What is the best camera to buy? This is one of the first few questions any aspiring photographer would have, especially with so many cameras out there today. My goal in this article is not to say one brand is better than any other, but just to introduce the most prominent criteria that matter when choosing a camera.
Although most of us have a phone that’s perfectly capable of taking good photos, there are certain areas where mobile phones are yet to catch up with modern DSLR or mirrorless cameras. Below are some things you need to think about to determine what camera is best for you.
Table of Contents
The Three Issues of an Expensive Camera
1. Lenses and Other Costs
Over the years, I have come across quite a lot of beginners asking whether it’s worth buying a DSLR, or if they should continue using their phone. I always answer that question with another question: “Are you serious enough about photography that you are ready to buy additional lenses and accessories, which would possibly cost you much more than your first DSLR body?”
A significant part of the cost of a camera is in all the other things you may need to buy. Lenses, a tripod, camera bags, an IPS monitor, post-processing software, monitor calibration equipment, and so on. If the answer to that question is no, then a good mobile phone is what would work as the best option for you. If the answer is yes, then comes the next question.
2. Sharing Images
The second question I ask is: “Are you ready to accept the fact that you cannot upload the pictures immediately to your Facebook or Instagram page?” If the answer is no, you would probably be happiest with a mobile phone rather than a DSLR.
It is true that modern DSLR and mirrorless cameras come packed with options like built in WiFi to make sharing a bit faster. But even so, it doesn’t make much sense to get a DSLR if you have no interest in loading those photos on your computer and editing them the traditional way. Almost all of those stunning pictures you see from professional photographers on social media are seldom straight out of the camera. They are results of extended planning and hours spent post-processing them on a computer.
If that sounds good to you, and you are ready to linger around a single image instead of merely clicking and sharing, it is time to ask yourself the next question.
3. Learning Curve
Photography demands a learning curve, both on the technical and artistic fronts. So, my final question is, “Are you willing to toil hard for months to even sometimes years?”
There is a reason why photographers get annoyed when someone comes out with a comment “Wow! This picture looks amazing. Which camera did you shoot it with?” The technical and artistic work that goes into making a photograph is of exponentially greater importance than the tool that was used to make it. This question is as naïve as asking an artist “Which brush did you use to paint this picture?”
Camera gear does play an important role in getting good pictures. But, the mere purchase of an expensive DSLR or mirrorless camera doesn’t guarantee a great shot. In fact, if it’s not coupled with knowledge on how to use your camera, even a phone may give you better point-and-click shots.
Budget
Now that you have answered a yes to all the questions above, the next step is to fix a budget. Whether you choose to buy a DSLR or a mirrorless, a $500 budget would be the minimum. A $750 budget would be desirable whereas a $1000 budget would be great, particularly if you want a good set of other accessories.
If you buy a consumer crop camera body with a kit lens for $500, you would be upgrading it between 1-2 years, assuming that you make serious progress. A semi-pro/enthusiast level gear that would cost about $750 for the body alone should keep you happy for about 3 years, before an upgrade would seem inevitable. An entry level full frame body for about $1500 should keep you happy for quite a while.
Irrespective of the budget, a breakthrough camera today will be at least a generation or two behind in about 5 years, and maybe even obsolete. Shooting above ISO 1600 was considered a joke in 2010, but today we are seeing print-quality pictures shot at ISO 6400 and beyond. Even lenses are not immune to this. For example, the Nikon 20mm f/1.8 G has long been considered one of the highest quality wide angle lenses available, until its new mirrorless counterpart outperformed it by a considerable margin.
This is not to say you need to buy the “latest and greatest.” You can take high quality pictures with any modern camera, or even any DSLR made within the last decade or so. But if you prefer to be on the tip of the technology curve, you may find yourself spending more than you first intended.
New or Used?
It is often a wise decision to go for an older, used camera body with better specs rather than a new, entry-level one as your first camera. In fact, a camera body refurbished by the manufacturer may even be the best choice. As you progress from a beginner to amateur level, you will end up learning a lot more on gear and begin to appreciate some of the more advanced features and manual controls. You’ll also have a better idea of what gear you need in the future, so it’s best to save some money early on by buying used.
Let us consider the fact that someone wants to buy their first camera from Nikon, Canon or Sony. It might sound logical to buy the best equipment out there, similar to what we do with most other electronic goods. But how many of us would buy a Ferrari as our first car?
When Camera Gear Doesn’t Matter
The image below was shot with a Nikon D5100, which was an entry-level camera in 2013. A basic 18-55mm kit lens was mounted on the camera to capture it – not fancy gear at all. And yet this picture made it to the WWF calendar with a print dimension of 18″ x 12″ and high image quality. Weather conditions were great, and the ambient light was close to ideal when I captured the image below.
In situations like this, with daytime images of static subjects, gear really is much less important. You can imagine taking the photo above with a phone, and while it would not have quite the same image quality when printed large, it would look reasonably similar overall.
When Camera Gear Does Matter
1. Low Light Performance
Take a look at the image below, which was shot when conditions were far from ideal:
The picture of the grey backed woodpecker above was shot with extremely low ambient light. A major credit would go to the Nikon D750’s high ISO performance and the Nikon D750 + Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6 combo that auto focused accurately, despite the low light conditions.
The D5100 would have thrown out an unusable, noisy picture, and any entry-level lens would have kept hunting for focus indefinitely. On the other extreme, a lens like the Nikon 400mm f/2.8 would have given me an even better image than the one above. There’s a reason why pros on the sidelines at the Olympics usually use such lenses. But they are also substantially more expensive than the telephoto I used, or many other cheaper telephotos on the market.
2. Autofocus
AF performance is one of the prominent selling points of any modern camera or lens. There are two parts to it: AF accuracy and AF speed. There are certain conditions like photographing birds in flight where we rely almost entirely on autofocus. Most entry-level cameras do not have especially fast autofocus and they may have lower tracking capabilities as well. It’s unlikely to be a problem for photographing your kid’s sports from a distance, but it will become more obvious if you want to do complex wildlife or sports photography under difficult light.
3. Megapixels
Really? If that was all that mattered in a camera, would any professional choose flagship camera bodies like Nikon’s D4, D5, D6 or Canon’s 1DX Mark III, none of which has more than 21 megapixels? Megapixels have minimal impact on image quality, even if you are doing a 20″x30″ print. (And how many beginners even do that?)
It’s true that more pixels can make it easier to crop your images, but even with super high resolution, it’s not advisable to crop too much into a picture. So obviously, you shouldn’t care much about megapixels and camera resolution.
4. Do You Need a Flagship Camera?
In the past, I admit that I have sometimes come back empty-handed in part because because my gear wasn’t enough to capture a great scene. It’s especially true with tricky subjects like birds in flight, Milky Way photography, and specialized genres like underwater photography. We all know that if entry-level cameras and kit lenses yielded perfect results in every condition, no one would think about buying professional gear and accessories that could cost 10x more.
On the other hand, a pro grade lens mounted on a flagship camera does not guarantee good results. It takes years of experience to learn how to use a camera, and even to understand what gear you need in the first place. If you don’t understand these things, you may find yourself upgrading the gear constantly without any visible change in the quality of the image.
Differences Between Camera Companies
If one manufacturer kept making substantially better gear than others, by now that manufacturer would have become a monopoly. Others would have run out of business for obvious reasons, which hasn’t happened. There are happy professionals using Nikon, Canon, Sony & Fuji gear, among many other brands.
The debate on who manufactures the best camera, Nikon vs Canon, has been going on for decades now. In fact, when users were debating the superiority of the above two brands, Sony silently made a place for itself by investing heavily in the mirrorless segment. Please take a look at Nasim’s Nikon vs Canon vs Sony article for a comparative review, and also see his article on DSLR vs mirrorless cameras.
I use Nikon gear not because I believe it is the best. I stick to Nikon because I have invested thousands of dollars in it, have gotten used to it over the years and am happy with the results, too. Anyone who is an unthinking brand fanboy is just trying to be a gatekeeper and stop people from getting into photography.
All that said, if you’re buying a camera for the first time, you do still need to make a decision on which camera company to buy into. Below are a few pointers that beginners may find useful while choosing a brand:
1. It’s All About the Glass
Lenses are the eyes of your camera system. They determine what you see and capture, as well as most of your image quality. In time, every photographer realizes that they buy camera bodies to suit the lenses they have and not the other way around. Many photographers have half a dozen lenses or more, with just one or two camera bodies to put them on.
It is because of this fact that changing brands will be increasingly difficult as you ascend in photography. For example, I am into photographing landscapes and wildlife. As of the day I’m publishing this article, Sony mirrorless cameras arguably have better autofocus than Nikon mirrorless. Autofocus performance is one of the most sought after traits when it comes to wildlife photography. But I would rather wait for Nikon to catch up (which they surely will) than shift to Sony.
2. Ecosystem
There are two reasons that force photographers to stick to their brands. First, someone who would possibly be owning half a dozen lenses would lose a lot of money selling them all and switching to another brand. Second, the photographer would need to get familiar with an all new button system, menu layout, and so on. This is similar to Android users struggling with iPhones after switching, and vice versa.
Be it Nikon, Canon, Sony, Fuji, Pentax or Panasonic, you will not be making a bad choice. When a manufacturer makes game-changing progress, it is only a matter of time before the others catch up. You don’t have to shift ecosystems with every advancement. For example, Sony has been ahead of Nikon and Canon for years in the mirrorless market, but now Nikon and Canon are investing heavily in it and catching up. In a few years, only meager differences will exist, and there’s no way to know which brand will be ahead. (It may even be different brands depending on your favorite genre of photography.)
3. The Future
Mirrorless cameras are certainly the future. All manufacturers are clearly heading in that direction. However, there are a lot of people who are going to stick to DSLRs for a while, and DSLR prices are also trending down (especially on the used market). Even if you pick a DSLR rather than mirrorless, at least keep an eye on the company’s mirrorless lineup, because there’s a very good chance that’s what you’ll be picking in the future. Again, see DSLR vs mirrorless cameras for more information.
When to Upgrade?
Manufacturers keep coming up with new gear every month. One does not need to buy every upgrade a manufacturer comes out with. I was pretty happy with my Nikon D7000 for many years. It was only when I started photographing the night sky that I found the image quality a bit lacking. I moved to the Nikon D750 over a couple of years ago because of its larger sensor and better low-light performance.
A day will come when a photographer realizes their gear is incapable of capturing a shot you want, no matter what you do. That is the time to consider upgrading (either the camera, lens, or some accessory that will help) – not whenever new gear surfaces.
Conclusion
Some of you would have started reading the article hoping it was a ranking of entry-level DSLRs. That was not the intent of this article (though we have written about that if you’re curious.)
Instead, my hope is that this article will give you a better understanding of what to look for when buying a camera for the first time, so that you can decide on the brand and model by yourself. It is always better to know what you need prior to buying the tools, rather than buying a tool just because it is rated high by others.
If there are any questions, please share them in the comments section, and I’ll answer them as soon as possible.
Heya.
In order to find myself a new cheap camera this is what I did. I contacted five different local shops for some more advice on my options. I then tried out a number of cameras face to face at each camera store in question here. My very first tip is to see if you can touch the cameras too. Best wishes to you. Talk directly to a nice friendly local camera expert if this is even possible to learn a bit more and generate a decent set of better results overall.
After generating high quality results use the information to your full advantage. Breathe in and out deeply. You are in my prayers. Be aware of the camera features and limitations. This is rather vital.
Often times the staff who are working at the camera shop can helpfully offer tips and information that will help you to make a good decision. They are a team. Get tailored advice on buying and maintenance as well in any case. Do your own research here. This is key. Treat them as a helpful sales team.
Chat to a few different other camera users. Read up on decent camera reviews in specialist magazines or contact a further education college to find out about what they can offer you. It never hurts to try your luck. Take a working pen for note making. Speak with people on the telephone. Get a feel for how the camera works.
Listen to what they recommend. They may even be able to sell you a good quality camera. I never stopped calling stores to find other camera options. Nor did I ignore my trusted feelings or reviews that were left by experienced camera buyers. I took my own sweet time. Glance past the lines of the camera.
Most local further education colleges will have a specialist department for the accredited photography courses. Email or call the course team for details. You can do this. Make some brief summary notes in addition as a precaution. Take a rather close and careful look at the company website. You can even manage to find all types of information on there. Relax. Have a positive outlook at all times when searching for a new camera.
Read all of it. Also try to discover as much as possible when making inquiries. Cast your search net wide. I know that you will have full unlimited access to the really good information that way for sure. Truly. And you will be eventually rewarded. Trust me on this. Smile.
Never falter either. There is nothing to lose. Far from it in fact. Once in a while I took a break. You will ultimately know when you have found the ideal camera for your needs and lifestyle. Consider your lifestyle. It pays to talk. Doing my homework helped me a lot. Research unique camera uses. Have a list of your priorities. Photography is a cool hobby to have. Never lose it.
Thank you!
Your article is the first I have read on current equipment. You have convinced me to go back and master what I already own. I bought a point and shoot camera about ten years ago that I have used only occasionally. You have convinced me to invest my time in learning to use what I already have. My film SLR was too bulky and using it was a problem when other people were too impatient with me taking the camera out to use.
So, I’m a newbie who wants to get a mirrorless camera. Something that will reinforce the basics while also providing the foundation for newer technology and the ability to grow without having to upgrade to a new camera every couple years. Any suggestions?
PS-Tried to find this information on your website but I didn’t see anything that addresses this issue with a ranking of various cameras available.
I was a tech lead (200k salary) and got into photography as a hobby initially. People tried to recommend me “beginner” cameras and I asked what’s wrong with the more expensive one? They said “a beginner should start with something cheaper unless they’re earning from photography”. I did not find any photographers in my area earning as much as me and I find it bizarre they thought they were the only ones earning enough to justify an expensive camera.
I bought the most expensive that was lightweight enough for me and I bought fullframe lenses. I joined a club, and one member bought the cheapest. He upgraded to fullframe. In the space of three years, he bought several cameras losing money each time he bought and sold. The money he lost came to more than the total value of my camera. I still have the original lenses I bought. His don’t work on his camera, so he had to sell them.
Moral of the story is don’t assume to know someone’s financial situation. It’s extremely uncomfortable if that person has to respond with “I earn 200k+ a year and this won’t break my bank”. It comes across arrogant and there’s no way for it not to be awkward.
Sorry if this seems unrelated to the article but so many tried to put me off buying fullframe and ironically I saved so much money in doing so. I say it’s ironic, because their argument, to buy a beginner camera, was to save me money.
What did you get then? :-)
Otherwise I totally agree, when half a year ago I decided to get back to photography after years, I never thought of buying some entry level camera, but I wanted to get something “where there are no limits in tech but me”.
Eventually I bought Sony a7C and set of f/1.8 primes and I couldn’t be more satisfied…
I have been thinking about buying another camera. I have some Nikon cameras and lenses and flashes, but I have been tempted by Sony and Canon lately. Your article gave me pause, and made me think I need to take another look at Nikon due to my current small inventory of Nikon gear.
My main reason for upgrading cameras is for “birds in flight” and low light theatre photos that have moderate action. So great focus and great low light sensitivities. Birds in flight and wildlife pictures may need some severe cropping, so high megapixels might help.
I have been tempted by Sony A9, or Canon R5 or R6. Will have to go back and look at Nikon again. I welcome your thoughts.
I thought this was a very good article.
Thank you for writing it.
Don
Don,
I am sure Nikon will not like to be left behind in the mirrorless race. Since they entered the niche’ late, it probably is going to take some time for them to do the catch up. But the lowest of all fringe distances and the widest mount, I am certain Nikon is going to come up with really interesting lenses and of course camera bodies.
I thought the article was quite useful for beginners, to whom it seems to be directed. Everybody has their own set of important criteria: they will certainly vary-at least a little bit-with each individual. I thought the point of the article was to raise some of the most salient considerations when choosing a mode of photography, and thinking about the degree of work one may need to invest in order to achieve the type of results you desire. You’ve got to start somewhere when making basic “go – no go“ choices. This article seemed to me, about as good a starting place as many that I could think of.
I honestly don’t understand most of the more scathing criticism: to me, it unfortunately seems mostly to miss what I thought was the entire point of the article.
Congratulations, Madhu
This is my personal (extended) experience between smartphone (iPhone) and mirrorless camera. I took 2 extended trips (10 months each) aboard. In between, I returned to the US for annual physical and taxes (of course). I carried a 40L backpack and decided I needed to take lots of pictures because I don’t write well.
The first trip with the iPhone was all right. Under optimal conditions, the photos were great. Then I noticed most everyone else was doing the same and I would say very few of the photos was unique. My suspicion is computation photography can only do so much.
A week before the 2nd trip, I decided to invest in a Fuji mirrorless camera with a 50mm equivalent f2 lens. It’s small enough that I just wrapped in clean cloths and placed in my backpack. In the beginning, I was using mostly P. Slowly I started aperture adjustments, focus control, exposure metering and compensation. I would say these photos were much better (even the GF agreed, she has a Canon DLSR) and I enjoyed understanding the various aspects of taking photos. As far as camera controls and adjustments, I only understand 30% and I am enjoying learning the rest.
I got a ultra wide, longer lens, various filters and tripod since returning. The learnings is fun but and I haven’t decided on what to do when the borders are opened. Maybe I will bring a small camera pack next.
Inputs and suggestions?
Wai,
I think, you are doing the right thing. Using two systems side by side to choose one that suits you the best, which is the whole point of the article. Cell phone cameras and the algorithms their firmware use to display an image are end-user centric. What a DSLR or a mirrorless does is way too different. The moment you feel a cell phone camera becoming inadequate, you are getting to understand a dedicated camera system better. With modern mirrorless, gear size is coming down by a great margin and we already are seeing a few pan cake lenses. I am sure more will follow and my suggestion any day will be a dedicated camera system, be it a DSLR or a mirrorless, micro one thirds, APSC or full frame.
I was hoping for a lot better article on this important topic – which is to say I was disappointed with the article overall. What I read was far too many of the author’s preferences and priorities in photography guiding his suggestions. I would have suggested far more questions for the person considering a purchase centered around the kind of images the person wishes to take and what they wish to do with those images. In my experience, answering these questions help provide some direction on what options will best fit the budget and interest of the person.
It took me many years of providing photography support for people one-on-one and in classes for me to realize that there is a far range of levels of interest in photography. Some own top tier gear because they can afford it – and will never have the skill to use it well, from a professional perspective – but they are mostly happy with their results. And there are people who have invested all kinds of time using far less expensive gear, even cell phones, but understand the principles contributing to strong compositions and producing images that would earn a nod from pros.
At the end of the day, each person has their level of interest and priorities when they get into photography. Some may wish to grow their understanding of the gear or composition or post processing or not – and for most people they are completely content with what they get from what they have invested in. For those who wish to grow their skill, there are a variety of ways to do that. AND, there is not a set plan of what skills a person has to have, or what gear they use that qualifies them for the title of “photographer”.
Ultimately – an image stands or falls on it’s own – not what journey it’s taken through a small computer that may make calls or take pictures, or a bit larger one that has interchangeable lenses, or whether that adventure included time in a larger computer. If the image serves the interests of the person, then it works – end of discussion.
WileEC,
I see that you take keen interest in reviewing my articles and helping me improve, not only with this article but with many earlier ones too. I also see that you have the time to write article length comments. I would be really glad, appreciate and learn from you if you can write and publish your work.
I have been a reader of this site and now I am writing for the same. I am sure that Photographylife has never missed publishing good content. I am sure along with me a lot of people would learn lot more from published content than reader comments.
When one says he/she spends considerable time in post processing, does not mean they did not get it right in from the camera. For example, I ETTR but I love darker tones and high contrast. I would rather add curves on an ETTR image than merely under exposing it to get it right out of camera. I also shoot a lot of the night sky, especially milky way shots with well exposed foregrounds. People who shoot such shots know there is no way to get one picture good enough to print straight from the camera. Most of the night sky shots are composites.
If it takes a few seconds for someone to post process an image, great! For a photographer who ‘gets it perfect straight out of camera’, RAW becomes practically unnecessary. If one doesn’t intend to add contrast or pull details out of shadows, shooting JPG should be more than sufficient.
On the other hand, I guess a lot of us agree that RAW files that comes out of the camera are like negatives. The debate of Post processing comes majorly between people who do not understand the difference between image enhancement and image manipulation and the decision of what to use and how much to use falls entirely on the artist. Most of what you have pointed above was what was written in the article. The scope of the article was to give a heads up to a beginner what to look into before investing in gear.
Madhu,
thank you for taking the time to reply to my comments. I replied to the article on helping a beginner choose a camera – so my comments will only be within that context.
I took exception to some of your observations because they suggested there are only two options – cell phone or a interchangeable lens camera. That is just not so. We live at a time when there are a host of options for capturing images. I suggested understanding the individual’s interests was a better place to start because I think it is. If a person is really interested in astrophotography – that is a more specialized interest, guiding to more specific choices. If their interest is more general, then there are a myriad of options – not just cell phone or DSLR, as you suggested. Most of us don’t really know where the photography journey will take us up front, so suggesting it is so black and white – two choices seems limiting and cutting out many options that I know work well and that serve the interests of many people.
In terms of post processing, it is my opinion that this is not something that is relevant for a beginner getting a camera, unless their interests would be supported by it. I’m not at all aiming to get into the debate about the benefits of post processing or not. I’ve certainly spent my hundreds of hours looking at a screen tweaking parts of an image. That said, I am not inclined to suggest to a person considering their first camera they have to do that. As you suggest, there are certainly some areas of interest that really need more post processing time – and really do benefit from shooting RAW. No debate from me on that – but, that is not, I think, a discussion for a person getting their first camera. Yes, a RAW file is like a digital negative, etc. etc. Not disagreeing with you – but I think it is wiser to let a person getting their first camera invest their time with the basics of exposure and composition – again, as guided by their interests.
At some point, they may wish for more control over the final image. I think the time to explore the benefits of RAW and post processing options is at that point. If we are honest, you can spend more money on post processing gear and software than many beginning camera options. And, in my experience, most people considering their first camera are just dipping their toe in the water of photography – they don’t know their level of interest, so no need to insist they approach it in the way you or I may prefer. Clearly we each love the details and when we have a vision for an image, we know what it takes to capture the RAW data well – then interpret it into an image well – and then refine it to fit what we envisioned. I do not think it wise to burden someone choosing their first camera with all of that.
I intended no disrespect – but I did feel strongly enough – from my own missteps in this area, that some comments would be reasonable to add. The article is not about our interests, but what is in the best interest of a person choosing their first camera.
And honestly, because I have been doing this as long as I have, I usually learn more from the comments on an article than the article itself. I learn from people that see differently than me, because I learn how limited is my own view.
I personally loved your article… and given me lots to reflect on
Mobile phone to dslr or mirrorless is a huge leap. I prefer a bridge camera for the very reason of not lugging lens around. My Panasonic has more controls than I ever use, 600mm zoom & Leica lens. This makes it ideal for general use switching between indoor, outdoor, close-up etc.
Maybe add not listening too seriously to what the salesperson behind the counter at the camera store says as they are trying to achieve some sales goals that are important only to them (like maybe the commission is better with a certain piece of equipment). I have overheard sales-people say some outlandish things to customers (and to me) when I am standing in line at the store.