People often ask me
Questions about Purchasing a New Camera. So, Here are some Personal Tips/Suggestions on Purchasing a New Digital Camera that I think are
important things to consider....
1. First and foremost
"What is your Budget?" Generally $500 or less allows you to purchase a "Point and Shoot". $500 or more allows you to purchase an SLR (single lens reflex) camera. With an SLR camera you have a heavier duty body, and a longer shooting life cycle because of the beefy metal frame design. Lenses must be purchased (most cameras come with one basic lens) and it is more cumbersome to carry around theme parks or wherever you are photographing. Also the cost of replacing is higher if something were to happen to the Camera.
The less expensive "point and shoots" are generally not as sharp a picture, usually cannot interchange lenses, and are much easier to carry.
2. The next thing you must decide is which B
rand of Camera is best for you! The reason I shoot with Canon Cameras is because that is what I am familiar with. I had Canon film cameras back to the 1980's and had some older lenses that would still fit my Canon Cameras. I personally feel Nikon and Canon SLR's are the current front runners as far as price, choice of lenses, quality, accessories available, etc. But, Pentax, Sony, Fuji, and many others are very good cameras! I feel with Nikon and Canon, that the two are neck in neck as far as technology. It seems as though each new camera trumps the other brand by some great new feature that the other company did not have. For Example Nikon's New D7000 shoots video in hidef with autofocus. Canon's New 60D does not have full autofocus on the Video side. BUT, im sure Canon will probably have it on their next camera model.
3. Once you have decided your budget, then you have narrowed in on a particular brand, then you must decide
which particular camera you want. Many of the newer cameras have Video Recording capablities. Is that important for you or not? It's a wonderful feature, and you never know when something dramatic could unfold in front of you that you want to record, and that is a nice feature to have! Generally price dictates the features, so obviously the higher end cameras have more features. How often will you use the camera? Is the camera for making money? Will you use it 2-3 times a year or 30-40 times a year? Do you enjoy the editing side? The answers to these questions will help you narrow down whether you want a higher end camera or a more basic model point and shoot. Canon's newer t2i Rebel is nice because the price is affordable, the lenses are interchangable, and it also shoots video. By the way, when purchasing a bag for your camera, its better to buy a bag without the brand name of the camera on it, because then people arent as likely to steal the camera bag since they do not know that it is a camera inside!
4.
Do not ever purchase a camera online from a company that is not well established! B&H Photo/Video is a great place to buy new or used equipment for example. I have friends with horror stories of "saving a few dollars" over a reputable company and they spend the next three months trying to get their money back and NEVER receive their camera !
5. When purchasing an
SLR body camera, always have a small filter on the front of your lens to protect it in case you drop it or bump something! A filter is about $30 dollars, lenses are usually several hundred dollars or more!
6. The last major camera purchase I made (because I needed an extra camera that day!) I looked online to see the best price from several reputable camera companies. I then printed out the copies of the prices from four companies. I then took the internet companies pricing into Best Buy and asked the manager, "If I purchase your three year warranty, would you match this price off of the web?" Surprisingly the manager honored it! I basicly got a free warranty for the next three years! It might not work every time, but it worked for me that day!
