A Beginners Guide To Purchasing Your First Camera
The Journey Begins
Cameras and cars are very similar. They can be a simple tool to accomplish a task, enjoyed for their luxury, ingenuity and speed or used as a form of self expression.
I don’t give hard rules very often but when it comes to a camera, you must shoot with what makes you happy.
There are many good brands to choose from and though it sounds superficial, I would recommend choosing a camera that you enjoy looking at and feels good in your hands. A camera you connect with. If you are going to shoot sports or wildlife you will need to be a bit more particular but otherwise you have a lot of options. To know what you are going to drive, you need to know where you are going.
Finish the Sentence Below
I want to photograph…
The Paths Diverge
Path 1 - For those of you who want a quick recommendation click here to jump to recommendations.
Path 2- For those of you who like the technical details or just want to dive deeper and know the why. Keep Reading.
Lets Rest Our Eyes Before Diving Semi-Deep
Living in Oregon was my Ultramarathon season of life. Sunrise runs on the beach almost everyday on 30 miles of uninhabited coastline. I aways kept my Ricoh GRiii in my running pack.
My first Camera was a Pentax K20D from 2008. It was about $700 and came a with a lens. It was weather resistant, built like a tank and felt good in my hands. We connected. I have owned Fujifilm, Pentax, Ricoh, Canon, Sony, Contax, and Mamiya cameras and have loved all of them in a unique ways. I tried a Nikon in a store once, but it just was not for me, we did not connect, though they make first rate cameras. Don’t be too focused on brands but do know, once you start buying lenses for your camera, it becomes expensive to switch brands.
Brands
Image taken in 2009 with my trusty Pentax K20D and 18-55mm kit lens
There are two main types of digital cameras to consider when buying
1. DSLR or Digital Single Lens Reflex.
These cameras have a mirror in front of the camera sensor that allows you to look through a view finder and see in front of your camera.
Pros- You don’t have to rely on a screen inside your viewfinder, you see the world as it is.
Cons- Typically larger camera
2. Mirroless Camera
These cameras do not have a mirror and the viewfinders are a digital screen.
Pros- Smaller Body. The viewfinder shows exactly how the image will look when captured
Cons- The sensor needs to be cleaned regularly
Within those two categories there are two subcategories.
1. Fixed Lens Cameras
These are typically more for street photography, they are compact and the camera lens is fixed to the camera which means you can never buy a new lens to get a new perspective from the camera
2. Interchangeable Lens Cameras
These cameras have lenses you can buy. Example, wide angle, telephoto, zoom ect…
Types of Cameras
Focal Length- “The focal length of an optical system is a measure of how strongly the system converges or diverges light; it is the inverse of the system's optical power.”
For now, lets just say it’s our field of view.
Think of looking through binoculars vs not looking through binoculars. The most normal focal length to us is about 43mm or a standard 50mm lens. A 300mm lens would be like looking through binoculars and an 18mm lens would be a very wide field of vision.
There are two main types of lenses
Zoom Lenses- These cover a large focal length range. A typical “kit lens” or cheeper lens you would get bundled with a prosumer camera might be a 18-55mm for a cropped sensor or 24-70mm for a full frame sensor. Yup, it gets more complicated. The size of the sensor effects the focal length and when buying a camera you need to make sure you don’t buy a cropped sensor lens (APS-C) if you are buying a full frame camera. These cheeper “kit lenses” typically are not great for low light situation or portraits but they can take some amazing landscape images.
Prime Lenses- These cover one focal length. Example a 50mm 1.4 lens or a 100mm 2.8 lens. Wait, what are these extra number? That would be the F-stop or aperture. This effects the depth of field, how much of the image is in focus controls how much light is allowed into the camera. A smaller number like f1.4 lets a lot light into the camera but also makes the depth of field more shallow. A larger number like f22 lets less light in the camera but has a greater depth of field.
Lenses
Recommendations
The only way to get better at photography is to shoot as much as possible. This means carrying a camera with you. If the camera is not comfortable to transport, you will shoot less. Sometimes this can be a lifestyle change. I have a messenger sling bag I carry with me everywhere. It can fit a small or a larger camera but not a lot a gear
Almost all the newer cameras are mirrorless and thus all the suggestions below will be for mirrorless cameras.
Portrait Photographer
Camera- Any brand camera with interchangeable lenses
Lenses- Any of the following
- 5omm 1.4 or 1.8 Lens
- 85mm 1.8
- 70-200mm 2.8
For weddings I typically shot with a 35mm F2 for wider shots and a 85 1.8mm for portraits. These were both on the less expensive end but also 1/2 the weight. The more weddings I shot, the lighter my kit became
Landscape Photography
Camera- Any brand with interchangeable lenses but you could pick a fixed lens camera that has has a wide field of view.
Lenses- Any of the following
Cropped Sensor 18-55mm F3.5-5.6
Full Frame 20-70mm F4
Copped Sensor 18mm Lens
Full Frame 24mm Lens
For a little more reach:
70-200mm F4
Street Photography
Camera- Fujifilm makes some small body interchangeable lens cameras, as does Lieca. They also make some fixed lens cameras that have a very unique feel.
Lens- whatever focal length fits your style
Super Compact Fix Lens Travel Camera
Ricoh GRIII series
Fujifilm X100 series
Almost any Leica