What camera should I buy? It makes sense to get advice about photography equipment from a photographer, but the problem is that we're going up to a photographer and asking, "What camera should I buy?" It entirely depends on your situation. This guide is designed to get first-time camera buyers pointed in the right direction.
There are different types of cameras available on the market at the moment.
If you're out shopping, you've got four options available; The DSLR camera, the Mirrorless camera, the Bridge camera, and the Compact camera.
“It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera… they are made with the eye, heart, and head.” Henri Cartier-Bresson
1. DSLR Camera
The first type is called the DSLR camera: it is a professional camera whose lens can be changed according to the type of photography. It also contains a large sensor, such as APS-C or full-frame, and a manual mode to control the shooting settings to take more professional photos.
The DSLR camera is the oldest type of camera out of all four options. DSLR stands for Digital Single Lens Reflex. DSLR cameras are also the biggest and bulkiest types out of all four. The reason for this is that they fit a large mirror system. The way these mirror systems work is that light enters through the lens hits a small mirror that reflects this light up the camera, which hits a second mirror that reflects this light horizontally, which goes through the viewfinder and into your eyes.
When you want to take a picture with a DSLR camera, you can go ahead and press capture. When you press the button, the first mirror lifts, revealing the sensor underneath, so the light will go straight through the lens and hit the center. That sensor wood then absorbs this light and turns it into a digital image that you can see on your screen. However, there are some downsides to the DSLR; they don't take great pictures and have the option of interchangeable lenses, making them incredibly versatile.
Firstly, DSLRs are quite big and bulky because of their mirror system that goes on the inside. Secondly, DSLR cameras can be quite slow. Every time you want to take a picture, the mirror has to lift, the light has to hit the sensor, and the mirror comes back down. When you want to take the second picture, the mirror lifts again, the light hits the sensor, and the mirror comes back down. So if you were doing any kind of sports photography and you were taking a burst of photos of someone running, then when you hold down the shutter button, that mirror system would have to lift and back down every single time a picture is taken.
Depending on the DSLR that you've bought, if it's a budget DSLR, that motion of the mirror lifting up and down may not be that fast and you may not get the desired effect that you want.
Recommendations: Nikon D3500, Nikon D7500, Nikon D780, Canon 90D, Canon EOS 250D, Canon 850D, Canon EOS 6D Mark II.
2. Mirrorless camera
The second type of camera, which is the mirrorless camera, takes great photos and you also get interchangeable lenses.
The advantage of a mirrorless camera compared to a DSLR camera is that those cameras can be quite smaller. The reason for this is in the name. DSLR cameras fit that large mirror system. However, mirrorless cameras don't fit that large mirror system, hence the name. The way a mirrorless camera would work is light would go through the lens and hit the sensor directly, forming that digital picture. Even though the mirrorless camera is essentially the same as a DSLR camera, there are two major downsides. The first major disadvantage of a mirrorless cameras is they are more expensive than their DSLR counterparts.
The second major disadvantage is that the sensor in a mirrorless camera is completely exposed, so if you take the lens off, the sensor is completely exposed to sunlight, dust, water droplet, or something on it that can be quite dangerous to the sensor and potentially ruin the camera.
The DSLR camera and the mirrorless camera are both great for photography. They have a very similar type of lens range. There's no major advantage to buying one type of camera over the other. It's just dependent on which one you like, but the DSLR camera is way cheaper than the mirrorless, so definitely look into that when you're considering buying a camera.
Recommendation: Sony A7iii, Sony a7R IV, Fujifilm XT3, Fujifilm XT4, Nikon Z6,
Canon EOS RP.
3. Bridge camera
The third type is called Bridge Camera. It is a semi-professional camera, and it is called so because it is very similar to the professional DSLR cameras in terms of shape and it contains the same sensor and characteristics as compact cameras, so it is considered a bridge between professional cameras and compact cameras.
This type of camera does not come with any interchangeable lenses; it comes with one fixed lens. That one fixed lens has a large focal length, and essentially what that means is when you turn on the camera it starts with a nice wide-angle view, which is great for scenic shots, nice scenery, or nice landscapes. If you go on safari, and if you need a great zoom, then you can zoom in and take nice close-ups, so the main advantage of having a bridge camera is that you won't have to carry extra lenses.
The overall quality that you're getting with bridge cameras isn't the same as what you would get with a DSLR or a mirrorless camera. If you are one of those people that doesn't want to carry extra lenses and just want one camera that has a nice wide-angle view as well as a great zoom, then the bridge camera is perfect for you. However, they can be quite big and difficult to carry. The second thing is that the quality that you get with this camera isn't the same as what you would get with a DSLR camera or a mirrorless camera.
If you are interested in buying a bridge camera, definitely go into a camera shop and check it out. Try it for yourself and see if that's something that you would want to buy.
Recommendation: Sony Cyber-shot RX10 IV, Panasonic Lumix FZ2500, Canon PowerShot SX70 HS.
4. Compact camera
Finally, we come to the compact camera. The compact camera is the smallest one of all four options available.
It doesn’t have interchangeable lenses, so it is a non-professional camera. But you still get amazing wide-angle scenery shots, especially for vlogging, and amazing close-up macro shots as well, so this camera is essential for anyone that doesn't want to carry too much weight on them. It's just a camera that you can have in your pocket and pull out at any time to shoot videos and photograph some important moments in your life. The compact camera is very similar to the bridge and the mirrorless camera in the sense that the light goes through the lens and hits the sensor directly, creating a nice digital image for you on the screen.
So if you are a person that doesn't want to have extra lenses, don’t want to carry a large camera, and just want something nice and small that fits in your pocket that you can pull out at any time to take a normal quality image with automatic settings, then the compact camera is the one to go for now out of all four camera options.
Recommendation: Fujifilm X100V, Sony RX100 VII, Sony ZV1, Canon GX7 Mark ii.
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