When people ask me this question, I ask start by asking 2 things.
What are you wanting to get out of taking photos?
What is your budget?
Your first camera is a big decision as it’s basically testing the water of your new hobby so it’s a good thing to get right. After that there are some other decision to make.
DSLR or Mirrorless?
Put simply things are moving from DSLR to mirrorless. Mirrorless is a type of camera that doesn’t use a mirror (obvs), they have a little screen for your eye instead. That means you see what your photos are actually going to be like as you take them, which is handy. The other benefits of mirrorless are (generally) they are smaller, lighter and are more future proof. Benefits of DSLR are that some people prefer the proper optical sight, and also you can get some real bargains as people are selling their gear to switch to mirrorless.
Which Camera Brand?
Canon, Sony, Fujifilm and Nikon are the big names. Canon and Nikon are the old guard that recently have got into mirrorless. Fuji and Sony have been doing all mirrorless for a long time so they are more established.
The benefits of Canon & Nikon are you can use older/ cheaper DSLR lenses on mirrorless using an adapter. The benefits of Sony & Fuji are they have more native lenses available, more third party lenses and more budget camera options.
Are you going to edit your photos?
If you want to take photos and not faff around editing (or just simple touch ups on your phone) then Fuji has a real advantage here as they have film simulation built into their cameras, it’s like having a photo edited while you are taking it and looks really cool.
APSC or Full Frame
This is size of sensor, go APSC to begin with as it’s way cheaper.
Long story Short Recommendation
I would go Fuji or Sony. Sony is probably better long term but Fuji are really cool. Probably comes down to price but you can’t go wrong with either. If you buy a DSLR just be aware that you will have to mostly start over if you want to upgrade later down the line.
Comments