Your choice of camera depends on what you want it for - nothing like stating the obvious - and it's very difficult to recommend one option. It may be your first camera, or an extra to be used alongside existing cameras or you could be considering trading up to a more sophisticated camera. Hopefully this summary of the options available will help you decide. I've recommended a few models based on my personal experience but always read independent reviews before you buy.
Compact camera or camera phone
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| Image borrowed from http://www.all-things-photography.com/digital-compact.html |
Both these formats offer convenience and ease and use. We can carry them with us all the time and quickly take photographs on a variety of AUTO settings. Images can be quickly edited and enhanced - often in camera / phone - and quickly shared with friends and family. Beginners and professionals alike use them on a day to day basis but they do have their limitations - here are some:
- Delay after pressing the shutter.
- Poor performance in low light.
- Poor in camera flash.
- Can be difficult to get soft focus backgrounds.
- Despite their positioning as "point and shoot" cameras they can have incredibly complex and hard to navigate menus.
Briefly this is how I get the best results from my compact camera or camera phone:
- Shoot in good natural daylight.
- Avoid photographing subjects in bright sunlight - too much contrast with harsh light and dark shadows.
- Shoot without flash whenever possible - even at night. If you increase the ISO value you can get a faster shutter speed.
- Think about composition as this is one element you can control.
- Use apps such as Instagram and Retro Camera to take funky, creative shots.
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| Taken with Instagram or Retro Camera on Android Phone |
It's a great question with the latest camera phones giving good images. The main disadvantage of the camera on phones is that most don't offer optical zoom, so any images taken with zoom are poor quality as they use digital zoom (just magnifies the pixels). You'll notice I say most as at the time of writing several manufacturers now offer a zoom lens built into a camera phone. With this recent development some are predicting the death of the standard compact camera as all its functionality is captured within the camera phone, or soon will be. I certainly wouldn't be considering buying a new compact camera at present, but I will be reading with great interest reviews of new phone cameras with optical zooms.
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| Image borrowed from http://www.photographyblog.com/category/Camera%20Phones |
I didn't make this category up, it does officially exist and describes more sophisticated and more expensive compact cameras. I own a Fujifilm X10 that falls into this category and I absolutely love it. The image quality is superior to any compact cameras I've owned, it does superb close up shots, I can get great soft focus backgrounds and it performs well in a wide variety of light conditions, including low light. It's only downfall is lack of significant zoom - only 4X, but I accept that and take it into account when I use it. If I'm going to the zoo and want to photograph animals in enclosures I don't take the X10!
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| Taken with Fujifilm X10 |
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| Image courtesy of http://www.kenrockwell.com/fuji/x10.htm |
Typically if you are considering upgrading from a compact you will be faced with deciding between a bridge camera or a camera with interchangeable lenses (compact system camera or DSLR).
Let's look at bridge cameras first. These are so called because they bridge the gap between compact cameras and cameras with interchangeable lenses. A bridge camera offers more sophisticated performance than your average compact and usually has a very powerful zoom lens. It's ideal for people who don't want the inconvenience of carrying and changing lenses, not to mention the expense.
There are some excellent bridge cameras available, with image stabilised lenses and lots of the features and controls of SLR cameras. I always recommend Panasonic if asked as I've never had a bad experience but there are lots of options and as ever I suggest you read the reviews. Here are some of the limitations versus DSLRs (I'll come to Compact System Cameras in a moment).
- Still a slight delay after pressing the shutter.
- Such a long zoom range (sometimes up to 60X) cannot possibly produce the image quality of most DSLR lenses. Having said that they will be perfectly good enough for the amateur photographer.
- Poor performance in low light vs DSLRs as the camera sensor is smaller.
Compact System Cameras
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| Image borrowed from http://www.photographyblog.com/category/compact_system_camera/P20 |
These are a similar size to compact cameras but with interchangeable lenses and similar performance to entry level DSLRs. If you want the convenience of a small camera but the creativity and flexibility offered by having different lenses then this could be the ideal option. I've never used one and can't really justify getting one but It looks like they could have their place based on size alone . As they are a relative newcomer the range of lenses may be limited in the short term. I have also read that their autofocus system is not as sophisticated as that of DSLRs, meaning that they may struggle to focus on rapidly moving subjects.
Digital Single Lens Reflex (SLR) cameras
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| Image borrowed from http://www.slrhut.co.uk |
In my opinion and experience the performance of a DSLR cannot be equaled or beaten by any other camera type and if you are serious about photography - a keen amateur or considering going professional - then it's a no brainer. Yes, you have to spend money on lenses (the kit lens that comes with your DSLR body will have a disappointing zoom) and you will have to be prepared to carry lenses around and change them "in the field". But this comes at a small price when you consider the advantages of a DSLR:
- No delay on pressing the shutter.
- Better performance in low light than compact or bridge cameras.
- More sophisticated auto focus and metering systems
- Wide variety of lenses and accessories, offering unparalleled image quality and creativity.
DSLRs aren't for everyone, they are less convenient to carry around and it can prove expensive investing in lenses and accessories. But for some the barrier to trading up from a compact or bridge camera is because they think they'll be difficult to use, when in actual fact entry level DSLRs offer several fully automatic modes similar to those on compact cameras, as well as the more manual options.
To reiterate what I said at the beginning it's a very personal choice and you have to go with what feels right for you. Where possible borrow cameras from friends and try them out before you buy. If you're buying online make sure you've had chance to check the camera out in a shop first and held it.
I hope Santa is good to you - I'm not expecting too much this year as I had a very large lens from him last year and he's already warned me to only submit a small list with a price ceiling this year! :-(
I hope this was useful. If you have any questions please let me know. If you live in or near Cheshire why not book onto one of my courses and learn lots more!
By Jane Burkinshaw. Share this post by clicking on one of the Share buttons on the right hand side. I'd love to hear your comments too!
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