5 Things to Consider When Buying Your First Camera for Photography

So you wanna buy your first camera?

Are you ready to step up from your smart phone, webcam or potato you’ve been shooting with? I have got you covered. This article will cover 5 things you need to consider before buying your first camera.

Budget

Budget is perhaps the most important thing to consider. I think it is safe to say, that if we could all afford the most high-end of cameras, we would certainly do so. However, we live in reality, and that is not feasible for everyone. Understanding your financial situation is important before making an investment into a new camera and the ecosystem that accompanies it. Also, know that there are auxiliary costs with owning a camera. What do I mean by that? Well, depending on the camera you wish to buy, you may need to purchase a lens separate from the body. Lenses can sometimes cost as much as a body! Then there are spare batteries, memory cards and other items depending on what it is you want to shoot. For some of us, a budget or savings plan might be needed to assess how much of our income can be put towards a new camera system. Be honest with yourself and even consider starting off simple so that you do not impact your finances.

What do you want to shoot?

This next consideration will help dictate what type of camera you should get. I can summarize shooting experiences in two ways; photography stuff that stands still vs. stuff that moves. OK, this is an over simplification, but hear me out. Depending on price and use case, certain cameras are more specialized in different areas than others. For example, the Sony A1 has a frame rate of 30 FPS vs the Nikon D850 which has a frame rate of 7 FPS. The Sony A1 is gear more towards Sports/Action/Wildlife. whereas the Nikon D850 is more for Portraiture and Landscape. If you wanted to only shoot portraits, frame rate is not as important as if you wanted to shoot sports. There are other features that should be considered, such as sensor size, sensor resolution, autofocus, etc. But, in my opinion, making sure you meet your FPS requirements is more important.

Is video important to you?

The scope of this article is to look at buying a camera from a photographers perspective. However, video is becoming more dominate in today’s creative market. It would be wise to also take this into consideration when buying your first camera. I am not advocating buying the most video packed camera you can afford. But it would be good to have some quality video capabilities if you can. When considering video specifications, there are several things to look for.

1. Resolution – 4k is the standard as of this writing.

2. FPS – 24, 30 and 60 are most common. 24 produces a more cinematic look whereas 60 is smoother and more ideal for action.

3. 8bit vs 10bit – Quality and amount of information that is able to be captured for post processing.

4. Internal vs External recording – Internal captures on the memory card where external is captured on an external recorder such as a Atomos Ninja.

Interchangeable lenses vs fixed lens

This is a similar consideration to budget. Interchangeable lens cameras are the standard for professional photography. They require the photographer purchase the lens separately, but they are packed with features and generally have better overall performance and optical quality. Interchangeable lens cameras will most likely cost more in the long run once you start adding more lenses to your collection. A fixed lens camera, however, is just that. A camera with a fixed lens. Most point and shoot camera, action cameras, and some range finder style cameras have fixed lenses. These cameras are ideal for travel or general purpose applications. They generally cost less and have zoom lenses. The downside, is most have less features/specs than their interchangeable lens counter parts. They also vary in build and optical quality. You are also stuck with the same lens. The focal length and aperture values can potentially limit your ability to capture images that you want. This is not to discourage the reader from purchasing one however. They may be the right fit depending on budget and application.

Realistic Expectations (personal reflection)

So, this is not so much as consideration when it comes to the actual camera, but rather your intentions. Are you buying a camera because you love taking pictures and have been for some time? Are you ready to upgrade your current camera? Or are you just wanting to try out photography, you’ve never really taken pictures before, or you get in and out of hobbies really easily? Understanding why it is you want to buy a camera is important. If you are like me, and get in and out of hobbies quickly, maybe starting off with a point and shoot or low end DSLR/ML camera makes sense. If you have been taking photos everyday for years on your iPhone, maybe investing a little more in a more feature rich, quality camera and lens makes sense you. Photography takes time and effort. If you don’t have the time or energy to put forward, then your risk of quitting is higher. Quitting after only spending a few hundred dollars on a camera isn’t as bad as spending a few thousand. Be honest with yourself.