My Best Advice
- I don’t mean to limit your choices, but the top three camera manufacturers are Canon, Nikon and Sony. You won’t go wrong with any model among these brands.
- Determine your needs. There are professional, semi-pro, and consumer grade models. Any grade may be perfect for you, but knowing your needs will keep you from being disappointed or spending more than necessary. Remember that many consumer grade cameras sold today produce images that rival professional cameras sold 10 years ago.
- If you’re a beginner, don’t bite off more than you can chew. Start with a modest purchase and work your way up as you become more familiar with your needs and the technology.
- You’ll read about full-size sensors and cropped sensors. Each have advantages. I use both. Do not eliminate a camera from your consideration just because it has a cropped sensor.
- Megapixels are nearly irrelevant. Stay between 16 and 24 megapixels and you’ll be just fine. Good lighting and focus are far more important. The only thing more important is next …
- The lens that likely came with your camera is called a “kit” lens. It may be just fine for your needs. But if you want to get the most out of all those Megapixels you just paid for, upgrade to a better lens. Warning, you may pay as much or more for the lens than you paid for the camera. I’ll leave it at that because there are so many good ones out there. Do your research.
- Speaking of good lenses, start with one of the following and grow your inventory over time.
a. 85mm f/1.8 (portraits and low light conditions)
b. 70-200mm f/2.8 (everything)
c. 24-70mm f/2.8 (indoors, landscape, and group shots) - In the end, use whatever you can afford and take lots of pictures. My daughter uses an I-Phone and gets spectacular results. If you’re not getting the results you want, it’s most likely your fault. It also may be your equipment is not up to the demands. Take a photography class or search YouTube. If I can help, feel free to send an email using this Contact Link
Yours truly,
Keith
Photography Anecdotes 