How to: choose the right camera that suits your needs.

Choosing the best for your buck can get quite hard when it comes to camera equipment. There are many different sorts of cameras out there, and for the hobbyist, it can get confusing. In this blog, you can read everything you should know about the different types of cameras and their characteristics.

When I started photography a few years ago, I had to make the same choice as you at the moment. You are photography passionate and want to improve your photography skills, but unfortunately, you don’t know where to start. Well, every experienced photographer has been there.

Types of cameras

Firstly, the camera market can be divided into 3 main parts. Compact camera’s, system cameras (mirrorless cameras) and DSLR cameras. There are also micro four-thirds but these models decrease in popularity last year.

Compact cameras are in most cases just point and shoot cameras. the modern models can make decent pictures without making any adjustments in the settings. They are great for some family pictures during the holidays. For the more enthusiastic photographer, there are system- and DSLR cameras.

Characteristics

A DSLR camera has a mirror and mechanically captures the picture. the mirror lifts to capture the light. Nowadays, system cameras have a huge grown when it comes to popularity. That’s the cause of a few reasons. System cameras have no shutter so they make less noise and are less noticable. to continue, they have in general better autofocus, are easier to take with you and can record high-quality video (4k). They are usually faster than mechanical cameras which makes them perfectly usable for sports photography or bird spotting. Conversely, DSLR cameras have better battery life and are bulkier than system cameras. That could be an advantage too. Because of the larger body, it’s easier to keep stability while taking photos or shooting videos. They are in general less expensive than a system camera and last longer.

Sensor size

Another thing you have to keep in mind is the sensor size. We have aps-c sensors and full-frame sensors. As a starter, an aps-c will suit all your needs. When it comes to picture quality, there is not a real difference. Just when you want to photograph in low-light

situations, things become more difficult. When there’s not enough light to expose the picture right, you will be forced to bump up the iso. Iso is a setting in your camera that allows you to heighten the exposure using the software. Be careful at this, when you are too excited, a lot of noise will appear in your picture.

Back to my story about sensors. Now, you know more or less what iso is. The higher the iso the higher the noise, but that’s not what we want. We want a clean picture. That’s why people who often do event photography use full-frame cameras. the sensor is bigger which allows the camera to let in more light on its own. That’s why you can lower the iso, so you won’t see as much noise as you do with the aps-c models.

Focal length

On the other hand, when you would love to take pictures of animals, or when you’re planning to go on safari, I recommend an APS-C camera. Because APS-C-sensors are cropped by 1.5 or 1.6 compared to full-frame. This means that when you have a 50 mm lens on a full-frame, it will not give the same result when attached to an aps-c because you have to multiply it by 1.5 or 1.6. You can compare a 50mm lens on APS-C with an 80 mm lens on a full-frame. That’s why you should use an APS-C-camera for wildlife photography. You get the extra focal length for free, as it were.

Recommendations

I am going to end today's blog post with a piece of good advice. If you are an absolute beginner, and you never heard of iso, shutter speed, and aperture before, I would recommend you getting a beginners DSLR camera to get familiar with the terms and settings. Once you know the different terms, I would upgrade to a (semi)-professional camera if I were you. The most important thing to step up your photography game is not the body but the lenses. The sharpness depends on what lens is attached. same for the autofocus speed, lens flares or Chromatic Aberrations (CA, also known as Purple fringing). So, investing in 1 good body with the aim for much longer use is the best choice you can make. when it comes to model, you must weigh carefully the advantages of both devices to make your choice.