My tips for buying a camera
Introduction:
there is no one perfect camera for all purposes
most people should consider more than one camera:
a small compact camera they can take anywhere such as a digital point and shoot compact camera with at least 5 megapixels sensor and at least 3x optical zoom:
main features to consider are:
size, lens quality, optical zoom range, memory card type (CF and SD are main ones), memory card size (usually need at least 64Mb),
does it have rechargeable batteries and how many shots can you get on one charge
non-rechargeable AA batteries whilst readily available tend to go flat very quickly in these cameras
personally I like the Olympus 770SW which is rugged, waterproof & dirtproof so you can take it anywhere without worrying about it.
for the more dedicated, perhaps a more fully featured digital camera that allows use of external flash guns and lens filters, see my tips for buying a digital camera
for the very keen, a single lens reflex camera (SLR) for maximum versatility, image quality, lowest image noise, potentially narrower depth of field to allow better portraiture whilst minimising distracting backgrounds.
Buying a SLR camera:
see also: buying a digital SLR for my latest opinion.
when considering purchase of a SLR camera, as you will probably end up buying a number of lenses, and given that the 2 most important factors contributing to image quality are the lens quality and the image or film size, these 2 factors then should be your main guide.
good lenses will usually end up being the most expensive part of your kit and thus remember this, the camera body in this regard is less important, especially in digital cameras as these depreciate much more rapidly than the lenses.
image or film size:
this, combined with brand of camera will usually determine the type of lenses you can use, as each brand camera has its own proprietary fitting of the lens to camera (although in some cases there are adapters to allow using one brand on another brand), and the image or film size determines in part the sizes of lenses required
traditional formats in film cameras:
35mm film:
this is by far the most common film format and is adequate for most purposes and can usually be enlarged to 8"x10" without any problems, but larger size enlargements will start to show technical problems and film grain.
film is relatively cheap, the cameras are relatively small and light and tend to have the most features.
if you buy a 35mm film system now, consider that to use these lenses in a digital system, the following should be considered:
digital SLR cameras that take these lenses come in various image sensor sizes and sizes smaller than the full frame 35mm film will mean that a lens used will result in its effective focal length being increased as only the central portion of the image is being used. This can be advantageous for telephoto work but creates significant problems in the wide angle aspects.
while adapters are available to allow many manual focus lenses to be used on digital Canon cameras, this is not usually possible on either digital Nikon or Olympus (although can get an adapter for the Olympus OM lenses).
use on a digital camera is cumbersome as the lenses need to be physically stopped down while metering and of course auto-focus and a number of other functions will not be possible.
given the nature of the digital sensor having a deep sensor cell, light hitting the sensor at an angle may result in the light not reaching the base of the sensor, thereby resulting in vignetting effects. This may mean that wide angle lenses may not be as functional and other lenses may need to be stopped down 1-2 f-stops for acceptable resolution.
full frame digital SLR cameras are still expensive - at least $A7000.
the much larger film area means that much larger enlargements are possible, but it also means that the camera & lenses are much larger & heavier and more cumbersome to use than 35mm, while the film costs are more expensive.
these are the main cameras used by portrait, wedding and landscape photographers, and usually have interchangeable film backs.
some of these cameras can accept digital backs thereby making the most of your lenses, but these lenses and digital backs are usually very expensive - backs are at least $US10,000 while most lenses start at $US1000.
medium format is perhaps over-kill if all one is going to do is make enlargements 8"x12" or smaller, as 35mm or a decent 8 megapixel digital can do this quite well.
if one is buying a medium format now, perhaps the following is most reasonable:
for the professional, either:
a new digitally designed medium format camera such as:
Hasselblad 1D cost approx. $A34,000
Mamiya 645AFD with ZD back
Mamiya RZ67 Pro IID with ZD back
a non-digital camera with ability to accept a digital back such as:
Hasselblad 500cx, 503cxi, 503cxi, 501cm or 203FE
Mamiya 645AF
Mamiya RZ67 or RZ67 Pro II - this is big, heavy & clunky but the 6x7 format allows more enlargement.
for the serious amateur happy to just use film but with a view to upgrading the body only to a digital compatible:
the above non-digitals
older Mamiya 645 Super, 645 Pro, or 645 Pro TL
for the serious amateur happy to just use film and buy a cheap 2nd hand system that will unlikely to ever be digital compatble but given the low price makes it worthwhile until digital comes down in price:
Bronica SQ series
Bronica ETRS series
in addition, there are special purpose cameras such as ultra-wide formats for landscapes.
traditional formats in film cameras:
35mm film:
this is by far the most common film format and is adequate for most purposes and can usually be enlarged to 8"x10" without any problems, but larger size enlargements will start to show technical problems and film grain.
film is relatively cheap, the cameras are relatively small and light and tend to have the most features.
if you buy a 35mm film system now, consider that to use these lenses in a digital system, the following should be considered:
digital SLR cameras that take these lenses come in various image sensor sizes and sizes smaller than the full frame 35mm film will mean that a lens used will result in its effective focal length being increased as only the central portion of the image is being used. This can be advantageous for telephoto work but creates significant problems in the wide angle aspects.
while adapters are available to allow many manual focus lenses to be used on digital Canon cameras, this is not usually possible on either digital Nikon or Olympus (although can get an adapter for the Olympus OM lenses).
use on a digital camera is cumbersome as the lenses need to be physically stopped down while metering and of course auto-focus and a number of other functions will not be possible.
given the nature of the digital sensor having a deep sensor cell, light hitting the sensor at an angle may result in the light not reaching the base of the sensor, thereby resulting in vignetting effects. This may mean that wide angle lenses may not be as functional and other lenses may need to be stopped down 1-2 f-stops for acceptable resolution.
full frame digital SLR cameras are still expensive - at least $A7000.
the much larger film area means that much larger enlargements are possible, but it also means that the camera & lenses are much larger & heavier and more cumbersome to use than 35mm, while the film costs are more expensive.
these are the main cameras used by portrait, wedding and landscape photographers, and usually have interchangeable film backs.
some of these cameras can accept digital backs thereby making the most of your lenses, but these lenses and digital backs are usually very expensive - backs are at least $US10,000 while most lenses start at $US1000.
medium format is perhaps over-kill if all one is going to do is make enlargements 8"x12" or smaller, as 35mm or a decent 8 megapixel digital can do this quite well, with much more functionality and at lower price.
if one is buying a medium format now, perhaps the following is most reasonable:
for the professional, either:
a new digitally designed medium format camera such as:
Hasselblad 1D cost approx. $A34,000
Mamiya 645AFD with ZD back
Mamiya RZ67 Pro IID with ZD back
a non-digital camera with ability to accept a digital back such as:
Hasselblad 500cx, 503cxi, 503cxi, 501cm or 203FE
Mamiya 645AF
Mamiya RZ67 or RZ67 Pro II - this is big, heavy & clunky but the 6x7 format allows more enlargement.
for the serious amateur happy to just use film but with a view to upgrading the body only to a digital compatible:
the above non-digitals
older Mamiya 645 Super, 645 Pro, or 645 Pro TL
for the serious amateur happy to just use film and buy a cheap 2nd hand system that will unlikely to ever be digital compatble but given the low price makes it worthwhile until digital comes down in price:
Bronica SQ series
Bronica ETRS series
in addition, there are special purpose cameras such as ultra-wide formats for landscapes.