Cameras for Aspiring Photographers
Cameras can be wonderful tools, they let you capture moments, create mood, play with perception and showcase beauty. As an aspiring photographer you want more control over the image, more control over how it’s created and how it’s interpreted.
A digital camera for an aspiring photographer should have manual control for everything, as well as some automatic or semi-automatic modes while you’re still learning what all the options do. You want manual control over aperture (how much light enters the camera, measured in f-stops), shutter speed (how long the camera lets in light), ISO rating (how much the camera tries to lighten the image), white balance (since light acts differently on sunny days than cloudy ones than dark interiors) and focus (where in the frame the image is sharpest).
A few common things you might come across, and what they mean for you:
Brand
Specifically in Digital SLRs, the lenses, flashes and remotes that you buy for your camera will usually transfer to another body when you later upgrade. An investment in a really nice $400 50mm prime lens now will be something you can use for years to come. (And higher quality lenses retain their value very well.)
HD Video
Many new cameras can record HD video. Since they have larger sensors than point and shoots and often larger sensors than many camcorders, they give you more flexibility in regards to depth of field control. Clamp down the aperture and the background will go nicely out of focus, giving you a film-like feel that few cameras can match. Most low end cameras can record 720p video, higher end cameras can record full 1080p video. If you’re interested in becoming an aspiring cinematographer this is something to seriously consider.
Wide Angle
On a compact zoom you don’t have as much of an option, but with DSLRs you can swap lenses, giving you greater flexibility with wide angles. Remember that most cameras have a sensor ‘crop factor’ in relation to the old 35mm film cameras that many lenses were designed for, so that 50mm normal lens on a Canon 7D (with it’s APS-C sized sensor) acts like a 70mm portrait lens.
Image Stabilization
Image stabilization (or vibration control or shake control) will give you 2-4 f-stops increase in speed. That means that while you could shoot 1/60th of a second at f8 before, you can now shoot 1/60th of a second at f4. This means fewer blurry shots. Some cameras have IS built-in (all the Compact Zooms and some Digital SLRs) while other brands only build IS into their lenses.
Memory & Accessories
If you get a non-Sony camera chances are that it’s going to use Compact Flash or SDHC cards. (Compact Zoom Sonys use a format called Memory Stick which is slightly more expensive, but not by much.) They’re all very common and are therefor low in price. In general memory prices drop by half every year and new doubled capacities come out to fill the higher price points. Right now a 16 gigabyte SD card or a 16 gig Compact Flash card (or 2 or 3) is probably a good bet. That’ll be enough space to store hundreds of pictures or an hour or so of movies. Most camera manufacturers don’t include cards with their cameras, so make sure you pick one up.
A tripod is an essential investment. In particular we love the little Gorillapod SLR and Gorillapod SLR-Zoom (for cameras with heavy zoom lenses), small tripods with bendable legs that you can wrap around a pole or stand on uneven surfaces.
You should probably get a good tripod or monopod, particularly one from a reputable manufacturer such as Manfrotto, Induro or Gitzo. A good carbon fiber tripod is a lifelong investment.
Camera Shopping
Pay attention to reviews and overall ratings, that will tell you a lot about a camera. You probably want to start with something that has at least 4 stars. Set a budget, good Compact Zoom cameras can be had for $250-$350, while good Digital SLRs range from $600 on up. I would recommend that you pick a camera from a major manufacturer. If you have a favorite manufacturer and already have some good lenses, they probably have a model that fits your needs and price-range. If you have a good selection of lenses you can also buy a ‘body only’ camera, one that doesn’t include a kit lens.
Specific Cameras for Aspiring Photographers We Like
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35
At a little above $300, this camera has a great zoom lens, HD recording capability (at 720p) with zoom and stereo sound, RAW images, image stabilization, wide angle and all the other things we want. While it doesn’t give you manual focus and zoom control, it does give you a lot of other manual options.
The Nikon D5000
This camera comes in around $700 in a kit with a wide angle to slight telephoto image stabilized lens. It sports HD video and has all the manual controls you could want, as well as an articulating LCD for low shots or high shots.
The Canon EOS 7D
This the only thing this $1,800 camera doesn’t have is a full-frame sensor, but if you can live with APS-C’s 1.6x sensor crop, there’s not much to complain about. It’s a large camera, but you could go a long way before reaching it’s limitations.
If you’d like to find more cameras, just click the boxes next to ‘Compact Zoom’ or ‘SLR’, the price ranges you’re interested in, and the features you’re interested in on the left. Then hit ‘Find my Camera!’
