Buying a Camera
Choosing a camera really depends on your personal needs, your preferences and most of all, your budget. There are so many technologies to choose from but the trick is being equipped with knowledge to help you choose the right one. Let’s break it down.
Film vs. Digital
SLR vs non-SLR
Brand
Budget
FILM VS. DIGITAL
For so many years, photography has been too expensive for most people because of the expense of buying film and developing and printing the pictures. One film roll only has 24 or 36 shots so every time you take a picture, you are counting every shot to make sure it is worth it.
A memory card in a digital camera however, could hold from 100-500 pictures depending on its size and your settings. You can easily put the pictures onto a computer and reuse the card again. You don’t even have to print the pictures if you don’t want to, or at least just print the 3 or 4 pictures that you like.
Nothing beats the quality of film, the accuracy of the colors and the sharpness of the photo. Analog is definitely warmer. But very few of us print billboard size photos that we would notice the difference. For most purposes, like if you’re printing 3×5, 4×6, 8×10 or even 16×20, the differences are very minimal. But the freedom that digital cameras can give you is priceless.
With digital cameras, you can easily review the pictures as soon as you take them, making it easier to learn complicated things like apertures and shutter speeds.
If you already own a film camera, especially if it is an SLR camera, you can start learning with that camera. Otherwise, I strongly recommend buying a digital camera.
SLR Cameras vs. Non-SLR Cameras
THE LAZY SOLUTION
The easy solution is to buy a Nikon D80 with the kit lens. This is the camera that I personally am planning to buy. Usually they sell this as just the body (meaning they sell it without the lens), but if you don’t want to think anymore or you really have no clue about buying lenses, just buy it with the kit lens. This is a very good SLR camera. This is usually voted as the best digital SLR cameras in most lists because of its great value for the money.
Personally, I have a Nikon D70s camera. It is a good camera but because of the nature of the work that I do, I am beginning to outgrow it. Because it is an old model, the prices have dropped for this camera so it would be a good entry level camera if budget is a concern. You can buy it second hand for relatively cheap.
If you have a bit more money to spare, try a Nikon D200. This is the camera that I really want because the colors are really great.
WHAT NOT TO BUY
Unless in unavoidable circumstances (like if you don’t have a camera and suddenly need one because you saw Bigfoot or the LochNess Monster), please avoid buying the following:
Disposable Cameras (One-Time-Use)
Disposable cameras are good emergency cameras, like for instance if your camera breaks down while on vacation. These, however, should NEVER be your primary camera because though they are relatively inexpensive, ranging from $7 to $30 each, in the long run, it costs more. One camera has only 24 or 36 shots and you still have to develop and print the pictures. You are better off just buying a regular film camera and buying film for it. There is no zoom in the camera and the quality is unbelievably unacceptable. If you really have to buy one, try to buy one with a glass lens as opposed to a plastic lens because the quality would be a little bit better. The only time you should buy one is if you want to buy an underwater one, though the picture quality is still horrid, it is a small price to pay for being able to take pictures underwater or at sea.
