So You Wanna Buy A New Camera

Viscous green liquid dribbled out of my car’s engine as it idled in my friend’s driveway. Deep down I knew this wasn’t good. A visit to the mechanic and a consolatory phone call later, I looked at my faithful little car with one tire in the junk yard. It had to be replaced. I knew that, but the task of finding a replacement seemed daunting. Looking through the ads online, and the reviews, and the sales, and the dealerships my head began to ache as I sat immobilized in front of the glowing screen of my computer. Back to basics – what was it I was looking for in a car? I needed a car that wouldn’t break the bank, that got 30+ miles to the gallon, had enough trunk room for all my gear, could get me to most places I wanted to go, and wouldn’t make my butt go numb. With that list, I went to the dealership and a few day later I was driving my new car off their lot and into my driveway.

At this point, I expect that you are asking what does buying a car have to do with buying a camera.

Have patience. If you are coming here to find out what camera to buy, odds are that you have had that deer-in-the-headlights look while reading reviews, puzzling over features, questioning brands, and checking ads. Then walking away not having answered your question of “What camera should I buy?”

The most complete answer I can give is the least satisfactory answer you want – it all depends.

Just like my process of buying a car, there are questions you need to answer about the camera you want.

The first being, why do you want a new camera? Is there something wrong with the camera you have? Is there something you need from it that you aren’t getting? If you just want a new camera because it’s new and shiny, then you really don’t need a new camera. But if you have the money to burn, then let’s talk about answering a few more questions.

Second – how much can you afford? Start looking at cameras within that price range. Keep in mind that you will also need to buy accessories such as batteries and SD cards. Keep that in mind as you price cameras.

Now, what is it you want to photograph? Are you looking for a camera to record life events? Are you a new parent or grandparent who wants to record the events of your baby from larva-hood to graduation necessitating a responsive shutter and durability? Are you going on a once in a life-time trip to the Antarctic or on safari where you want to be able to zoom in on the animals and zoom out on the landscapes? Do you want to take pictures of your cat and take cat-videos to break the internet? Knowing what you want to photograph will help you figure out the features and lenses you’ll want.

What’s your preference for convenience? Do you want a camera that is menu driven, choosing settings through the screen on the back of the camera? Or button driven where most of the settings are at your fingertips. Do you want interchangeable lenses which will add to the cost or have a built-in lens? (FYI, just stay as far away from camera that have digital zoom. Optical zoom only!) Would a pocket camera work better for you, or one that needs a carrying case?

Prints! What kinds of prints do you want? And do not tell me none. If all you’re going to do is keep them on your computer or on the SD card then you do not need a new camera. Having prints of your adventures through life around your home reminds you of the wonder places you’ve been and the person you are. SO the question here is how big do you want to make your prints? For larger prints above 8x10 or 11x14, you’ll need greater mega-pixels and a higher quality sensor.

Write down the answers. Take them to a dealership and tell the salesperson that you are looking for a camera that does these things. A good store will give you options. Test them, hold them in your hands, do they feel comfortable? Can you reach all the buttons? Does the menu make sense? If you don’t like the feel of a camera, odds are you won’t use it. So make sure you test them out.

What do I use? I’m a Sony girl. I grew up using Minolta before they became Konika Minolta and before Sony bought out Konika Minolta. I stayed with Sony because they promised to maintain the specs and I was broke and didn’t want to have to invest in all new lenses. I have yet to be disappointed. They have withstood “The Heidi Factor” – I’m a bit of a klutz, I’m happy with the quality of images, I’ve been able to make poster-sized prints, and I know where all the controls are.

I hope you are able to use the answers to these questions to find the camera you love that will help record the stories of your life.

The image I chose to accompany this blog post is an example of realizing your camera isn't capable of doing what you want it to do. I wanted to upgrade from my Konika Minolta DSLR because it didn't have the ability to record night images without too much noise. So I upgrades to a Sony Alpha 65 which was able to handle the types of night images I wanted to create. I still have the Konika Minolta and take it with me on long road trips - it's still a good camera and suits certain needs.