Should I buy this camera?

The "you know about cameras" conversation often starts with some variation of "which camera should I buy"

More often than not, this is from people who are looking at more advanced cameras - dSLR cameras, bridge cameras or compact system cameras.

I'm not going to pretend I've used all of these cameras - I haven't even used all three types of camera in anger. I use dSLRs, or I use my cellphone camera. But each type of camera has its merits.

What I will say is that there is no 'best' manufacturer. There is no 'best' camera. It'd be like me saying "what's the best car for me", or "what's the best meal for me" - there are just too many personal factors that influence it that there is no single, universal 'best'. So when someone asks me "which camera should I buy", they're often dissapointed, because they're hoping I'm going to say "you need one of these - here's the catalogue number". It's not that easy.

More after the break...



Instead, I tend to tell people the top level pros and cons of each system:

dSLRs
Pros:
- fast to use (speed of shutter delay, speed of focus, number of frames per second)
- lots of accessories/lenses available to suit your specific needs
- lots of control, but lots of automation if you need/want it

Cons:
- big, heavy
- expensive, especially if you buy several lenses

Bridge Cameras
Pros:
- convenient - typically has a wide ranging zoom lens, so can cover most situations
- dSLR-like image quality (there are some technical reasons why this isn't always true, but for many people, the differences are hard to see)

Cons:
- limited expansion
- 'Jack of all trades, master of none' - for all the situations where a bridge is useful, I could give you a better suited dSLR or CSC... but to get the flexibilty of a bridge camera, a dSLR or CSC needs a bag full of lenses to suit each scenario

Compact System Cameras, or CSC
Pros:
- smaller than dSLR, but still responsive to use
- accessories/lenses available (though not such a range as with a dSLR
- lots of control and automation

Cons:
- less intuitive controls (menus rather than buttons
- less compatibility with legacy lenses/accessories

There are lots of places to read specific reviews of specific cameras, and there are lots of places which will compare different genres of camera. None of these sites can compare with physically handling a camera, seeing whether it's comfortable in your hands, checking whether you can make sense of the menus etc. When I bought my first dSLR in 2006, I convinced myself on paper than I wanted a specific brand. The reviews looked good. But when I held it, it just wasn't for me - it didn't feel right. I can't emphasise strongly enough how important it is to handle a camera in the flesh before you buy it.

You'll also notice I haven't mentioned brands. Whilst there are many camera manufacturers out there, there tends to be a specific obsession between two, particularly in the dSLR field: Canon and Nikon. Each side has passionate followers who would have you believe that the other is worthless. The reality is, both Canon/Nikon (as well as Sony, Olympus, Pentax etc) produce great cameras. You really would struggle to buy a 'bad' dSLR at the moment. Sure, one manufacturer may have this years 'killer feature', but next year something else will be developed. 

Don't get caught up in the brand wars. If the camera works for you, that's the one to choose.

What *is* 'Aperture' anyway?

One of the first questions people ask when they get a camera with any sort of manual controls is "What is Aperture?".

Like many things, there's a simple, literal answer, or there's a more complex but useful answer. I'll try to cover both here.

 The simple, literal answer is that Aperture is the size of the hole in the lens through which the light travels on the way to the sensor (or film - if I say 'sensor', the same applies typically on a film based camera). A bigger aperture will let through more light than a smaller aperture.

Think about water flowing through a pipe - if it's a very thin pipe (small aperture), you can't get as much water (light) through the pipe. Aperture therefore plays a critical part in determining how much light hits your sensor, and since photography is all about capturing light, it's important.

More after the break...

Exposure, indecent or otherwise

When we take a photograph, what we're doing is exposing a light sensitive medium (film or digital sensor) to light, and recording the light as it falls on that medium.

That's it. 

That's *all* photography is.

What? You want more?

OK - so that is all that photography is. But understanding how that works, what influences it, and how to control it is the difference between a good technical photographer and a bad one.

Note that I didn't say a good photographer. I said a good technical photographer. Understanding the technical elements will only get you so far - to be a good photographer requires an understanding of composition, of artistic vision, of your subject(s)... this blog focuses on the technical elements.

More after the break...

There are three things that influence the amount of light recorded on your sensor/film:
1 - how long do you expose the sensor to light
2 - how much light can pass through the lens and onto the sensor
3 - how sensitive the sensor is to light

Imagine that your sensor is a bucket, and you have to fill it up using a hose pipe.
1 - how long do you turn your tap on?
2 - how wide is the hose?
3 - how big is your bucket?

If your bucket is big, and needs a lot of water, you could use a small hose and let it run for a long time, or you could use a huge hose and only let it run for a short time.

It's the same with light. If your sensor is not very sensitive to light, then you need to expose it to light for longer, or you need to gather more light for the duration you're exposing the sensor to light...

The three things above that control exposure relate exactly to the three major settings on a camera:

1. Shutter speed - this controls how long the sensor is exposed to light

2. Aperture - this controls the size of the opening in the lens that lets light onto the sensor

3. ISO - this controls how much light is needed to capture the image on the sensor