The Best of Scott Kelby's Digital Photography Book Series: Pro Tips for Getting Better Photos
From the book
From the book
From the book
Which Brand of Camera Should You Buy?
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A lot of folks struggle with this one, especially when they’re moving from a point-and-shoot camera to a DSLR. Which brand should you buy? Canon? Sony? Nikon? Pentax? Olympus? This choice is made tougher by the fact that they all make great DSLRs. All of them. However, I have two great ways to make sure you choose the right one (and although they may sound a bit silly, they work better for matching you to your camera than an online dating service does for finding your soul mate). Method #1: Choose the camera brand your photography buddy uses. That’s right—if they use Canon gear, you should use Canon gear, too, because it will make your life infinitely easier, less stressful, and you’ll learn your camera faster. Here’s why: (a) now you have someone to call when you can’t figure something out; (b) they can show you how to use your camera long after you’ve left the camera store and chances are they’ve already run into, and solved, all the roadblocks you’re about to run into; and lastly, (c) you can swap (borrow) lenses, filters, flashes, batteries, the whole nine yards. When you’re out on a shoot with friends, there’s nothing worse than asking, “Anybody got a spare battery?” and everybody does, but not for your brand. Trust me, buy what your friends use. It just makes life easier. Method #2: Go to a real camera store and hold each of the brands you’re considering in your hands. Fire a few shots on each, navigate through the menus, change the f-stop, change the shutter speed, and load a memory card. One of those is just going to feel “right” in your hands (just like each guitar has its own feel, or each golf club—one will just feel right). That’s the one.