10 questions I get about cameras, and 10 answers I give.
1. What camera should I buy?
Stop asking me this question. You should ask me one of the following questions:
2. I just want a camera for pointing and shooting. Nothing fancy and low cost. What camera should I buy?
For under $400, the Canon Powershot S95 provides everything you could want in a slip into your pocket package.
For under $200, I’d get something like the Canon Powershot ELPH 300 HS.
You may notice that I pick a lot of Canons. While I shoot Nikon, I think canon makes the best point and shoots. And they stand behind their product.
Go to your local store and try out different cameras first.
3. I don’t want one of those huge DLS-whatevers, but I do want some zoom. I like being able to get in close. What camera should I buy?
I’m a huge fan of the superzoom category. They are bulkier point and shoots that come loaded with features and often have decent image quality. And in this category, I don’t think you can get better than the Canon SX40 HS.
Though if you’re willing to spend some extra money and risk buying lenses that you’ll only ever use for one camera body, the Sony NEX-7 is impressive and has great features.
Go to your local store and try out different cameras first.
4. I would like a DSLR…I know this. I want their speed, manual controls and expandable nature. But I don’t know what to buy. What camera should I buy?
First go to your local store and see how you like different DSLRs in your hand. Then look into the features you personally want. Meanwhile, keep a reasonable budget in mind, realizing that you’ll spend quite a bit on accessories (lenses, filters, etc.) that will add to the cost. I’d recommend sticking with a Canon or Nikon, and at the lower cost end, stick with Canon (they make the best low-end DSLRs).
5. What picture taking mode should I use for my camera?
Shoot in whatever mode makes you feel most comfortable. Some people buy really expensive cameras and shoot in full auto mode. Seems like a waste to me but more power to them. If you’re new and want a little more control, I recommend the Program mode (P), which introduces you gently to manual controls. I personally prefer aperture priority mode because it gives me great depth of field controls. But if you want to be hardcore and capable of shooting in any mode, practice shooing in full manual mode and you’ll be able to handle anything.
6. Are the expensive memory cards worth it?
In general, no. Camera stores are especially bad at ripping off uninformed buyers. Usually your camera can’t take pictures fast enough for the speed of the memory card to matter at all (unless you have a relatively good SLR). However, the advent of HD video recording in many cameras has changed the needs a little. Remember that the Class number tells you how many MB/s minimum you will get from that card. Compare this to the size of a picture and how many pictures you can take in a second, and you can calculate if your card is fast enough. Remember your camera also has a buffer, so most people can just handle slower cards because they’re not professional sports photographers.
7. When should I use my flash?
Never. Seriously, in a perfect world you never want to use your flash. Natural lighting (and reflecting natural light) is better (unless you’re in high fashion). But let’s return to reality: sometimes you just need to use the flash. Indoors, try to use a bounce flash whenever you can. Direct flash is horrible in terms of skin tone, harsh lighting and shadows. Outside, there is one time I use flash…and that is when the sun is at high noon. That’s right. When the sun is really bright, the shadows on people’s faces are really dark. Thus it is necessary to fill in the shadows with a flash. It will dramatically improve the photos. Sometimes it is useful to use a flash when you’re getting a portrait-type shot with a background like a sunset.
Otherwise, come up with 1001 ways not to use any flash.
8. Where should I buy my camera?
Shop around. Go to a store, feel the cameras you want to try. But make sure the price at your local store is the same or better than reputable online retailers like Amazon, Newegg, B+H, Adorama, Ritz Camera, etc. And I usually recommend not buying cleaning kits, bags and the like in package deals. An a la carte approach will get you better stuff for less money usually. The package deals usually include stuff you don’t need, or stuff they can’t sell normally (a.k.a. stuff people who know what they’re doing won’t buy)
9. How good is the camera on my phone?
Newer phones are getting better and better cameras. If you’re shooting casually, camera phones are beginning to rival point and shoot cameras. Camera phones have two major shortcomings, however: (1) their optics (zoom and quality) are almost never as good and (2) their small sensors tend to have a lot of noise.
10. It is hard learning to use my camera well. How can I do this better?
It simply takes time to master use of your camera. The more advanced the camera, the more time it takes. So have some patience and put in a few hours of hard work. It will pay off at your kid’s soccer game, when you want that quick family photo, or you see that weird thing happen on vacation.
