Camera Basics – Selecting A Camera
Now that you have decided to buy a camera, let us look at some key features of different types of cameras. This article will help you in selecting a camera, your first best camera!!
Unless we are talking about collectibles and museum-worthy cameras, there are five common types of photography cameras that are generally available:
Point and Shoot Cameras – Most point and shoot cameras have a small Sensor size – usually 1/2.5″, 1/1.8″, 2/3″. Most of these cameras are Inexpensive. There are some ultra/super/extreme zoom cameras that are as expensive as entry-level DSLRs and have the same shape and feel too. For Example: Nikon P1000 is a bridge camera with 125X Optical zoom, it looks and feels like a DSLR and takes great photos like any good Point & Shoot Camera. The biggest advantage is its monstrous 125x optical zoom, I bet you can see aliens smoking joint on the moon with this camera. Some other Long Zoom Point and Shoot (Small Sensor) cameras are Kodak AZ901 with 90X optical zoom, Minolta ProShot with 67X optical zoom, etc. If you look at all super zoom above 40X optical zoom there are approx 20 different models available. These cameras are great bridge cameras. My suggestion would be to buy one of these ONLY IF you really need a long zoom lens and you won’t be pixel peeping to compare the quality of photographs taken with these cameras against DSLR photographs. By the way, the 1000 mm telephoto lens alone, for a DSLR, would cost you upwards of $15000+.
There are several point-and-shoot cameras with a 1″ sensor and most of those cameras are a little more expensive than other point and shoot but worth it if you are not a professional photographer but still crave beautiful pictures. With the sensor area 4 times of Point and Shoot small sensor cameras, these cameras let that much more light and that improves the video quality. These are available in Sony, Canon, Panasonic, Leica.
1″ sensor Point and Shoot cameras also come in both sizes – Small pocket size and large DSLR size.
Micro Four Thirds (MFT) Sensor Cameras – 4/3″ is almost 2 times in area than a 1-inch sensor camera. Most MFTs cameras are interchangeable lens cameras and allow more light to the sensor than cameras with smaller sensors, resulting in much better photographs. Not all manufacturers make cameras with 4/3″ size sensor, at present only Panasonic and Olympus have Micro 4/3 ” sensor cameras. If I were buying a Camera for better photos (and not planning to get into the Photography profession), I would end my search here and happily buy an MFT camera.
APS-C Sensor Cameras (DSLR / Mirrorless / Point and Shoot) – Great beginner enthusiast cameras to learn professional photography. The sensor size in these cameras is usually 23.6*15.6mm. Canon APS-C sensor size is 22.2*14.8mm. In the Case of DSLR / Mirrorless, lenses are usually cheaper than other types of DSLRs. You can change the lens as per your photography needs. Fortunately, there are a few Point and Shoot Cameras (forgive me fellow professionals for calling these marvelous cameras Point and Shoot BUT they fit the bill!!), with a fixed lens and APS-C sensor. The size is small and you can keep them in your pocket. Most of these Point and Shoot cameras have a single focal length (except 1 Canon camera), if the Camera manufacturers add zoom (or a focal range), the sheer size of the lenses required for these cameras would prevent them from being called Pocket Cameras.
DSLR / Mirrorless – Full Frame – These are the second-best type of cameras available in the market. Full Frame sensor size is 36*24 mm. Full Frame cameras are expensive and good Lenses are VERY expensive but the photo quality is second only to Medium Format. These cameras are used by Enthusiasts and Professionals.
DSLR/ Mirrorless – Medium Format – Manufactured by very few companies. These sensors are larger than Full Frame. The sensor size is close to 53*40.2mm. Excellent to use for real Modelling Photoshoots (or pretty much any other type of photoshoot but the ROI won’t be any better than a Full Frame). Both Camera & Lenses are SUPER expensive BUT delight to use. Few makers of Medium Format cameras are Fujifilm, Pentax & Hasselblad.
Now that you are familiar with camera types, you must be a little curious to learn about sensors. In my next article (click here), we will talk about sensors and how sensor size affects your photography.
Disclaimer: I don’t know if aliens exist. If they do exist, I don’t know if they smoke joint. If they do exist and smoke joint, I don’t know if they do it on the moon. If they do exist and they smoke joint on the moon and if you are able to click them in action, you would be the luckiest son of a gun alive, until those aliens you photographed arrive on Earth and decide that the human-kind are unnecessary!!