, LCD screen size, live view, GPS, wi-fi, etc.
Well, here is where the personal decisions come into play. You might want to make a list to help you sort out your priorities. Make 3 columns: 1) Must Haves, 2) Could be Nice and 3) Don't Need. In the end, you will probably have to sacrifice on one or two things you really want in order to have most of the features you want to have. I gave up more focus points and megapixels for camera body size, price, Kelvin, Bulb, Live View and a large LCD screen. My must-haves were Kelvin, Live View and Bulb and as many megapixels as possible with the price range I had to work with. I landed on the D90 because of amazing reviews and the Live View – as well as the assurance that the megapixels were more than sufficient to make poster size prints.
There is lots of information on the internet about the cameras. Look for reviews and comparisons on the cameras you are considering. There are a lot of people who have evaluated all the cameras you are looking at. Just type your question into Google search and read what they have to say. They make have some valuable insights on future upgrades or inherent design problems that could affect your decision.
Of course, you could just skip all of this and go with your gut. In any case, happy shopping!
Do you have any suggestions or recommendations for others who are considering buying a new camera? Do you have thoughts to share about the article? Add them in the comments below!
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