What’s the best camera?

OK, so, I may be playing with fire here!

Something which gets asked frequently, not just of me, but on websites, social media forums and inevitably, reddit, is ‘what is the best camera for me to get?’. This is often asked by people new to photography, perhaps looking for their first ‘proper’ camera, or changing from one they have perhaps inherited or been gifted.

So far, so uncontroversial.

But this will often result in a stream of responses stating various different things, with hundreds of different views.

‘It’s a canon or nothing’, ‘Sony is the only name in mirrorless’ or ‘pros only use Nikon’. Then there will be the justifications for these statements; ‘max native ISO’, ‘pixel shift’, ‘100MP’ and on and on it goes.

So how to make sense of all this overly technical jargon and, lets be honest, overblown hyperbole.

To start with, a disclosure of information - I shoot with a Nikon Z8, and prior to this have used nikon Z6ii and Nikon D90. I don’t get sponsored by Nikon or receive anything from them, so none of the rest of this blog post will be influenced by commercial pressure, though I won’t say I don’t love my camera!

Now that that is done, what’s the real answer? Predictably, as with any of these sort of questions, there is no single correct answer.

The first consideration is the old adage of, the camera you have is the best one. This comes essentially from the idea that any shot you take is better than no shot. If you have an iPhone 10, and no money for any other camera system, then this is your best choice. However you probably are reading this because you want to purchase something so we will leave this idea here.

Next up, do you have anything already? Do you have some Sony lenses from previous camera use? If so, it is certainly worth considering staying with the same company. This is because of the price of good lenses. My camera body is worth far less than the value of my lenses. This is actually the reason I have always stayed with Nikon - the cost of replacing an entire system can be enormous if you already have multiple lenses. A downside of this is it often develops almost tribal love for the camera company you are effectively ‘locked into’. Social media is full of the sort of comments above, often from people who have never tried, and will never try, anything else for the sole reason that they would never be looking to replace an entire system.

But what if you don’t have any current camera set up? And have some money to spend on a new system? What should you do?

DSLR vs Mirrorless

This is a relatively new question in the photography world - should you look for a mirrorless or a DSLR? What even are the differences?

DSLR is an older format, which has been the dominant (read here only really widely used) format in photography for decades. It stands for ‘Digital Single-Lens Reflex’. These cameras, as all do, have a sensor. In DSLR this sensor is normally covered by a mirror, the purpose of which is to reflect light through the the photographer via the viewfinder. This means that what you see through the viewfinder is exactly what is in front of the camera, as you would see it with your eyes. When you hit the shutter button (the button used to take the photo), the mirror lifts out of the way, and light hits the camera sensor, saving the image to the memory card within the camera.

Mirrorless camera, as the name suggests, have no mirror. They work with the image going through the lens direct to the sensor, with no mirror in the way. the sensor processes the image, and relays the image as it will be recorded, to the electronic viewfinder. This means rather than seeing what your eye would see through the viewfinder, you see the image as the camera will record it.

So which is the right one for me?

Well, if your budget is lower, it is likely DSLR. DSLRs as above, are the older format, and as such, there is a wide range of very capable second hand DSLR cameras available. Whilst they may be the older system, they are still often very capable cameras, especially some of the higher end models released in the late 2010s. However, it is worth noting, most major camera manufacturers are now phasing out DSLR cameras in favour of mirrorless.

Why? Because mirrorless does offer a wide range of advantages. Firstly, electronic viewfinders are, for most shooters, a huge advantage. Shooting with DSLR involves constantly checking the image to check it was correctly exposed, and for most professional shooters, involve concurrent use of light meters, and understanding light histograms. However, Mirrorless allows you to know what you are shooting simply by looking through the viewfinder, or at the rear screen. This means there is greater confidence in the image coming out as planned with mirrorless, which can save a lot of time, and allow for more successful images.

Secondly, without the need to fit a mirror into the camera body, the cameras are often smaller and lighter than their DSLR counterparts. This is changing somewhat, as companies start to stuff as many features as possible into their cameras, but as a general rule, it remains true.

Thirdly there is a huge bonus to video in mirrorless. The mirror in DSLRs can lead to problems with continuous autofocus, something mirrorless systems don’t need to be concerned with. As such, mirrorless is generally a better format for hybrid or video shooters.

There are some benefits DSLR likely still hold over mirrorless, including often better battery life as less energy consumption using optical viewfinder, and some argue DSLR are more robust.

However, overall, for someone purchasing their first new camera today, I would certainly recommend mirrorless. Given the lack of ongoing production of DSLR, it is likely soon there will not be any option for new DSLR anyway, and the downsides this may have for repairs and spares in the future, is obvious.

Sony vs Canon vs Nikon

There are loads of camera makers in the market of course, Fuji, OM, Panasonic, Hasselblad, Leica etc. However, you will always get recommended one of the big three camera companies at some point in your search - Sony, Canon and Nikon. These three between them dominate both the consumer and professional camera markets in terms of sale volumes. The reasons for this are complex, and may be something I look at in a future piece, but for now, we will simply say it is not because the others are poor quality, far from it, but just because they have historic market dominance.

As I have said above, I use Nikon. Does this mean I think Nikon is perfect, and the other two big companies are inferior? Not at all. I love my Z8, and certainly have no intention of ever switching to another company as my main camera system. However, Sony and Canon, amongst others, do make wonderful cameras.

Whilst there is no individual right answer (if there was we would all be using the same camera company after all), it is worth considering what your use of a camera is likely to be. Will you be shooting lots of video? Fast paced sports action? Grand landscapes? Or perhaps a bit of everything? This has a major impact on which camera is right for you.

Sony’s strengths likely lie in its technology. As a company they are known for the very handy autofocus system they use within their modern cameras. Well liked by many photographers, this makes them a good choice for lots of fast paced action. They also are known for a wide range of relatively well priced lenses, giving you lots of options to choose from. Their decision to open their camera mount system to other third party companies also means lots of lens manufacturers such as Sigma and Tamron, have lots of third party, and cheaper, lenses available for Sony cameras. Downsides? They are often described as having ‘confusing’ menus, which can be difficult for new photographers. They also have perhaps been criticised for their colours seeming digital, often in landscapes.

Canon are the biggest manufacturers of cameras in the world. At time of writing, roughly half the cameras sold in the world are canon. This means equipment is widely available second hand - if you are considering your budget this may be something to think about. They have a wide range of cameras, from entry level, all the way to flagship pro cameras. Often users highlight canon’s good colour range in their images and easy to use system.

Nikon’s biggest positives are really in build quality. They are pretty bullet proof, generally exceptionally weather sealed and can last through almost any weather. Nikons cameras are often also praised for their sensor, which reproduces colours naturally. Cons? The autofocus is not as fast as the other two (though in modern terms this is very unlikely to be noticeable to most photographers), and you will often be mocked for being a Nikon user as they aren’t quite as trendy as Sony and Canon.

Personally I love my Nikons - I have found them to be ideal for my use case, often up a mountain or wading through a river. They have never given me any concerns, even when strapped to the outside of my rucksack for a full day hiking through Scotland’s infamously changeable weather.

There are of course many cameras within each of these companies catalogues - your choice will all depend on budget, experience and intended use. It would be unviable to discuss all of their individual cameras in this setting, but if you ever want advice on a camera, you can contact me and we can discuss what you are looking for - and i won’t simply make you buy a Nikon! A friend of mine recently asked my advice and together we agreed a Fujifilm was the best choice for her.

Lenses

Now, often, this is the part not thought about by people purchasing their first camera. What lens to get?

Many cameras will have the option of being sold with a ‘kit’ lens. These lenses are often cheap, are normally a small range zoom, and honestly, are often not the best lenses a company makes. There are some exceptions where the kit lens is fantastic - Nikon often bundle camera bodies with the Z 24-120 lens which is a gorgeous lens - but generally the lens options on kits are really going to stop you from getting the most out of your new camera purchase.

Whilst the kit bundles are often the most economical, it is always worth considering spending a bit more to get a better lens. Often the lens is more important than the camera body for the best images. Whilst far from being a perfect analogy, imagine standing looking at a beautiful view, and then putting on really low quality sunglasses - it just own’t look as good.

Like with the bodies, there are too many lenses to mention but look round at reviews of different lens options for your camera system. One small thing to think about is the lens series - Canon’s top line lenses are their L lenses, Sony have G lenses and Nikon S lenses as their top line, pro level lenses. It is also worth making sure you know exactly which mount your camera is as this changes within the companies - Nikon for example uses F mount for their DSLR and Z mount for mirrorless.

I am always happy to go through these questions and options with anyone, so drop me a contact if you ever want help.

Chris