Photography. It has been a passion for more than 10 years. This passion started when I was in secondary school when the photography industry has started to shift from film to digital. Photographers everywhere has converted from their film based Kodaks into digital compact cameras and DSLRs. The journalists, wedding photographers, paparazzi and the media went fully digital. And because of that, Kodak were no longer the leader in camera manufacturing.
These past 10 years, I have witnessed how prices of cameras have been affected because of innovation. Cameras are getting smaller, cheaper and faster. My current professional camera gears if it was not for the camera innovation, I would not be able to afford them. And it is only because of camera in smart phones that we get this high adoption rate and interest in photography.
Being a professional photographer, I have friends, clients and strangers who come up to me and ask for advice on getting a new camera. I love helping people out and really do give my most honest opinion. There is no right or wrong answer, as every camera is determined by one's preference. My favourite camera may not be yours; and your favourite brand may not be mine. The most I could do is try to explain it through experience.
There are currently so many cameras in the market, how do you choose? No worries, choosing a camera is no rocket science like this guy here.
But let me tell you it is definitely easier than finding a date with a pick up line as smooth as Joey, so let me help you out here.
First of all, forget all the trillions of cameras out in the market. Erase them off your mind! Yes you got that right!
Now answer some of these questions below before you start searching for your perfect camera.
1. What do you use it for?
- do you use it for selfie?
- do you use it casually for travel?
- do you use it professionally and in multiple photography fields, for example in landscape and in events?
- or do you just want to show off?
(Photo from http://www.marekpaju.com)
If say you're looking just to have nice selfie photos, I would suggest to go for any nice phone with 10MP and above. It is not just iPhone X that takes good pictures. Photography is about light, in fact it means writing with light. If your picture is dark, any high megapixel phone like 20MP and above won't make your photos any better. So remember, add lights to your photo or be in good lighting! Nowadays, there are selfie lighting rings that add a soft glow to your selfie portraits, so make use of them for better photos and you will look more gorgeous than Kim Kardashian!
For travelers, I would suggest something light and doesn't distract your purpose of traveling. Even when I travel, as a professional photographer I let loose of me feeling wanting to be in control and rely on my phone's camera to do the job. Photography is about capturing moments. But sometimes think about it, you want to be IN THE MOMENT, not just observing the moment. Having big and bulky cameras may not be a good travel experience with having to change in between lenses. In short, for travels I would suggest either using your phone, a mirrorless camera or a 360 camera.
A mirrorless camera has the same performance of a DSLR and allows you to change lenses to suit your subject, from landscape to say portrait.
(Photos from thewirecutter.com)
A 360 camera is one that allows you to record a 360 degree photo or videos of your surrounding. Wouldn't that be neat for showing your beautiful locations!
Here are some of my sample of using a 360 camera.
Here is how a 360 video looks like taken by myself. Turn around the video to have the 360 view!
If you are using your camera for professional use, no doubt you have to go for a DSLR so that you can swap lenses. For example from a 10-18mm wide angle lens for group photo and to a 70-200mm zoom telephoto lens for a half body portrait photo.
(Photo from www.europe-nikon.com)
Now the second question to ask yourself is:
2. What is your budget?
Dollar and dime; asking yourself this isn't a crime. Oh it rhymes!
Knowing how much you can spend also determines the range of cameras you are getting. If let say you have less than RM1000 to buy a camera, I would tell you to not waste money and get a phone with a good camera instead. Or you could get a 360 camera in the range of RM800 to RM3000. If you're planning to get a mirrorless camera or DSLR, be ready to spend more than RM5000 because you will be tempted to buy more lenses suited to your needs. These days, if you're planning to buy a compact camera with fixed lens, I would suggest you not to as it doesn't have any value since your phone can do an equally good job.
From my experience with the camera brands, here are my suggestions on camera brands:
Canon - I have been using Canon for years because it is user friendly. In recent years, Canon has very bad customer service and I wanted to change my cameras. I have been stucked with it as all my lenses are expensive. To change system it would cost me another RM20k. I would advice to avoid Canon it if possible.
Nikon - Nikon has one of the best DSLRs out in the market. But the DSLR market is dying with cheaper, smaller and faster camera like our phones and mirrorless cameras.
Fujifilm - I have compared Canon photos to Fujifilm's mirrorless cameras. Fujifilm wins.
Kodak - Kodak is back with its 360 cameras! Talk about resurrection! It is quite good with skin tone for 360 in my opinion.
Leica - If you have the Cha-Ching $$$, go for it!
So here are my honest feedback. I would not dwell on the specifics model of cameras as that would be a personal preference. Since I've been married to my Canon systems, I have stopped checking out other camera models even though I hate Canon. Like a loyal married man, you wouldn't be checking out other girls would you even if you quarrel with your wife, would you?
All GIFs from www.giphy.com