Thursday, November 4, 2010

Which Brand Camera Do You Own?

A good friend of mine suggested I include camera information in my posts about my photo shoots. Thank you for the suggestion! I agree this is something people may find interesting so I will do so going forward.

That said, I figure it's probably a good idea to lay some ground work in this regard by sharing my opinion on camera equipment with you. So, I've decided to do this blog based strictly on cameras, and I'll keep it short. I promise.

There have been millions of posts arguing the merits of one camera brand over another. I'm sure you've seen many of them already. My intent is not to start another debate. While I welcome your comments and respect the opinions of others, I really do not want to get into a debate about this.  Other comments are always welcome so if you feel so inclined, please do so.

For the record, I shoot a Canon. (There's a joke there somewhere, but I digress.) I actually started shooting Canon when I was still shooting film many years ago. I switched to Canon from Minolta because back then Canon simply made a superior product with features I liked and would use. It was as simple as that. The model I use now is the Canon 7D.

Today, there are a lot of quality DSLR cameras. Each has features of its own as well as features shared by other camera manufacturers. Some of these features such as the new 4/3 format aren't something that interest me at the moment. That does not mean they do not have their place and appropriate use. They are quality cameras.

To me the bottom line on camera brand comes down to some very basic criteria. They are:
  1. Does the brand camera you are considering have the features you need or will eventually use?
  2. Does the camera feel good in your hands? Yes, this is important. If you're on a three hour or longer shoot or lugging a camera around on vacation and own a camera that is not comfortable to use, it is the quickest way I can think of to find yourself listing it at a huge discount on Craig's List or Ebay. Comfort is very important.
  3. Are the controls logical according to what makes sense to you? That is, is it easy for you to follow the process, find the controls while in the midst of shooting, etc.? Are they intuitive; user friendly? If not, you'll find yourself getting frustrated more often than not; especially when you miss that all important shot because you couldn't locate a control fast enough.
  4. How advanced do you anticipate you will take your shooting? Will you move into more and more advanced needs for features, or will you do more recreational shooting? This is important because some brands of cameras have a greater choice of lenses and accessories that are readily available than some of the other brands. If you don't envision yourself expanding much beyond your present level of need, the extra choices may or may not be all that important to you.
In my mind, the first three above are the most important aspects of the selection process. If #4 is important to you, I'm going to suggest what I've told a lot of friends already, and that is to consider either Canon or Nikon due to the vast number of options available for these brands. PLEASE understand that is not to say the other brands won't work for you. In fact, another brand may have a feature not available in Canon or Nikon and this will steer you in that direction instead.

Also keep in mind that switching to another brand is usually a very expensive proposition. If you acquired a number of accessories for your current camera and then decide to switch to another brand, you'll find you not only have to buy the camera but all the accessories you need for it too. Often times when a manufacturer upgrades its camera line it designs the new cameras so they accept accessories from the previous line. This isn't always true, but it seems to be more so these days.

Choosing a camera really comes down to personal needs. That said, the camera does not make your photos successful. It is only a tool. The camera doesn't make the photo anymore than a hammer builds a house. It is the expertise of the photographer that will make a photo successful. Search the internet and you will find thousands of high quality, professionally done photos taken with a 2 megapixel phone camera.

I hope this post helps you if you are looking at purchasing a camera.

In terms of my future posts, know that I will always use a Canon with Canon lenses unless stated otherwise. I will, however, include information regarding my lens choice and the f stop used. Thanks again for that suggestion!

As always, thanks for reading my posts. And don't forget questions and comments are always welcome.

Well, I"m getting ready for my next shoot. Stay tuned for more coming soon!

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